The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. The category is described on the official BAFTA website as being open a drama series "of between two and 19 episodes, that is intended to return." The category has been through several name and category changes: * From 1958 to 1972 the award was presented usually individually under the name "Best Drama Production". * Also during the same period another category was awarded briefly as "Best Drama Series" from 1964 to 1970. * Then from 1970 to 1991 it was joined with drama serials into a category named "Best Drama Series or Serial" with the exception of the years 87, 88 and 89 where it was awarded just as "Best Drama Series". From 1992 onwards, the category was split in two, with a separate Best Drama Serial category also established. ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'', '' Cracker'', '' The Cops'', ''

The Street The Street may refer to: Geographical *Wall Street in New York City's Financial District * The Street, Lawshall, Suffolk, England * The Street (Heath Charnock), a building and bridleway in Rivington, Lancashire, England Film and television * ''The ...

'' and '' Happy Valley'' have all won the category twice, all except the last in successive years.

Winners and nominees

1950s

Best Drama Production

1960s

Best Drama Production Best Drama Series

1970s

Best Drama Production Best Drama Series Best Drama Series or Serial

1980s

Best Drama Series or Serial Best Drama Series

1990s

Best Drama Series or Serial Best Drama Series

2000s

2010s

2020s

*Note: The series that don't have recipients on the table had ''Production team'' credited as the recipients of the award or nomination.

Television Dramas with multiple awards nominations

Multiple awards

The following television series have won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series multiple times: 2 awards *'' Cracker'' (consecutive) *'' Happy Valley'' *'' The Cops'' (consecutive) *''

'' (consecutive)

Multiple nominations

The following television series have been nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series multiple times: 6 nominations *'' Spooks'' 4 nominations *''

Clocking Off ''Clocking Off'' is a British television drama series which was broadcast on BBC One for four series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company, and created by Paul Abbott. It was effectively an an ...

'' *''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

'' *'' Shameless'' 3 nominations *''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' *'' Cracker'' *''

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

'' *'' The Cops'' *''

'' 2 nominations *'' Being Human'' *'' Between the Lines'' *''

Bodies Bodies may refer to: * The plural of body * ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme * Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series * "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order'' * ...

'' *'' Common as Muck'' *'' Cold Feet'' *'' Doctor Who'' *'' Happy Valley'' *''

'' *''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...

'' *''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

'' *'' Line of Duty'' *''

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, rack ...

'' *''

Playing the Field ''Playing the Field'' is a BBC television drama series following the lives of the Castlefield Blues, a fictitious female football team from South Yorkshire. Outline Inspired by Pete Davies's book ''I Lost My Heart to the Belles'' – which w ...

'' *''

Scott & Bailey ''Scott & Bailey'' is a British police procedural series that debuted on ITV on 29 May 2011 and concluded on 27 April 2016. The series stars Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Nicholas Gleaves, Danny Miller and Pippa Haywood. The s ...

'' *''

The End of the F***ing World ''The End of the F***ing World'' is a British black comedy-drama television programme. The eight-part first series premiered its first episode on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2017, after which the following episodes were releas ...

References

External links

List of winners
at the

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:British Academy Television Award For Best Drama Series British Academy Television Awards British drama 1992 establishments in the United Kingdom Awards established in 1992