The ten best British TV shows of 2023 have been revealed.
Taking first place is Bruce Straley's The Last Of Us, about a world ravaged by a pandemic caused by a zombie-causing fungus.
Second place went to “Succession,” a five-season show that tells the story of a media tycoon family and the struggle to take over the company when their father resigns.
Close behind is “Happy Valley,” about a police sergeant trying to recover from her daughter’s suicide while caring for her grandson.
For the first time ever, BBC One soap EastEnders has also made the RadioTimes.com list.
The annual list is compiled by TV Bible's panel of specialist critics, covering all genres from science fiction and sports to drama and soaps.
The UK's top ten TV shows of 2023 have been revealed (pictured: Pedro Pascal (left) and Bella Ramsey in a scene from The Last of Us).
For the first time ever, BBC One soap EastEnders has also made the RadioTimes.com list
LR Jeremy Strong Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin in a scene from the final season of Succession, which came second on the list
In first place at the top of the charts is “The Last of Us”.
Top 10 TV shows
The nine-part HBO show has been generating buzz since January with many calling it a “masterpiece.”
Ten years after the PlayStation game's release, HBO's post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us premiered in early 2023 and received numerous positive reviews from fans, who called it “the best video game-inspired content ever.”
The show focuses on the parasitic Cordyceps fungus, which has a tendency to infect insects, which evolves to control humanity and turn them into zombies.
Based on the video game, it follows the same characters Joel – played by Pedro Pascal – and Ellie – played by Bella Ramsey – as they traverse the land after the fungus takes over society.
“The Last Of Us” defied the odds, earning a score of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 9.6 out of 10 on IMDB.
With a close second place, Succession cemented its place in second place.
The Jesse Armstrong-directed masterpiece starring Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen and Jeremy Strong ended its fourth season with a shocking twist, attracting millions of viewers and becoming the most-watched episode of the entire series.
It shows how life changes for the Roy family, who famously control the largest media and entertainment company in the world, when their father steps down.
HBO show 'The Last Of Us' has been generating buzz since January with many calling it 'a masterpiece' (Pictured: Bella Ramsey)
In the final episode of Succession, the fate and future of the Roy children and the company founded by their late father Logan Roy (Brian Cox) were at stake.
The entire series had been building up to the final episodes as all of Logan's children prepare for the final vote on Waystar Royco's board of directors to merge with Lukas Matsson's (Alexander Skarsgard) GoJo.
Logan's children are Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Connor (Alan Ruck).
Mark Mylod directs the 90-minute series finale and after many twists and turns, it is Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) who finally takes over the management of Waystar under new owner Matsson.
The drama has so far streamed 39 episodes across four seasons, available to stream on NowTV.
The first episode aired on June 3, 2018.
Succession named best drama of 2023 (Brian Cox pictured in his role as Logan Roy)
It is Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, pictured) who eventually takes over as CEO of Waystar under new owner Matsson
Happy Valley secured third place.
According to the BBC, Happy Valley was the most-watched drama of the year, averaging 11.9 million viewers over 28 days.
Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is a divorced police sergeant with two children living in Halifax.
She is desperately trying to recover from her daughter's suicide, which happened eight years ago, while also trying to care for her grandson, who was born as a result of her daughter's rape by Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton).
The heartbreaking finale, which aired in December when Catherine and Tommy finally came face to face, captivated viewers.
Around 7.5 million viewers watched the climax of the BBC1 drama, which saw James Norton's escaped convict Royce set himself on fire in the kitchen of the embattled officer played by Sarah Lancashire – making it one of the most-watched single programs of the year.
The series ended this year after airing 18 episodes over three seasons after first airing on April 29, 2014.
Sally Wainright's Happy Valley, starring Sarah Lancashire, aired its final season and came third in the list of shows
Happy Valley came to an end after three seasons and the final episode lived up to the incredible hype, with many viewers hailing the episode as “a masterpiece.”
In fourth place is “The Bear”.
The hit FX and Hulu comedy-drama series stars Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri.
The critically acclaimed show, which will return in 2024, received 13 Emmy nominations for its first season.
The series, which has 18 episodes over two seasons so far, centers on Jeremy's character Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a gourmet chef who inherits her family's sandwich shop.
Carmy, an award-winning chef, inherited the Italian beef sandwich shop in Chicago after his brother died by suicide.
The show follows the chef as he quits his job at a Michelin star restaurant and tries to run his own successful business.
The second season premiered on Hulu in June with a ten-episode run and will return to UK screens for a third season in 2024.
It first aired on June 23, 2022 and has since become a popular hit across British households.
The Bear, which has 18 episodes across two seasons so far, centers on Jeremy Allen White's character Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a chef who inherits his family's sandwich shop
The critically acclaimed show, which will return in 2024, received 13 Emmy nominations for its first season
Beef sits comfortably in fifth place.
Netflix's 10-episode comedy series Beef has taken the internet by storm since its release in April.
The 10-part black comedy series has been hailed as a “perfect example” of an emerging media genre currently branded as “millennial rage”.
It tells the story of two strangers who become involved in a violent road rage incident and the aftermath.
In Beef, Steven Yeun plays the role of Danny Cho, a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder who competes against Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a person who lives a very different, quaint life as a self-made entrepreneur.
Their simple road rage tantrum turns into a protracted feud.
After the first season aired on Netflix on March 18, there are talks about a second season for next year, but director Lee Sung has not confirmed anything yet.
Netflix's 10-episode comedy series Beef has taken the internet by storm since its release in April (pictured is Steven Yeun as Danny).
It tells the story of two strangers who become involved in a violent road rage incident and its aftermath (pictured are Ali Wong as Amy and Joseph Lee as George).
BBC drama The Sixth Commandment, which crept into sixth place, narrowly missed out on the top five.
The show dramatizes the real-life murder of retired teacher and writer Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall) and the death of his neighbor Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid).
Both were deeply religious, but fell in love with the charismatic student Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke), who drugged and murdered Peter and exploited Ann for her money.
It's about the way Ben manipulated both victims and the gaslighting he carried out on both, as well as the police investigation into his crimes and his high-profile trial.
The four-part crime drama was written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Saul Dibb.
It first aired on BBC One on July 17 and viewers will not see another episode in 2024.
Viewers were blown away by Timothy Spall's portrayal of gay academic Peter Farquhar, murdered by a churchwarden, in The Sixth Commandment.
The show dramatizes the real-life murder of retired teacher and writer Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall) and the death of his neighbor Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid).
Seventh place goes to Stephen Graham's Boiling Point.
It is the sequel to the award-winning 2021 independent film of the same name, in which Stephen's character, chef Andy Jones, survives a night in hell.
Boiling Point invited viewers behind the swinging doors of a first-class venue for a dose of nerve-wracking excitement.
Stephen played Andy, sitting at home drinking beer and brooding after suffering a heart attack and losing his restaurant, while Vinette Robinson took on the role of Carly.
Carly, Andy's former number two, is now head chef at her London restaurant Point North, where the tense kitchen action took place, with viewers describing the drama as “stressful”.
The four-part series is the sequel to the award-winning 2021 independent film of the same name, in which Stephen's character survives the night in hell.
Stephen and his wife Hannah Walters, who plays pastry chef Emily, were executive producers of both the film and television series.
The first episode aired on BBC One on October 1st and the release of a second season has yet to be confirmed.
Stephen Graham's (pictured left) Boiling Point was described as “too stressful” by BBC viewers. In the picture on the right, Vinette Robinson from The A-Word takes on the role of Carly
Doctor Who came eighth on the list.
The cult show made history in 2023 when the 15th Doctor was played by a black actor for the first time – Ncuti Gatwa.
It shows the Doctor traveling through the universe in his time-traveling spaceship, called the TARDIS, in time.
During his explorations, the Lord of Time works to save lives and liberate oppressed lives by fighting enemies alongside his companions.
In the third and final special to mark the sci-fi series' 60th anniversary, David Tennant briefly returned to the role when he regenerated into Sex Education star Ncuti, 31.
However, not everything was as it seemed. A major twist saw both versions of the Doctor remain on screen, marking a huge departure from the tradition of the long-running series.
The highly-anticipated episode drew an average of about 4.5 million viewers, with a peak of just over 6 million, according to overnight ratings.
The first full episode of Ncuti will air on Christmas Day, with the eight-episode 14th series starting in spring 2024.
In the science fiction series' third and final 60th anniversary special, David Tennant briefly returned to the role when he regenerated into Sex Education star Ncuti, 31, (right) (David Tennant pictured left).
Netflix's “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” ranked ninth in this year's list of the best TV shows.
The Bridgerton prequel spin-off miniseries saw Charlotte's rise to power and her pivotal marriage to the king.
She was the young German princess who was married to the King of England through an arranged marriage.
But their connection develops into a turbulent and then passionate meeting of minds and a true love affair.
Queen Charlotte was played by India Amarteifio, while Golda Rosheuvel continued to play the adult queen.
Viewers witness her intense marriage to King George III, get to know her delinquent children and better understand her motivations.
Michelle Fairley also joins the cast as Princess Augusta, with Arsema Thomas playing young Agatha Danbury.
The show is a six-part limited series directed by Tom Verica and first aired on the platform on May 4.
Another season is currently not in sight.
The “Bridgerton” prequel spin-off series saw Charlotte's rise to power and her pivotal marriage to the king (pictured: Hugh Sachs as Brimsley and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte).
The trailer shows how Charlotte met and fell in love with King George III, played by Corey Mylchreest (pictured: Corey Mylchreest as young King George, India Amarteifio as young Queen Charlotte).
EastEnders managed to sneak into the list this year as it sits safely at number 10.
The cult show is the first soap ever to secure a place in the top rankings.
EastEnders is built on the strong foundation of friends and family, all victims of unrest and conflict, but pulling together in times of need.
Viewers were taken on a glorious 10-month journey ahead of their Christmas special episode.
Soap fans are counting down the days until the story of The Six reaches its epic conclusion and the identity of the male character killed in the Queen Vic is revealed.
Over the past ten months, fans have been given small clues as to the identity of the mysterious male character. A tell-tale sign, for example, was a pair of cufflinks visible on the body.
The shortlist has already been narrowed down to seven: Phil Mitchell, Keanu Taylor, Ravi Gulati, Dean Wicks, Nish Panesar, Rocky Cotton and Jack Branning.
The storylines have been praised by many viewers for revitalizing the soap this year, and episodes are expected to continue well into 2024.
Viewers were taken on a glorious 10-month journey ahead of their Christmas special episode
The 50 Best TV Shows of 2023
1. The Last of Us
2. Succession
3. Happy Valley
4. The bear
5. Beef
6. The Sixth Commandment
7. Boiling point
8. Doctor Who
9. Queen Charlotte
10. EastEnders
11. Lupine
12. Black Mirror
13. Sex education
14. Time
15. Silo
16. The Crown
17.Dead Ringers
18. Yellow Jackets
19. Poker face
20. Only murders in the building
21. Jury Duty
22. The woman in the wall
23. Good omens
24. Fleishman is in trouble
25. Big Brother
26. Ahsoka
27. The Traitors Australia
28. Generation V
29. Top Boy
30. Taskmaster
31. The Long Shadow
32. Ted Lasso
33. Barry
34. Crush
35. Loki
46. Daisy Jones and the Six
37. Slow horses
38. Blue lights
39. The Lazarus Project
40. Beckham
41. Heart stopper
42. The Gold
43. Boat story
44. Kidnapping
45. Deadhole
46. Be sure to come dancing
47. Juice
48. Dreaming while black
49. Call the midwife
50. The gallows post
Source: Radio Times