Entertainment

Hugh Grant drama is critics’ pick for best TV show of 2018

With several top programmes on the screens this year, the Radio Times panel had a tough job narrowing the field.
With several top programmes on the screens this year, the Radio Times panel had a tough job narrowing the field. With several top programmes on the screens this year, the Radio Times panel had a tough job narrowing the field.

A Very English Scandal has been named as the best show of 2018 by a panel of critics.

The three-part series starring Hugh Grant as the disgraced Liberal political leader Jeremy Thorpe was hailed as the finest programme on TV screens this year.

Picked by a panel of critics for Radio Times magazine, the show beat other hit BBC productions Killing Eve and Bodyguard to top spot.

  1. A Very English Scandal (BBC One)
  2. Killing Eve (BBC One)
  3. Bodyguard (BBC One)
  4. They Shall Not Grow Old (BBC Two)
  5. This Country (BBC Three)
  6. Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic)
  7. Ozark (Netflix)
  8. Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC Two)
  9. The Cry (BBC One)
  10. Inside No 9 (BBC Two)

Mockumentary This Country, and drama Patrick Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, were also stand-out shows from 2018 in the eyes of the panel.

It follows the story of a scandal surrounding Thorpe in the late 1970s when he was tried and acquitted of conspiring to murder his ex-lover, Norman Scott.

Tim Glanfield, RadioTimes.com editor, said: “2018 has been a standout year for television drama, attracting film stars back to the small screen, creating water-cooler moments and event TV in the age of on-demand – as well as racking up millions of iPlayer views.

BBC iPlayer biggest show of 2018
BBC iPlayer biggest show of 2018 Richard Madden as David Budd and Keeley Hawes as Julia Montague in Bodyguard (Des Willie/BBC)

“Peter Jackson’s stunning World War One documentary brought the Great War to life for a new generation and will live long in the memory for anyone who saw it.

“News of the death of TV comedy seems premature, with This Country reviving the mockumentary and the ambitious live version of Inside No 9 proving to be one of the TV events of the year.”

The top 10 shows according to Radio Times critics:

1.     A Very English Scandal (BBC One)

2.     Killing Eve (BBC One)

3.     Bodyguard (BBC One)

4.     They Shall Not Grow Old (BBC Two)

5.     This Country (BBC Three)

6.     Patrick Melrose (Sky Atlantic)

7.     Ozark (Netflix)

8.     Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (BBC Two)

9.     The Cry (BBC One)

10.  Inside No 9 (BBC Two)

A breakdown of each programme choice is available in Radio Times magazine out now.