15 British Period Dramas Most Americans Haven't Seen

Forget the usual British classics everyone talks about. This is about the period dramas that never made it across the Atlantic — the ones buried on BBC archives or lost in bad international distribution deals. I'm talking about Irish love stories filmed in the rain-soaked countryside, gritty 18th-century crime dramas that feel more like Gangs of London than Downton Abbey, and forgotten series that tackled class, corruption, and survival long before prestige TV made it trendy. These are 15 British period dramas most Americans haven't seen — but absolutely should.

You might also like:
Every Sense and Sensibility Adaptation Ever Made (The Complete List!)    • Every Sense and Sensibility Adaptation Eve...  
Historians Hate These Period Piece Movies    • Historians Hate These Period Piece Movies  

0:00 - intro
0:19 - Falling for a Dancer (1998)
1:30 - Dancing on the Edge (2013)
2:46 - City of Vice (2008)
4:05 - Banished (2015)
5:18 - The Mill (2013–2014)
6:24 - The Village (2013–2014)
7:45 - Lilies (2007)
8:35 - The House of Eliott (1991–1994)
9:42 - The Grand (1997–1998)
10:45 - Aristocrats (1999)
11:54 - A Respectable Trade (1998)
13:09 - The Crimson Petal and the White (2011)
14:13 - Desperate Romantics (2009)
15:16 - Cambridge Spies (2003)
16:26 - The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999–2000)

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit that bell icon for more!

#britishperioddramas #BBCperioddramas #bbcseries #costumedramas #historydramas #VictorianEra #GeorgianEra