The Best Shows Returning British TV Series 2023

Sex Education season 4

Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee-Lou Wood, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling and Mimi Keene will all return in 2023 for more outrageous antics and coming-of-age drama.

It is expected to be the last season of the acclaimed teen drama (*sobs*), but it will have the added bonus of Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy joining the cast as Thomas Molloy, Maeve’s new Ivy League tutor.

The Crown season 6

Netflix’s award-winnning smash hit is expected to bow out in late 2023 with one final run from Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II.

The final series is expected to cover Princess Diana’s death, Tony Blair’s relationship with the Queen, the death of the Queen Mother, 9/11 and the Golden Jubilee in 2002 – so there’s no shortage of intriguing storylines.

Squid Game: The Challenge

The global phenomenon becomes real life as Netflix take the high-stakes gameshow at the centre of their drama series and build it.

It will have the largest cast and lump sum cash prize in reality TV history with 456 players competing for $4.56 million. But quite how the reality series will match the dramatic peril of the original Korean series remains to be seen.

Man Like Mobeen Series 4

Announced on creator and star Guz Khan’s Instagram account in September 2020, as reported by Comedy.co.uk, hit BBC Three comedy Man Like Mobeen has been a long time coming. The BBC confirmed filming started in autumn 2022, and the fourth series will conclude the story of Mobeen, a young man trying to go straight and be a good role model for his younger sister. Series three left fans on a serious cliffhanger that saw Mobeen going to prison, and that’s where the final series will kick off, with Mobeen (Guz Khan) and his best friend Nate (Tolu Ogunmefun) trying to get to the end of their sentence without causing too much mayhem.

SAS Rogue Heroes: Series 2

The first series of SAS: Rogue Heroes – the real-life story of the formation of the SAS in World War Two – exploded onto our screens in autumn 2022, attracting over 9 million viewers, and the series concluded with the teasing caption ‘TO BE CONTINUED’. The BBC have confirmed series two will start filming in 2023, and will show the consequences of the dramatic season one finale.

The Grand Tour season 5 special

Clarkson, Hammond and May will be back on the road in 2023 with a new adventure across Eastern Europe.

Travelling from Poland to Slovenia, the season 5 special is expected to have an emotional story as the trio were spotted filming at a prisoner of war camp.

The Witcher season 3

Henry Cavill will bow out as Geralt of Rivia with a third season of The Witcher, before being replaced by Liam Hemsworth in season 4.

But before the casting changes, fans can expect more battles and beasts as Geralt takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it.

Sex Education Series 4

Filming for Sex Education’s fourth series began in August 2022, and it’s going to be quite a step change from previous series. For a start, Moordale Secondary was closed at the end of Series 3, so the teens are now scattered in different locations, and many of the show’s stars also aren’t returning, including Simone Ashley as Olivia, Patricia Allison as Ola and Tanya Reynolds as Lily. More positive casting news includes Ncuti Gatwa returning as Eric despite his Doctor Who casting, while another Whoniverse alumnus Thaddea Graham (who played Bel in the Flux series) joins the cast. Another exciting newcomer to the Series 4 cast is Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy as Thomas Molloy, Maeve’s American mentor.

Shetland Series 8

The eighth series of this popular murder mystery drama will be taking a decidedly fresh turn, as Ashley Jensen will take over from Douglas Henshall as the show’s lead detective, starring as new character DI Ruth Calder. Filming begins in the spring, so we’ll confirm a release date later in the year.

Starstruck Series 3

Rose Matafeo’s critically-acclaimed feel-good comedy about a messy millennial who unwittingly starts a romance with a Hollywood film star (Nikesh Patel) is back for its third series. The BBC confirmed Series 3 was in the works in June 2022, and both Matafeo and Patel will reprise their roles over six new episodes, with Matafeo also directing part of the series for the first time.

Taskmaster Series 15

No sooner had the Series 14 champion lifted their trophy than the cast of Taskmaster Series 15 was revealed: Frankie Boyle, Jenny Eclair, Ivo Graham, Mae Martin and Kiell Smith-Bynoe will be the lucky five competing against each other, with Greg Davies remaining the Taskmaster and little Alex Horne his trusty sidekick. The live shows were recorded in September 2022 so we should expect Series 15 in the first half of the year.

Gladiators

Awooga! In the most surprising TV comeback of the year, Gladiators is returning to Saturday nights in 2023.

It will have a new home on BBC One, but you can expect the usual mix of muscle-filled silliness as contestants show off their speed and strength and take on The Eliminator to win prizes.

Clarkson’s Farm season 2

Clarkson, Kaleb, Gerald, and ‘Cheerful’ Charlie have all been busy on Diddly Squat Farm cooking up a second season of Prime Video’s smash hit.

The “love letter to farming” became a surprise phenomenon in 2021 and fans are eager for more farming adventures from Clarkson, who surprisingly made agriculture addictive viewing.

Watch Clarkson’s Farm season 2 from 10 February.