The best TV box sets of 2021 to stream now

This unexpectedly entertaining series has taken many people by surprise, not least lifelong Jeremy Clarkson-phobes who have had to admit that, actually, yes, his latest venture is really rather funny. After acquiring a 1,000-acre farm in the Cotswolds, Clarkson must get to grips with sowing, wilding and shearing, all under the withering tutelage of farm hand Kaleb Cooper.

Every superlative has been used to describe Russell T Davies’s joyful yet utterly heartbreaking drama, which is currently All 4’s most binge-watched show of all time. Olly Alexander is a revelation as Ritchie, who moves to London in 1981 just as a strange new illness is gripping the city’s gay scene. The series’ devastating conclusion is one of the TV moments of the year.

Written and directed by actor Emily Mortimer, this fun and fearless adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel packed in the A-listers, with Lily James, Andrew Scott, Dominic West and Mortimer herself forming a strong ensemble. James leads the cast as Linda Radlett, a headstrong woman who is desperate to defy society’s expectations.

Kate Winslet hadn’t led a television drama for a decade until returning, triumphantly, to the small screen in this seven-part HBO series. Her multifaceted depiction of small-town detective Mare Sheehan was nothing short of career-defining. With a tight-knit community torn apart by her failure to solve both a cold case and a sudden new murder, Mare finds herself fighting for victims’ justice — as well as her own demons.

After a two-year wait, the third season of Succession was one of the most anticipated shows of 2021, and the Roys have not disappointed: they’re still conniving and monstrous, with familial fallout and whip-smart put-downs aplenty. The latest run has Logan Roy (Brian Cox) facing his biggest crisis to date, his empire on the cusp of crumbling.

Packed with cliffhangers and claustrophobia, Vigil filled the Sunday-night hole left behind when Line of Duty ended. Suranne Jones led a strong cast as a DCI sent on board a nuclear submarine to investigate the suspicious death of a navy officer. Despite your disbelief having to be firmly suspended on occasion, it was appointment-to-view TV.

If you have yet to be convinced by Line of Duty, perhaps this will persuade you: when the finale of the latest series aired in May, the BBC revealed it was the most-watched episode of any drama since modern records began. If Jed Mercurio’s tales of police corruption have eluded you up until now and you want to see what all the fuss is about, all six series are on iPlayer.

This South Korean dystopian drama can truly be named as one of the year’s TV phenomena. After dropping on Netflix, it spread like wildfire to become the streamer’s biggest ever show after being viewed by more than 142 million people in its first month. Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is a down-on-his-luck father who, along with hundreds of other players, agrees to take part in a series of games for the chance to win a life-changing cash prize. The catch? Anyone who loses a game is killed.

Since debuting in 2015, this Emmy Award-winning French comedy drama has been something of a slow-burner. Depicting the fictional highs and lows at talent agency ASK, both the clients and agents must navigate the caustic world of showbusiness. With real stars including Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sigourney Weaver happy to send themselves up, it’s daft and delicious.