The British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series is one of the major categories of the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), the primary awards ceremony of the British television industry. The category is described on the official BAFTA website as being open to a drama series "of between two and 19 episodes, that is intended to return."
The category has been through several name and category changes: From 1958 to 1972 the award was presented usually individually under the name "Best Drama Production". Also during the same period another category was awarded briefly as "Best Drama Series" from 1964 to 1970. Then from 1970 to 1991 it was joined with drama serials into a category named "Best Drama Series or Serial" with the exception of the years 87, 88 and 89 where it was awarded just as "Best Drama Series".
From 1992 onwards, the category was split in two, with a separate Best Drama Serial category also established.
Inspector Morse, Cracker, The Cops, The Street and Happy Valley have all won the category twice, all except the last in successive years.
Winners and nominees 1950s Best Drama Production Year Recipient(s)1958 Rudolph Cartier1959 Silvio Narizzano
1960s Best Drama Production Year Recipient(s) Title Broadcaster1960 William Kotcheff1961 Peter Dews1962 Andrew Osborn1963 David Rose, Charles Jarrott1964 John Jacobs1965 Philip Saville1966 Peter Hammond The Count of Monte Cristo BBC One Contract to Kill Hereward The Wake Armchair Theatre: "I Took My Little World Away" Armchair Mystery Theatre: "Ambrose" Cyril Coke Play of the Week: "Crime and Punishment", "The Rules of the Game", "Four of Hearts: Tilt" ITV Charles Jarrott Thursday Theatre: "Captain Carvallo", "The Young Elizabeth" BBC Two The Wednesday Play: "The Big Breaker" BBC One Tea Party BBC Production Team The Wars of the Roses 1967 Ken Loach1968 Ken Loach1969 Anthony Page Play of the Month: "The Parachute" BBC One
Best Drama Series Year Recipient(s) Title Broadcaster1964 Philip Mackie1965 Rex Firkin1966 Philip Mackie, Silvio Narizzano Paris 1900 ITV Play of the Week: "The Changeling", "Women Beware Women" Story Parade: "The Old Boys" BBC One The Wednesday Thriller: "The Babysitter" Peter Graham Scott Drama 61-67: "Memory of October" ATV Mogul BBC Redcap ITV Danger Man Stella Richman Upstairs, Downstairs: "Missing Believe Killed" The Hidden Truth: "One of the Hampshire Pargeters" Blackmail: "Take Care of Madam" Ralph Smart Danger Man 1967 Peter Graham Scott
1970s Best Drama Production Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster1970 W. Somerset Maugham: "The Letter" Christopher Morahan BBC ITV Playhouse: "You've Made Your Bed, Now Lie On It" ITV Saturday Night Theatre: "Nora" Play for Today: "Voyage Round My Father" Claude Whatham BBC One Rembrandt Rudolph Cartier BBC1971 Play for Today: "The Lie" Alan Bridges BBC One Callan Reginald Collin ITV The Wednesday Play: "Mad Jack" Jack Gold BBC One The Roads To Freedom James Cellan Jones BBC Two The Six Wives Of Henry VIII Ronald Travers, Mark Shivas The Six Wives Of Henry VIII: "Catherine Of Aragon" John Glenister1972 Play for Today: "Edna, The Inebriate Woman" Ted Kotcheff BBC One Cider with Rosie Claude Whatham BBC Eyeless In Gaza James Cellan Jones The Snow Goose Patrick Garland Upstairs, Downstairs: "On Trial" John Hawkesworth ITV
Best Drama Series Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster1970 W. Somerset Maugham Verity Lambert BBC Callan Reginald Collin ITV The Gold Robbers John Hawkesworth
Best Drama Series or Serial Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster1973 Country Matters Derek Granger BBC Upstairs, Downstairs John Hawkesworth ITV Colditz Gerard Glaister BBC One1974 Upstairs, Downstairs John Hawkesworth ITV Country Matters Derek Granger BBC Wessex Tales Irene Shubik BBC Two The Onedin Line Peter Graham Scott BBC One1975 South Riding James Ormerod ITV Shoulder to Shoulder Verity Lambert BBC Two Jennie James Cellan Jones ITV Upstairs, Downstairs John Hawkesworth1976 Edward VII Cecil Clarke, John Gorrie ITV Day of Hope Tony Garnett, Ken Loach BBC One The Sweeney Ted Childs ITV Upstairs, Downstairs John Hawkesworth1977 Rock Follies Andrew Brown ITV The Duchess of Duke Street John Hawkesworth BBC One When the Boat Comes In Leonard Lewis The Glittering Prizes Mark Shivas BBC Two I, Claudius Martin Lisemore, Herbert Wise1978 Marie Curie Peter Goodchild, John Glenister BBC Hard Times Peter Eckersley, John Irvin ITV The Norman Conquests Verity Lambert, Herbert Wise When the Boat Comes In Andrew Osborn BBC One1979 Edward and Mrs Simpson Andrew Brown, Waris Hussein ITV All Creatures Great And Small Bill Sellars BBC One Pennies From Heaven Kenith Trodd, Piers Haggard Lillie Jack Williams ITV
1980s Best Drama Series or Serial Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster1980 Testament of Youth Jonathan Powell, Moira Armstrong BBC Two Rumpole of the Bailey Jacqueline Davis ITV Telford's Change Mark Shivas, Barry Davis BBC One Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Jonathan Powell, John Irvin BBC Two1981 Oppenheimer Peter Goodchild, Barry Davis BBC Two Shoestring Robert Banks Stewart BBC One To Serve Them All My Days Ken Riddington Therese Raquin Jonathan Powell, Simon Langton BBC Two1982 Brideshead Revisited Derek Granger, Charles Sturridge, Michael Lindsay-Hogg ITV The History Man Michael Wearing, Robert Knights BBC Two Private Schulz Philip Hinchcliffe, Robert Chetwyn Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years Richard Broke, Ferdinand Fairfax ITV1983 Boys from the Blackstuff Michael Wearing, Philip Saville BBC Two Minder Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor ITV The Barchester Chronicles Jonathan Powell, David Giles BBC Two Smiley's People Jonathan Powell, Simon Langton1984 Kennedy Andrew Brown, Jim Goddard ITV Rumpole of the Bailey Jacqueline Davis ITV Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Martin McKeand Widows Linda Agran, Ian Toynton1985 The Jewel in the Crown Christopher Morahan, Jim O'Brien ITV Tenko Ken Riddington BBC One Minder Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor ITV Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Martin McKeand1986 Edge of Darkness Michael Wearing, Martin Campbell BBC Two Minder Lloyd Shirley, George Taylor ITV Bleak House John Harris, Betty Willingale, Ross Devenish BBC Two The Price Mark Shivas, Peter Smith Channel 4
Best Drama Series Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster1987 The Life and Loves of a She-Devil Sally Head, Philip Saville BBC Two All Passion Spent Colin Rogers, Martyn Friend BBC The Monocled Mutineer Richard Broke, Jim O'Brien BBC One The Singing Detective Kenith Trodd, John Harris, Jon Amiel Paradise Postponed Jacqueline Davis, Alvin Rakoff ITV A Very Peculiar Practice Ken Riddington, David Tucker BBC Two1988 Tutti Frutti Andy Park, Tony Smith BBC Scotland Fortunes of War Betty Willingale, James Cellan Jones BBC One Porterhouse Blue Brian Eastman, Robert Knights Channel 4 A Perfect Spy Colin Rogers, Peter Smith BBC Two1989 A Very British Coup Alan Plater, Anne Skinner, Sally Hibbin, Mick Jackson Channel 4 Blind Justice Peter Flannery, Michael Wearing, Robert Walker, Michael Whyte BBC One Talking Heads Alan Bennett, Innes Lloyd Rumpole of the Bailey John Mortimer, Jacqueline Davis ITV
1990s Best Drama Series or Serial Year Title Recipient(s) Broadcaster1990 Traffik Simon Moore, Brian Eastman, Alastair Reid Channel 4 Inspector Morse Chris Burt ITV Summer's Lease John Mortimer, Colin Rogers, Martyn Friend BBC Two Mother Love Andrew Davies, Ken Riddington, Simon Langton BBC One1991 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Jeanette Winterson, Phillippa Giles, Beeban Kidron BBC Two Agatha Christie's Poirot Brian Eastman ITV Inspector Morse David Lascelles House of Cards Andrew Davies, Ken Riddington, Paul Seed BBC
Best Drama Series Year Title Recipient(s) Production company Broadcaster1992 Inspector Morse David Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles Central Independent Television ITV Agatha Christie's Poirot Brian Eastman London Weekend Television ITV Casualty Geraint Morris BBC Bristol BBC One Spender Martin McKeand BBC Television 1993 Inspector Morse Deirdre Kerr Central Independent Television ITV Between the Lines Peter Norris World Productions BBC One Casualty Gerraint Morris BBC Bristol Jeeves and Wooster Clive Exton, Brian Eastman, Ferdinand Fairfax Carnival Films ITV1994 Between the Lines Peter Norris World Productions BBC One Cracker Gub Neal, Jimmy McGovern Granada Television ITVCasualty Gerraint Morris, Michael Ferguson BBC Bristol BBC One The Riff Raff Element Liz Trubridge, Simon Cellan Jones, Jeremy Ancock, Debbie Horsfield BBC Television 1995 Cracker Paul Abbott Granada Television ITV The Bill Michael Chapman Thames Television ITVSharpe Simon Lewis, Tom Clegg Central Independent TelevisionCommon As Muck John Chapman, William Ivory BBC Television BBC One1996 Cracker Hilary Bevan Jones Granada Television ITV Preston Front Chris Griffin, Tim Firth BBC Television BBC One Prime Suspect Paul Marcus Granada Television ITVA Touch of Frost Don Leaver Yorkshire Television 1997 EastEnders Corinne Hollingworth, Jane Harris BBC Television BBC One This Life Jane Fallon World Productions BBC Two Ballykissangel Joy Lale BBC Northern Ireland BBC One Hamish Macbeth Deidre Kerr Skyline Films, Zenith Entertainment Ltd. 1998 Jonathan Creek Susan Belbin, Sandy Johnson, Marcus Mortimer, David RenwickBBC Television BBC One Touching Evil Jane Featherstone, Paul Abbott Anglia Television ITV Common As Muck Catherine Wearing, Metin Hüseyin, William Ivory BBC Television BBC One Wing and a Prayer Jacinta Peel, Richard Laxton, Robin Sheppard, Matthew Hall Thames Television Channel 5 1999 The Cops Eric Coulter, Harry Bradbeer, Alrick RileyWorld Productions BBC Two Jonathan Creek Verity Lambert, Keith Washington, David Renwick, Sandy Johnson BBC Television BBC One Playing the Field Greg Brenman, Catherine Morshead, Paul Seed, Kay Mellor Tiger Aspect Productions Undercover Heart Jane Fallon, John Strickland, Richard Signy, Peter Bowker BBC Television
2000s