The Very Best Shows On Channel 4 To Watch Next

Winter is the best season for great telly – but sometimes you just want to hunker down and binge a whole series at once. We’ve been looking to our old favourite British streamers lately, from ITVX to BBC iPlayer, and there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. Next up: Channel 4. Here are the very best shows on Channel 4 to watch next.

Best Shows On Channel 4 To Stream Next

Paul, Prue, Noel and Alison

The Great British Bake Off

If you’ve never watched The Great British Bake Off before, (a) where have you been? And (b) you’re in luck: there are seven seasons available to stream on Channel 4 whenever you’re ready (that’s every series from number eight when the show moved from the BBC, right up until series 14 which finished in November). If you think it sounds stale, you’re mistaken – this very British series is bursting with laughs, healthy competition, and barrel loads of baking related tension. Who knew baking could be so stressful? You’ll leave the series an absolute expert, shouting at the bakers through the screen to improve their creme anglaise, ice their petit fours more delicately, and design their puddings with more panache.

Sam Heughan as Danny and Jessica De Gouw as Becka in The Couple Next Door. © Channel 4

The Couple Next Door

This steamy, star-studded thriller landed on Channel 4 earlier this year – and we’ve been loving it. In short, The Couple Next Door follows Evie and Pete, a young couple who moves to a new area and befriends their neighbours, another young and fun couple. But, as the couples get closer, one fateful night leads them to become sexually entangled in a way that will change their lives forever.

(L-R) Orla Mccool (Louisa Clare Harland), (Erin Quinn (Saoirse Monica Jackson)

Derry Girls

Lisa McGee’s Northern Irish comedy Derry Girls made waves when it debuted in January 2018, garnering a loyal fan base who laughed and cried in equal measure when the finale aired in May 2022. Transporting us back to 1990s Derry – that’s during the Troubles – we follow the lives of a group of teenagers attending a Catholic secondary school. It’s known for being hilarious, with iconic one-liners enduring the test of time. But McGee’s handling of the political and historical backdrop is also admirable. Definitely one of the best shows on Channel 4 in recent years.

Skins

Let’s throw it back to some classic teen drama. Channel 4 launched Skins in 2007, subsequently launching the careers of many familiar faces in Hollywood these days, from Nicholas Hoult to Hannah Murray, Dev Patel to Kaya Scodelario. Set in Bristol, the series follows the lives of a group of teenagers at sixth form, and is known for its heavy and sometimes controversial storylines, covering the likes of dysfunctional families, mental illness, eating disorders, sexuality, bullying and substance abuse. Airing from 2007–2013, it’s also a perfect time capsule of noughties teenagerdom.

My Mad Fat Diary

In the same vein, My Mad Fat Diary is a British teen comedy-drama, first airing in 2013 but set in the mid-1990s. Based on Rae Earl’s novel, My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary, the series follows 16-year-old Rae (Sharon Rooney) who lives in Stamford and who returns home after a four-month stint in a psychiatric hospital to find her best friend (played by non other than Jodie Comer) has found a bunch of new friends. The series explores eating disorders, mental health, body image, relationships and more as Rae reconnects with her friend while navigating the ever-evolving landscape of teenagedom.

It’s A Sin

From the man behind much of modern Doctor Who (Russell T Davies), It’s a Sin explores the lives of a group of gay men and their friends as they navigate the challenges and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in London between 1981 and 1991. At times uplifting, at times devastating, the series is one of Channel 4’s standout shows of recent years, praised for its raw truth, emotional depth, and compelling perspective on important historical events.

Fresh Meat

From the team behind Peep Show (another of the best shows on Channel 4), this British comedy-drama aired from 2011–2016 and revolves around a group of six students at Medlock University (loosely based on the University of Manchester). It’s known for its humorous, often brutally honest portrayal of being a student, blending unique characters with unfiltered dialogue, and casting its cohort of core actors to fame – including Jack Whitehall.

Hullraisers

Up in Hull, Hullraisers follows the lives of three chaotic women – self-described actress Toni (Leah Brotherhead), her sister Paula (Sinead Matthews), and their best friend Rana (Taj Atwal) – and follows the ups and downs of life, friendship and family. It’s hilarious yet heartwarming, balancing big laughs with explorations of issues affecting women today.

Friday Night Dinner

Running for a startlingly long nine years (2011–2022; time flies), Robert Popper’s Friday Night Dinner is known for its lighthearted comedy, portraying the humorous mishaps that often ensue when two siblings return to their parents’ home every Friday night for dinner. Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird and Tom Rosenthal make up the core family, but it’s perhaps Mark Heap’s ‘Jim’ that is the most notorious character.

The Inbetweeners

At times hauntingly candid and cringe-worthy, The Inbetweeners was Channel 4’s runaway success story in the late noughties, centring on the misadventures of a group of awkward teenage boys – Will McKenzie, Simon Cooper, Neil Sutherland and Jay Cartwright – as they navigate adolescence’s general challenges, from crushes to sibling conflicts to attempts to be cool. It’s become a mainstay of British comedy, meaning it’s definitely earned a spot among the best shows on Channel 4.

WATCH

Stream all of this (and much more) at channel4.com