Lists. Lists are a bit old hat, aren't they? Bit dull. Bit prosaic. The kind of thing you make before a Big Shop. But what if I told you this particular list will open a gateway into no less than ten vastly different televisual worlds, including 1970s Yorkshire, time-travelling detective noir, working-class Manchester and mid-2000s drunk female shag-athons?This, my friends, is numbers 50 to 41 of the greatest TV shows to emerge from this drizzly island this century. Britain doesn't get much sun, and its people aren't known for strange American concepts like "optimism" or what my old PE teacher called "PMA" ("positive mental attitude"). But what we do have is a lot of weird creativity, and from 2000 onwards there was no finer place to see this demonstrated than on our TV screens.
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Read our editor's letter here to find out how we decided what ranked where, click here to read all of the articles from this series, and keep on reading to see what you came for.
50. 'Luther' (2010 – present, BBC One)
49. 'Life on Mars' (2006 – 2007, BBC One)
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The show is probably best remembered for John Simm's turn as Tyler, and Philip Glenister's performance as the politically incorrect and morally ambiguous Hunt. The latter became a phenomenon in his own right, raising fascinating questions about what viewers were (and are) willing to accept; ideas around "UK values"; and whether we really are as progressive as we think. — Lauren O’Neill
48. 'Pulling' (2006 – 2009, BBC Three)
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47. 'Look Around You' (2002 – 2005, BBC Two)
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46. 'Shameless' (2004 – 2013, Channel 4)
45. 'Hinterland' (2013 – 2016, S4C in Welsh; BBC Four in English and Welsh)
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Hinterland producers recorded each scene twice – once in Welsh, once in English – and although the two versions are identical, Welsh speakers have differing views on which has more impact when it comes to representing Welsh culture, i.e. lots believe it shouldn't have "pandered" to English-speaking audiences, and only been released in Welsh. Ultimately, though, it was the first in what would be a long line of Welsh-language dramas – paving the way for more stories to be told in Wales, about Wales, quite literally in our own words. — Georgina JonesRead what Welsh people think about the importance of 'Hinterland' here.
44. 'Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle' (2009 – 2016, BBC Two)
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Perhaps fittingly for a series that spent its lifespan testing the limits of likeability, Lee announced in May of 2016 that the BBC had declined to make any further series. It left a vacuum in its place for comedy that was unashamedly anti-populist. — Angus Harrison
43. 'Gavin and Stacey' (2007 – 2010, BBC Three and BBC One)
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42. 'Babyfather' (BBC Two, 2001-2002)
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