10 Best British TV Shows Of 2018

For five weeks between May and June, viewers became infatuated with the unique Patrick Melrose. The Sky Atlantic series starred Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous protagonist, who was as eccentric - and as quintessentially British - as one could be.

Based on the semi-autobiographical novels by Edward St Aubyn, the five-part series dealt with a number of issues, from drug addiction to child abuse, and it also posed a few interesting questions regarding British upper class. Patrick Melrose was hard to define, but perhaps that's what made it so alluring to us all. The series wasn't confined by genre conventions, and possessed a tone that remains incredibly hard to describe.

The second episode - which was almost entirely a flashback to Patrick's troubled holiday in the South of France when he was a child - is a particular standout moment, which is surprising considering Cumberbatch's iteration of the character barely featured in it.

And on the topic of Cumberbatch, it's important to note just how outstanding he is in this.