15 Best British TV Shows Of The Decade

The British spy drama is typically either an exceedingly complex mystery of double- and triple crosses, or Roger Moore in a gadget laden tuxedo, raising his eyebrow. Enter Killing Eve. It’s slick, it’s glossy, it’s glamorous. It’s fun and funny, violent, full of twists and turns, but - perhaps most importantly - absolutely, 100% British.

That’s not to say there are no international influences (one of the leads is Canadian, for starters), but its outlook and execution are in no way indebted to our all-action colleagues across the pond. Much of this is down to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who penned much of the first season and brought the same dark humour, distinctive characters, and moments of real pathos as she did to Fleabag.

Sandra Oh’s Eve is brilliant but brittle, a woman who wants more out of life (which we can relate to) - only in her case that means obsessing over a serial killer (which we hopefully can’t). Jodie Comer is a revelation as Villanelle, giving a livewire performance as the chameleonic assassin. Quality of storytelling aside, the show looks a blast to make, and all involved bring their A game. The lightness of touch works wonders: the characters are simply people doing a job, with all the workplace banter that comes along with it. It just so happens that their jobs involve killers and criminal conspiracies.

If the second season took a slight dip from the first, that’s likely to be expected, given the sheer thrill ride of those first eight episodes. But with another painfully tense cliffhanger finishing things off, the stage is set for another instalment of gripping spy drama. Killing Eve is a shot in the arm for a venerable genre, and for British TV at large.