15 Best British TV Shows Of The Decade

Twelve episodes, a handful of characters, a simple premise, and a handsome priest. That’s all it took for Phoebe Waller-Bridge to create one of the most iconic characters - and shows - of the decade. Whether you find it oh-so-relatable or an upper class fantasy land, Fleabag is one of the best written, crafted, and acted series in a long while - a masterpiece of British brevity.

The core of Fleabag is incredibly dark. The titular young woman is alone in London (emotionally if not physically), relying on the twin crutches of booze and sex to get over the memory of her late best friend, whose death she was somewhat responsible for. Waller-Bridge plays Fleabag as self destructive to the max, gleefully offending her friends and family, shrugging off offers of help and chances of self improvement. She’s a product of privilege, yes, but that doesn’t make her any less wounded and vulnerable.

Season one is a roller coaster, a sequence of set pieces in which Fleabag turns up somewhere she oughtn’t be, acts out, and leaves. Season two takes matters deeper, with an incredible exploration of faith and love as Fleabag and a priest (Andrew Scott) embark on a steamy and turbulent will-they won’t-they. It ends on a wonderfully subtle moment of hope, some light in the darkness. That it manages all this while still being hugely funny is impressive. That it does all that in less than six hours is extraordinary.

The cast is superb from top to bottom (special mention goes to Kristin Scott Thomas, who steals the show in a one episode appearance as an award winning business woman) - this is Waller-Bridge’s vision, but she makes no effort to hog the limelight. Fleabag will most likely be emulated for years to come, but it’ll be a while before it’s bettered.