Best tv shows like The English Game
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Two 19th-century footballers on opposite sides of a class divide navigate professional and personal turmoil to change the game — and England — forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, History, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 281 min
Plot tags: period piece, inspirational, uplifting, realistic, stylized, costume drama, serious, period drama
Best tv shows and movies like The English Game (2020):
Similar in 85%
Bramwell (1995)
Plot Summary:
Bramwell is a British television series starring Jemma Redgrave as Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, a woman challenging the domination of men in the medical establishment, who runs a free hospital for the poor in the East End of London, during the late Victorian era. The series by Carlton Television was shown in Britain on ITV in four series from 1995 to 1998. It was subsequently shown in other countries, such as in the United States on PBS from 1996 to 2001.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: medical drama, historical drama, sincere, touching, serious, realistic, period drama, vintage
Similar in 88%
The Indian Doctor (2010)
Plot Summary:
The Indian Doctor is a British television drama set in the summer of 1963. Produced by Rondo Media and Avatar Productions, it was first broadcast on BBC One in 2010. The most recent series began on 27 February 2012 and concluded on 2 March. It is a period comedy drama starring Sanjeev Bhaskar as an Indian doctor who finds work in a South Wales mining village.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: sentimental, realistic, captivating, psychological, period piece, historical drama, humorous, semi serious, period drama
Similar in 78%
Mrs Biggs (2012)
Plot Summary:
The true story of Charmian Biggs (née Powell), the rebellious product of a strict 1950s upbringing, and her whirlwind romance with Ronald Biggs leading to a descent into crime, most infamously 1963's Great Train Robbery.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 848
Genere: Crime, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, emotional, stylized, touching, realistic, period drama
Similar in 79%
Little Lord Fauntleroy (1995)
Plot Summary:
An American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental lord who oversees the trust.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 198
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: UK
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: costume drama, uplifting, touching, serious, realistic, period drama
Similar in 81%
The Crimson Petal and the White (2011)
Plot Summary:
Follow Sugar into the underbelly of Victorian London seething with vitality, sexuality, ambition and emotion.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 274 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, sexual, psychological thriller, rough, grim
Similar in 90%
Berkeley Square (1998)
Plot Summary:
Three young women from very different backgrounds meet, become friends and share experiences when they all gain positions as nannies in the wealthy households of London's exclusive Berkeley Square.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: period piece, costume drama, historical drama, sentimental, clever, touching, serious, realistic, period drama
Similar in 82%
Upstairs, Downstairs (1971)
Plot Summary:
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British television drama series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975. Set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and interwar Belgravia in London, the series depicts the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters—the family "upstairs". Great events feature prominently in the episodes but minor or gradual changes are also noted. The series stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, stylized, costume drama, period piece, social, historical drama, touching, period drama, vintage
Similar in 86%
Vanity Fair (1967)
Plot Summary:
Adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel. The first colour production from the BBC.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 67
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: costume drama, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, period piece, period drama
Similar in 90%
Gunpowder (2017)
Plot Summary:
England, 1603. Elizabeth I is dead and King James of Scotland has taken the throne. With the country at war with catholic Spain, English catholics are persecuted and priests caught saying mass are punished with death. Several attempts have already been made on the new king’s life. All so far have failed. But deep in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside a new plot is brewing. A plot that will become legend, and leave a mark on the country that will still be felt over 400 years later.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: factual, costume drama, historical drama, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, saga, period piece, period drama
Similar in 84%
Rag Nymph (1997)
Plot Summary:
Seperated from her prostitute mother as the woman flees on foot down the filthy mid-19th century streets of Newcastle from the police, ten year old Millie is taken under the wing of rag lady Aggie Winkovski and her crippled helper, Ben. Young Millie is a very well-brought up little girl, which Aggie questions and finds out that her mother had been a ladies maid before being forced into prostitution. Aggie ends up becoming Millie's guardian, protecting her from the local pimp, Boswell, who wants to have pretty Millie as part of his business, and we see Millie grow up to a happy, well educated young woman on Aggie's sparse finances; but is she still safe from the hands of Boswell and his customers?.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 565
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: costume drama, touching, serious, realistic, period drama
Similar in 77%
He Knew He Was Right (2004)
Plot Summary:
He Knew He Was Right was a 2004 BBC TV adaptation of the Anthony Trollope novel He Knew He Was Right. The mini-series portrays the failure of a marriage caused by the unreasonable jealousy of a husband exacerbated by the stubbornness of a wilful wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, stylized, historical drama, period piece, costume drama, romantic drama, period drama
Similar in 83%
Upstairs Downstairs (2010)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1936, the show takes viewers, old and new, back to the lavish world of Belgravia, London. A new set of occupants reside at 165 Eaton Place and viewers see how external and internal influences of the tumultuous pre-war period shape and mould the lives of this wealthy family and their servants..
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, historical drama, stylized, costume drama, period piece, retro, social, serious, touching, period drama
Similar in 75%
The Mill (2013)
Plot Summary:
Powerful historical drama series, based on the lives of real people, telling the story of young 19th-century apprentices taking their lives into their own hands for the first time.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, stylized, psychological, rough, period piece, costume drama, grim, historical drama
Similar in 85%
The Glass Virgin (1995)
Plot Summary:
Set in 1870s England, the story tells of Annabella Lagrange and the terrible secret her wealthy parents have kept from her. When she finally learns the truth, she runs away and eventually finds solace in the company of her family's former groom, a young Irishman with the very Spanish name of Manuel Mendoza. Together they travel the Northumbria countryside from job to job in his horse and caravan, Annabella trapped in limbo between her upper class upbringing which has rejected her, and the working class who are sometimes suspicious of her, only Manuel understanding her situation.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 756
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: costume drama, romantic drama, serious, realistic, sexual, sexy, period drama
Similar in 80%
Doctor Thorne (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of the penniless Mary Thorne, who grows up with her rich aunt/cousins at Greshamsbury Park estate.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: costume drama, captivating, cynical, historical drama, sentimental, thought provoking, touching, period piece, period drama
Similar in 81%
Our Mutual Friend (1998)
Plot Summary:
Intertwining tales of love, greed, and secret identities in Charles Dickens's 1860s London.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 350 min
Plot tags: costume drama, period piece, historical drama, serious, captivating, realistic, period drama
Similar in 83%
United (2011)
Plot Summary:
United is based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary "Busby Babes", the youngest side ever to win the Football League and the 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed eight of the their number. The film draws on first-hand interviews with the survivors and their families to tell the inspirational story of a team and community overcoming terrible tragedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Drama, History, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, emotional, serious, stylized, period piece, realistic
Similar in 75%
A Shot at Glory (2000)
Plot Summary:
Scottish second division football team Kilnockie is taken over by American Pete Cameron. The new owner puts pressure on manager Gordon McLeod to improve the fortunes of the team, and hires first division player Jackie McQuillan.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: realistic, sentimental, inspirational, captivating, cult classic, feel good, humorous, semi serious
Similar in 86%
The Forsyte Saga (2002)
Plot Summary:
In 2002, the first two books and the first interlude of John Galsworthy's trilogy The Forsyte Saga were adapted by Granada Television for the ITV network. Additional funding for this production was provided by American PBS station WGBH, the 1967 BBC version having been a success on PBS in the early 1970s.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 276 min
Plot tags: period piece, family saga, realistic, costume drama, serious, saga, historical drama, touching, stylized, romantic drama
Similar in 87%
Wives and Daughters (1999)
Plot Summary:
Elizabeth Gaskell's enchanting tale of romance, scandal, and intrigue in a gossipy English town comes to Masterpiece Theatre in a lavish four-part production of Wives and Daughters, adapted by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies.Davies, who wrote the scripts for such Masterpiece Theatre classics as A Rather English Marriage, Moll Flanders, the House of Cards trilogy, and Middlemarch, found Wives and Daughters to be perfect costume-drama material. It posed a rather interesting problem: Gaskell died just before completing the book. She was obviously aiming at a happy ending, and Davies has supplied the lost denouement with surprise and style.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 301 min
Plot tags: uplifting, period piece, costume drama, serious, historical drama, romantic drama, psychological, romantic, clever, spooky
Similar in 82%
Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978)
Plot Summary:
While still the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII meets the married American socialite, Wallis Simpson. Their relationship causes furor in the palace and in parliament, especially when King George V dies, Mrs. Simpson gets divorced, and King Edward announces his intentions to marry her.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 448
Genere: Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 350 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, period drama
Similar in 79%
Call the Midwife (2012)
Plot Summary:
Drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, realistic, stylized, period piece, costume drama, suspenseful, historical drama, retro, medical drama
Similar in 77%
Our Zoo (2014)
Plot Summary:
“Our Zoo” follows the story of George, who being frustrated by memories of fighting in the great war and living with his extended family, wants to bring more beauty into the world. When he comes across a camel and monkey that are about to be abandoned, he embarks on a plan to set up a zoo.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 312 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, realistic, semi serious, costume drama, period drama
Similar in 77%
Desperate Romantics (2009)
Plot Summary:
Six-part drama series set in and among the alleys, galleries and flesh-houses of 19th-century industrial London, following the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a vagabond group of English painters, poets and critics.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: costume drama, serious, realistic, stylized, sentimental, period piece, bleak, disturbing, sitcom, historical drama
Similar in 83%
Mr Selfridge (2013)
Plot Summary:
Mr. Selfridge recounts the real life story of the flamboyant and visionary American founder of Selfridge's, London's lavish department store. Set in 1909 London, when women were reveling in a new sense of freedom and modernity, it follows Harry Gordon Selfridge ('Mile a Minute Harry'), a man with a mission to make shopping as thrilling as sex. Pioneering and reckless, with an almost manic energy, Harry created a theater of retail where any topic or trend that was new, exciting, entertaining - or just eccentric - was showcased.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: stylized, captivating, costume drama, serious, realistic, period piece, dark drama, historical drama, period drama, vintage
Similar in 76%
Aristocrats (1999)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, Aristocrats draws back the curtain on an 18th century English family near the summit of society, revealing a tapestry of romance, prejudice, infidelity, and revolution.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, Ireland, USA
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: period piece, captivating, serious, historical drama, realistic, stylized, costume drama, romantic drama, historical romance, period drama
Similar in 86%
The Bonfire of Destiny (2019)
Plot Summary:
After a devastating fire in 1897 Paris, three women find their lives upended by betrayal, deception, and romantic turmoil. Inspired by real events.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: France
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: touching, suspenseful, disturbing, contemplative, rough, unusual plot structure, suspense, saga, costume drama
Similar in 84%
Cranford (2007)
Plot Summary:
In the 1840s, Cranford is ruled by the ladies. They adore good gossip; and romance and change is in the air, as the unwelcome grasp of the Industrial Revolution rapidly approaches their beloved rural market-town.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 469 min
Plot tags: sincere, atmospheric, costume drama, clever, period piece, historical drama, sitcom, historical romance, realistic, stylized
Similar in 81%
Lark Rise to Candleford (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, the series chronicles the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry at the end of the 19th Century. Lark Rise to Candleford is a love letter to a vanished corner of rural England and a heart-warming drama series teeming with wit, wisdom and romance.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 53 min
Plot tags: costume drama, sincere, sentimental, period piece, realistic, historical drama, semi autobiographical, serious, stylized, period drama
Similar in 80%
Victoria (2016)
Plot Summary:
The story of Queen Victoria, who came to the throne at a time of great economic turbulence and resurgent republicanism – and died 64 years later the head of the largest empire the world had ever seen, having revitalised the throne’s public image and become “grandmother of Europe”.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: costume drama, romantic, historical drama, realistic, touching, period piece, factual, serious, light, educational