Ah, period dramas. The on-screen equivalent of a cup of tea and a biscuit: warm, comforting and familiar. Unlike the contemporary shows that’ll jolt you back to reality, they give you permission to float away blissfully on a bed of petticoats and cosily predictable plot twists.

Some of us watch them because they tell classic, age-old stories we know and love; others love them simply because we appreciate a hard-working costume department. Whatever your flavour, lose yourself in hours of TV with 15 of our favourite period drama boxsets.

Based on Julia Quinn’s novels, the hit Netflix series tells the stories of the eight siblings in the high-society Bridgerton family as they navigate their titles as well as their ultimate search for love, happiness and purpose. The first season, released in 2020, kicked things off with Daphne, before moving on to Anthony’s story in season two and Colin’s relationship with Penelope in the upcoming third season.

Where to watch: Netflix

Centred on a group of young American girls travelling to 1870s Britain, The Buccaneers is the latest period drama from Apple TV+ that’ll transport you to the times of gowns, corsets and aristocrats. The series is inspired by Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel and is packed with extravagant dresses, complicated love and female friendship.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Another adaptation based on an unfinished story, Jane Austen wrote 11 chapters of Sanditon before she died. The story focuses on Charlotte Heywood, who moves to Sanditon, a fishing village turned seaside resort. Here, Charlotte has to navigate the lives of her new neighbours (namely Sidney Parker) while trying to figure out what she wants from her life. The series features Rose Williams as Charlotte and Theo James as Sidney.

Where to watch: ITV

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Dickinson tells the story of Emily, who is determined to become the world’s greatest poet but has to deal with the barriers and constraints of 19th century gender roles. The series aired for three seasons (ending in 2021) and explored love, sexuality and gender during a time when women weren’t afforded an education, the right to vote or economic independence.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Created by Julian Fellowes, the man behind Downton Abbey, the HBO series follows the lives of the rich and famous in late 19th century New York. In the series, the young Marian Brook (played by Louisa Jacobson) moves in with her aunts in New York, the van Rhijn sisters, and finds herself embedded in the lives of high society – particularly the conflicts between the Russell family and the van Rhijn family.

Where to watch: Now TV

The Great is loosely based on Russia’s longest-reigning female ruler Catherine the Great, charting her life and rising power as a young royal who goes to Russia to marry Peter III but finds herself dealing with a set of beliefs and customs that she’s determined to change. The three-season Hulu original stars Elle Fanning as Catherine and Nicholas Hoult as Peter and went on to win multiple awards, including two Emmys.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

Following a group of charismatic midwives working in post-war London, Call The Midwife is nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and before you know it five hours will have flown past. Though it doesn’t shy away from hard-hitting topics throughout all its seasons, touching on everything from racism to alcohol addiction, ultimately it’s a show about hope and sisterhood guaranteed to leave you with a warm glow.

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

A time-travelling epic, this internationally beloved show sees Caitriona Balfe play a woman transported back to war-torn 1740s Scotland, where danger, drama and plenty of Highland flings ensue. Adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling historical novels, it’s pacey, gripping and long – seven weighty seasons and counting.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

We could happily inhabit the world of the aristocratic Crawley family and their household staff for days on end. It’s filled with sumptuous costumes, dashing suitors and plenty of upstairs-downstairs intrigue. Maggie Smith’s dowager countess is a highlight with her sharp tongue and pithy remarks – most often concluded with the muttered words “dreadful woman”. Lose yourself in all six lavish seasons then top it off with the 2019 and 2022 films, in which the Crawleys welcome in a new era.

Where to watch: Now TV

Based on novels by Winston Graham, the plot follows ex-soldier Ross Poldark (played by Aidan Turner) as he returns to Cornwall after three years fighting in the American War of Independence, where he finds his estate in ruins and his childhood sweetheart shacked up with his cousin. Expect sweeping shots of beautiful, rugged coastline and plenty of brooding atop Cornish clifftops.

Where to watch: Netflix

This genius adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s genre-defining novels is seriously meaty – this is not something you can watch with one eye on your Instagram feed. After eight years off our screens, another series of Wolf Hall is coming. Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light will be a screen adaptation of the third and final novel in the trilogy, delving into the complex but brilliantly told tale of Thomas Cromwell as he navigates King Henry VIII’s chaotic court.

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

This is the latest reworking of the classic coming-of-age story by Lucy Maud Montgomery centring on Anne Shirley, aka Anne of Green Gables, an orphaned outsider determined to find her place in the world. We defy you to spend one episode with this sharp, pint-sized and heavily freckled feminist who insists “girls can do anything a boy can do and more” and not fall completely in love.

Where to watch: Netflix

Recent history, but history nonetheless, The Crown is an eye-opening and lush depiction of Queen Elizabeth II’s life and times. Played expertly first by Claire Foy, then Olivia Colman and finally Imelda Staunton, our late monarch is revealed to us through gripping (if heavily dramatised) plotlines and major real-life events replicated with incredible precision. Whip up some cucumber sandwiches and settle in to all six seasons.

Where to watch: Netflix

Widely considered the best series adaptation of Jane Austen’s seminal classic, this 1995 six-parter from the BBC is a masterclass in perfect period drama. The brilliant cast, which includes a young Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, help Austen’s subtle wit and sharp social commentary on women and marriage truly shine – and that wet shirt scene remains iconic.

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

If you love both Suranne Jones and TV that puts whip-smart, empowered women front and centre, prepare to be obsessed with Gentleman Jack. It tells the true story of the ‘first modern lesbian’, Anne Lister, a wealthy Yorkshire landowner in the 1800s who kept detailed diaries on everything from her illicit sexual affairs to the state of her toenails. Quirky, rousing and made all the funnier by Jones’s Fleabag-esque looks to camera.

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

Images: Netflix; Apple TV; ITV; HBO; Hulu; BBC; Starz