If you’ve already worked your way through Lesley Manville’s well-known brilliant dramas such as Sherwood, Magpie Murders and The Crown, and are missing her face on your screen, we’ve solved your problem! We’ve worked our way through her back catalogue and unearthed seven of her best dramas that might have passed you by.

From her most watchable crime drama to a frightening murder mystery and two moving period dramas, we’ve got your next binge-watch sorted. So, prepare to not move from the sofa for a while – here’s our pick of Lesley Manville’s most underrated dramas to watch now on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more.

Mayday

woman sitting by a window, looking outside with a garden in the background.
BBC

This chilling five-part murder mystery, which first aired on the BBC in 2013, takes us to an eerie woodland town in Sussex for their annual Mayday parade, but when the 14-year-old May Queen vanishes, the town is torn apart. As a frenzied search party unfolds, long-buried secrets are unearthed and neighbours all suspect each other. Lesley plays Gail Spicer, an aloof member of the community who’s married to Malcom (Peter Firth), a developer who’s made an enemy of the entire community with his plans to build a new housing development. What unfolds is a thrilling whodunnit, with mythical overtones. Available to watch now on Prime Video.

Disclaimer

person in a straw hat sitting on a garden chair, with apples on the grass.
Apple

This seven-part series was hailed as ‘the best TV show of the year’ when it first aired in 2024 and it’s easy to see why. Disclaimer tells the story of journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) whose life is upended when a mysterious novel titled The Perfect Stranger containing her darkest secrets lands on her desk. The book was written by the late Nancy Brigstoke (Lesley Manville) and found by her widower husband, Stephen Brigstocke (Kevin Kline), in her belongings. The book details that Catherine had a passionate affair with their son, before he died out at sea – and blames her for his drowning. But is that really what happened? Available to watch now on Apple TV.

Moonflower Murders

lesley maville, moonflower murders
BBC

This 2024 BBC series is Lesley’s most watchable crime drama – she stars as Susan Ryeland, a book-editor-turned-full-time-sleuth. The sequel to the much-loved Magpie Murders, we see Susan relocate to Crete with her boyfriend, Andreas (Alexandros Logothetis). But her new sun-soaked life is rocked when a historic murder committed at a British country hotel resurfaces in a book that a hotel employee, Cecily (Amy Griffiths), finds. Upon uncovering the accusation, Cecily vanishes. The account details that the wrong man was charged for the murder. Can Susan uncover the secret hidden in the book and find Cecily before it’s too late? Available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

Harlots

harlots
UKTV

This delightful period drama takes us to Georgian London and the long-overlooked world of sex workers, who made up a significant proportion of the population at the time. In Harlots, Lesley plays the merciless Lydia Quigley – the high-class and exploitative madame of a swanky Soho bawdy house. But her business is threatened with the arrival of her rival, Margaret Wells (Samantha Morton), on her turf and a war begins. While it’s full of amazing Georgian gowns, opulence and scandal, Harlots also addresses harrowing issues that continue to affect women today. Available to watch now on U.

World On Fire

tx date:,tx week:,embargoed until:,people:robina chase (lesley manville),description:,copyright:mammoth screen,credit line:bbc/mammoth screen
Photographer:

It’s the summer of 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War has plunged Europe into darkness. The two series of World on Fire, which first aired in 2019, follows the lives of ordinary people across the Continent who find themselves in myriad situations. Lesley takes on the role of Robina Chase, an upper-middle-class woman who’s widowed and the epitome of the very posh end of Manchester. She’s the mother of Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King), a charismatic translator who works at the British Embassy in Warsaw, where he falls in love with Polish waitress Kasia (Zofia Wichłacz), whose survival hangs in the balance. Harry is forced to make a life-or-death decision, but will his choice change this cold and austere woman? Available to watch now on Prime Video.

Let Him Go

editorial use only. no book cover usage. mandatory credit: photo by focus featues/moviestore/shutterstock (11828476f) lesley manville let him go 2020
Focus Featues/Moviestore/Shutterstock

This gritty western takes us to 1960s Montana, where Lesley plays an evil matriarch, Blanche Weboy, who’s adamant to keep her daughter-in-law and son under her family’s abusive control. Based on the novel of the same name by Larry Watson, the film follows George (Kevin Costner) and Margaret Blackledge (Diane Lane) as they attempt to save their grandson, Jimmy, from the family’s evil clutches. Jimmy is the son of the Blackledge’s deceased son James (Ryan Bruce) and daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter), who went on to marry Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain). What unfolds is a moving and dark adventure as the Blackledges must fight to get their grandson back. Available to watch now on Netflix.

Agatha Christie’s Poirot

editorial use onlymandatory credit: photo by itv/shutterstock (666173cu)poirot, 'cards on the table' 2006 lesley manville,itv archivecards on the tableone of london's richest men has organised an evening of dinner and bridge.the enigmatic shaitana is host to eight guests, four of whom make their living in crime detection, including hercule poirot and mrs ariadne oliver who writes novels about it.the sleuths are partnered with each other at one table, the remaining quartet at a second in an adjoining room.their host prefers not to play, telling his guests he does not find it 'sufficiently thrilling.'so as the evening progresses, shaitana sits with his drink in a luxurious leather chair by the fire, eventually falling asleep.it is superintendent wheeler of scotland yard who is the first to take his leave, but cannot rouse shaitana. poirot is called over and seeks confirmation of what he fears from his friend colonel hughes of the foreign office
ITV/Shutterstock

This long-spanning classic British murder mystery ran for decades (1989 to 2013), but you might not know that Lesley guest-starred in the brilliant second episode of the 10th series, titled Cards On The Table, in 2006. The episode tells the story of Mr Shaitana (Alexander Siddig), a rich, enigmatic photographer who hosts a dinner party of eight guests. When they’ve come to the end of their game of cards, Mr Shaitana is found dead in a chair – stabbed through the heart with a stiletto… Lesley plays Mrs Lorrimer, a socialite, who was also accused of killing her first husband. Joining her on the bill of suspects is Dr Geoffrey Roberts (Alex Jennings), Anne Meredith (Lyndsey Marshal) and Major John Despard (Tristan Gemmill). But as the age-old question goes… whodunnit? Available to watch now on ITVX.