The Gold fans may be missing the quality BBC drama of late, but there are hundreds of true crime dramas out there to fill the hole – here are some of the best available to stream for free right now.

Dramatisations of real life crimes are arguably the most popular form of TV series these days – with dozens seemingly produced every month.

In the past year, we’ve had The Bombing of Pan Am 103, A Cruel Love, and Until I Kill You. We also know of many more coming up in 2025… These include The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox on Disney+, and Monster series 3 on Netflix.

So if you loved The Gold, and want to watch something similar, here are the best true crime dramas available to stream for free right now.

Timothy Spall and Kenneth Cranham stars as real life thieves in Hatton Garden [Credit: ITVX]

Best true crime dramas: Hatton Garden on BBC iPlayer

If you enjoyed The Gold because of its dramatisation of a robbery, then you’ll probably enjoy the 2019 TV drama Hatton Garden…

Hatton Garden originally aired on ITV, and is currently available to watch on ITVX. It followed four elderly men, all experienced thieves, who carried out a large-scale robbery.

It starred Death Valley actor Timothy Spall as Terry Perkins, and Kenneth Cranham as Brian Reader. Yep, you read that right – a younger Brian Reader also featured in The Gold, and was played by James Nelson-Joyce.

The Hatton Garden robbers were also known as “Dad’s Army” or the “Diamond Wheezers”. The group of mostly older men planned and executed the Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary in 2015. The core group included Brian Reader, Daniel Jones, John “Kenny” Collins, and Terry Perkins, all of whom were in their 60s and 70s at the time.

Michael Seed, known as “Basil”, was also a key member, identified as an alarm specialist and key part of the heist.

Fact-based drama Hatton Garden gets a well-deserved audience score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a short but sweet four episodes.

BBC drama Sherwood series 1 and 2 are currently available to stream for free [Credit: BBC]

Sherwood on BBC iPlayer

BBC One drama Sherwood was gripping TV, and remains one of the best drama series of recent years. The first series aired in 2022, and shone a spotlight on two shocking and unexpected murders that shattered an already fractured community.

The story was loosely based on the actual murders of trade unionist Keith Frogson and hairdresser Chanel Taylor in July 2004. The deaths led to one of the largest manhunts in British history. However, the fictionalised story began with the murder of a former union activist, Gary Jackson (Alun Armstrong).

Unsurprisingly, the six-part drama won multiple awards, and was nominated for plenty more. The cast itself was jaw-dropping, including David Morrissey, Lorraine Ashbourne, Lesley Manville, and Robert Glenister.

The Guardian reviewer Lucy Mangan said the first series was “the cleverest, most compelling show I’ve seen in years”. Sherwood series 2 aired in 2024, and was equally as brilliant – albeit NOT inspired by real events. Series 3 is coming soon.

The cast of The Long Shadow as led by the always brilliant Toby Jones [Credit: ITV]

The Long Shadow on ITVX

ITV1 drama The Long Shadow was praised when it aired in 2023 for its focus on the victims – and NOT killer Peter Sutcliffe (also known as The Yorkshire Ripper). In fact, the murderer barely featured in the series at all.

The drama, from the makers of Des and White House Farm, focused on “the long shadow” that Peter Sutcliffe’s crimes left on the families of the victims, and the communities. Writer George Kay explained that he was inspired to write the drama after reading about the suicide of Sonia McCann. Sonia’s mother Wilm, was the first of Peter Sutcliffe’s 13 murder victims.

The case of Peter Sutcliffe had never before been fully dramatised on television. The seven-part drama also shone a light on the detectives “whose failures on at least two occasions drove them to an early grave”.

Viewers can still watch The Long Shadow on ITVX. It has an audience score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, and with good reason. The cast alone is worth tuning in for, including Toby Jones, Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, and Daniel Mays.

Actor Reece Shearsmith as murderer Malcolm Webster in The Widower [Credit: ITV]

Best true crime dramas: The Widower on ITVX

While not quite in the same league as the likes of Sherwood, true crime drama The Widower is definitely worth a watch. If only for Reece Shearsmith’s truly chilling performance.

There’s absolutely no sign of the Inside No.9’s usual humour. In this 2014 drama, Reece portrayed manipulative murderer Malcolm Webster, notorious for killing his first wife – and attempting to murder his second. Both cases involved staged car accidents, and were carried out for the life insurance money.

As well as Reece’s blood-curdling portrayal of the sociopath, the ensemble cast included Sheridan Smith as Malcolm’s first wife Claire Webster, and Kate Fleetwood as his second wife Felicity. Archie Panjabi, and John Hannah also starred in key roles.

The Widower, a three-part series, is currently available to watch on ITVX.

Stephen Graham as policeman Dave Kelly in Little Boy Blue [Credit: ITV]

Little Boy Blue on ITVX

The heartbreaking drama Little Boy Blue first aired in 2017 on ITV1, and remains on ITVX now. The four-part series focused on the murder of Rhys Jones in Croxteth, Liverpool, and the subsequent police investigation. Rhys was just 11 years old when he was killed by a gunshot wound while walking home from football practice in August 2007.

The series made a huge impact at the time, not least because of its emotional performances. Stephen Graham portrayed Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly, the senior investigating officer charged with finding Rhys’ killer. Meanwhile, Unforgotten‘s Sinéad Keenan starred as Rhys’ distraught mother Mel.

This City is Ours actor James Nelson-Joyce played criminal James Yates, the criminal who breached his licence conditions when he supplied killer Sean Mercer with the gun.

Three Girls remains one of the BBC’s best hard-hitting true crime dramas [Credit: BBC]

Three Girls on BBC iPlayer

BBC One’s true crime drama Three Girls remains one of the best there is. And, eight years on from its 2017 release, it’s still relevant today. The three-part series was based on the true stories of victims of grooming and sexual abuse in Rochdale. The Rochdale child sex abuse ring remains in the news even to this day.

The distressing story followed three young girls who were groomed, sexually abused, and trafficked by a group of men in Rochdale. It also focused on how and why the authorities failed to do anything about it.

Rising stars Molly Windsor, Ria Zmitrowicz, and Liv Hill portrayed the three victims, opposite Paul Kaye, Lisa Riley, Jill Halfpenny, and Lesley Sharpe.

Maxine Peake played Sara Rowbotham, the sexual health worker who realised the girls were being abused and reported it to the authorities – and was repeatedly ignored.

She explained: “It was a story that needed to be told. It’s a story about a swathe of society that has been ignored and bullied.”

Steve Coogan as Jimmy Savile in The Reckoning [Credit: BBC]

The Reckoning on BBC iPlayer

Steve Coogan as Jimmy Savile is not an easy watch. In fact, it will make you feel uncomfortable, horrified, and truly sickened. And that’s exactly why you should stream it on BBC iPlayer. How on earth the TV entertainer and prolific sex offender managed to hide in plain sight for so long is a lesson we can all learn from. Celebrities who have the potential to abuse their power are still very much among us. At this moment, P Diddy is in court charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Meanwhile, Russell Brand recently pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges. His case will be heard at the Old Bailey later this year.

Four-part drama The Reckoning was a 2023 factual drama examining the crimes of Jimmy Savile. Crucially, it also featured testimony from survivors. The series started in the 60s, when Jimmy Savile became famous as a DJ in the dance halls of Leeds and Manchester. Other cast in the unsettling drama included Trigger Point‘s Mark Stanley, Out There’s Mark Lewis Jones, and Protection‘s Siobhan Finneran.

Timothy Spall and Sheila Hancock as Peter Farquhar and Liz Zettl in The Sixth Commandment [Credit: Wild Mercury Productions/BBC]

The Sixth Commandment on BBC iPlayer

In 2015, church warden Ben Field murdered elderly teacher and ‘mentor’ Peter Farquhar, before going on to prey on his elderly neighbour Ann Moore-Martin. This excellent BBC One drama dramatises the chilling true story, which became known as the Maids Moreton murder.

In what remains one of the most disturbing true crimes in recent memory, Ben targeted vulnerable retired teacher Peter Farquhar and subjected him to a campaign of gas lighting.

In a heartbreaking betrayal of trust, Ben subsequently murdered Peter, and tried to make it look like suicide or an accident. He then promptly moved on to his next target – Peter’s neighbour Ann Moore-Martin.

Shockingly, it was later revealed that the Maids Moreton murderer Ben Field “had a list of 100 other targets” after killing Peter Farquhar.

The Sixth Commandment referred to ‘Thou Shall Not Kill’. The four-part series, which first aired in 2023, starred some seriously heavyweight actors, including Timothy Spall, Sheila Hancock, and Anne Reid.

Monica Dolan and Eddie Marsan as Anne and John Darwin in The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe [Credit: ITV]

Best true crime dramas: The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe on ITX

As well as dramatising a truly baffling and fascinating true tale, The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe got its casting perfectly right. Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan are addictive watching in everything they do, and this ITV true crime drama is no exception.

Eddie Marsan starred as Charles Darwin, a man who faked his own death in a truly bizarre turn of events. He convinced his wife Anne to play along in order to claim the life insurance money. But was she really complicit, or was she controlled by her husband?

The four-part drama, currently available to watch on ITVX, may not involve serial killers, or gruesome murders. But it told a shocking tale of the lengths one man went to for money – even duping his own kids. It first aired in 2022.

Anna Maxwell Martin and Shaun Evans as real life victim and murderer Delia Balmer and John Sweeney in Until I Kill You [Credit: ITV]

Best true crime dramas: Until I Kill You on ITVX

Until I Kill You was one of the best true crime dramas to land on our screens in 2024. Like The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe, the lead performances made it all the more compelling.

ITV’s chilling true crime drama starred Anna Maxwell Martin and Shaun Evans as real life victim and murderer Delia Balmer and John Sweeney. When Delia met John Sweeney in a local pub, it sparked an unexpected romance. However, as their relationship developed, he began to show a darker side… In fact, he was a serial killer.

The four-part series told the extraordinary true story of Delia Bahmer, who survived a near-fatal relationship with murderer Sweeney. She subsequently endured a traumatic battle to stay alive and get justice against the odds.

The title of the show Until I Kill You alluded to the unsettling threat John made to Delia before he was eventually imprisoned.

Mr Bates vs Post Office was the UK’s most-watched TV show of 2024 [Credit: ITVX]

Mr Bates vs The Post Office on ITVX

Last but by no means least, is Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Mentioned last only because you’ve probably already seen it. After all, it was the UK’s most-watched TV show of 2024. Everyone was talking about it last year – and with good reason.

The four-part drama told the story of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting due to a defective IT system. Again, a superb cast bought the drama to the screen. Actors included Monica Dolan, Toby Jones, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Shaun Dooley, and Amit Shah.

The series won multiple awards. It also did what no other TV drama had ever done before – highlighted a long-ignored cause. It received an audience score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and The Standard described the damning retelling of the real-life scandal as “essential viewing”.

Luke Evans as Steve Wilkins in The Pembrokeshire Murders [Credit: Warren Orchard/ITV]

Other unmissable true crime dramas available to stream for free right now

There are some seriously good true crime dramas available to stream for free right now, sadly too many to delve into here without the article resembling a dissertation. We’re sure you’d rather be watching one of these dramas. But here’s a few more that deserve a notable mention.

• Manhunt on ITVX is an “arresting real-life crime drama” based on a Met detective’s memoirs. Martin Clunes stars as DCI Sutton, tasked with solving the murder of a student and catching a serial rapist.
• The Pembrokeshire Murders on ITVX. Luke Evans stars in this extraordinary true story of Welsh serial killer John Cooper, and the race to catch him, after a newly promoted detective reopens the case in 2006.
• Des on ITVX. David Tennant leads this chilling true crime drama about serial killer Dennis Nilsen. Despite Des confessing to multiple murders, the case is anything but straightforward.
• Appropriate Adult on ITVX. Dominic West and Emily Watson star in this haunting real-life drama focusing on Fred and Rosemary West’s heinous crimes. Can a social worker help bring them to justice?
• Four Lives on BBC iPlayer is the true story of the courageous families of four young gay men who lost their lives to killer Stephen Port. Facing police failings, they fought for justice for their loved ones.
• The Hunt for Raoul Moat on ITVX. Lee Ingleby stars in the shocking true crime story of Britain’s biggest manhunt. It followed the destructive rampage that domestic abuser and killer Raoul Moat embarked on.

Read more: The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox on Disney+ tells the controversial true story of Meredith Kercher’s murder

The Gold is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.