Whether you're pining for some classic shows or keen to introduce your nearest and dearest to some top TV series they may have missed over the years, there are plenty available on Freeview Play. We've picked out 10 of the best classic titles available at the moment – as always there’s plenty more over on Channel 100 on your Freeview Play TV.
My Family, BBC iPlayer
One show to get your teeth well and truly stuck into is BBC comedy My Family, which told the story of the Harper family and their daily ups and downs in Chiswick, west London. Robert Lindsay starred as the patriarch, dentist Ben, with Zoë Wanamaker appearing as his wife Susan. The show also put Kris Marshall on the map - as their eldest son Nick - and featured Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thomson as daughter Janey and son Michael. It drew comparisons to legendary programme 2point4 Children due to its portrayal of a typical bickering, yet loving, family unit. The show lasted 11 series, and you can binge them all now over on BBC iPlayer.
Red Dwarf, UKTV Play
The sci-fi comedy has gained a cult following since starting out in the late 1980s. While episodes are still being made of the show - which features Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn - fans can catch up on some of the classic eps which helped soar the programme up the popularity charts and watch the new feature length special The Promised Land.
The Kumars at No 42, BBC iPlayer
Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal star in this double Emmy award-winning comedy. It sees Bhaskar as Sanjeev, whose parents have built him a TV studio in his garden so he can carry out his dream of becoming a TV presenter. Each episode sees the comical character interview numerous guest stars, who including the likes of Richard E. Grant, Hugh Jackman, Olivia Colman, Sir Cliff Richard, and the late, great Cilla Black, among many others, over the show's seven series.
Scrubs, All 4
If you haven't scrubbed up for an episode of Scrubs before then think medical drama with some hilarious comedy thrown into the mix. Back in 2001, Zach Braff made his debut as medical intern J.D. Dorian, the show's narrator and protagonist. The programme aired for nine seasons until 2010, but you can roll back the years right back to the first-ever episode when J.D. struggled with some of his new colleagues.
Silent Witness, BBC iPlayer
It's hard to believe there are still scenarios and storylines left for Silent Witness to cover after the crime drama first began back in 1996, but the latest series aired earlier this year. Amanda Burton led the cast back in the day with her character, pathologist Dr. Sam Ryan, at the forefront of some pulsating plots, and there are plenty of early episodes still available to watch. Her departure led to an ensemble cast taking over, and a number of recent episodes - featuring the likes of Emilia Fox, Liz Carr and David Caves - are also available if you want to see how the programme has changed over the years.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, All 4
Joss Whedon is known for penning Marvel movie The Avengers and co-writing Justice League nowadays, but back in 1997 his first TV series, now a cult classic, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was getting off the ground, and he hasn't looked back since. Whedon created a strong heroine, Buffy Summers, as his lead character, who battled against demons and vampires while adjusting to college life. Sarah Michelle Gellar took on the iconic role for the show's seven series, and you can watch it all now over on All 4.
Absolutely Fabulous, BBC iPlayer
Hark back to the world of PR in the 1990s with this British classic comedy, starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, and Julia Sawalha. The show, known as Ab Fab, sees Saunders star as PR agent Eddie Monsoon, and Lumley plays magazine fashion director Patsy Stone. Both characters love to down an alcoholic beverage or 10, and as well as being intoxicated they can't help but dabble in illegal substances. Julia's character Saffron, Eddie's daughter, provides some maturity to the mother-daughter dynamic, but she cannot stop Eddie and Patsy getting up to all sorts of mayhem. Jane Horrocks and the late June Whitfield also play starring support roles.
Broadchurch, ITV Hub
This crime drama show may have only had three series, but it had the whole nation talking about whodunit when the first season aired back in 2013. David Tennant and Olivia Colman wowed in roles as police detectives and the series one cast also featured Jodie Whittaker as a grieving mother, four years before she became the titular Time Lord in Doctor Who, and Vicky McClure as a newspaper reporter. Series one told the story of the tragic death of 11-year-old Danny Latimer and how that impacted on the fictional, titular Dorset town - as well as a frantic search for who the culprit was.
The Thick of It, BBC iPlayer
Sometimes we need to laugh about politics otherwise we'll cry, and we were given the perfect opportunity to weep tears of joy at our TV screens when The Thick of It was elected onto the BBC Four schedule in 2005. Dubbed the modern version of Yes Minister, Peter Capaldi stars the fictional government's feared director of communications Malcolm Tucker throughout all four series. You can transport yourself all the way back to the Noughties and gorge on the satire show - the brainchild of Armando Iannucci - from its very first series.
Spooks, BBC iPlayer
The BBC show, named after the colloquialism for spies, ran for 10 series from 2002 to 2011 and followed fictional central London-based MI5 officers. The show starred real-life husband and wife Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes, as well as acting royalty Jenny Agutter. The programme was so popular it spawned a movie, Spooks: The Greater Good, starring Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington in 2015.
