Vote for your favourite drama in the TV Times Awards 2022

(Image credit: Future)

It's been another terrific year of television and what better way to celebrate all your favourite TV than with the launch of our annual TV Times Awards?!

The ten shows vying for the Favourite Drama category vary from long-running series to brand-new shows, from gentle family dramas to gritty thrillers but what they all have in common is they represent the best TV dramas around. So without much further ado, here are the nominations for the 2022 TV Times Awards Favourite Drama category.

Favourite Drama — TV Times Awards 2022

All Creatures Great and Small — Channel 5
Bridgerton — Netflix
Call the Midwife — BBC1
Casualty — BBC1
Death in Paradise — BBC1
Doc Martin — ITV
Peaky Blinders — BBC1
Sherwood — BBC1
Shetland — BBC1
Vera — ITV

TV Times Awards 2022 — how to vote

Voting for the TV Times Awards 2022 has now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part and we will be announcing the winners in TV Times magazine very soon.

All Creatures Great and Small — Channel 5

Cast of All Creatures Great and Small — All Creatures Great and Small (Image credit: ViacomCBS Photographer: Todd Antony)

The reboot of the classic series based on James Herriot's novels about his life as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales has proved surprisingly popular — especially considering the original 1970s TV adaptation, starring Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison, was such a hit it ran for over a decade. Some of that is to do with the gorgeous scenery but, to make it into our favourite drama category, it also needed strong storylines and a great cast which All Creatures Great and Small brings together in one compelling package.

Bridgerton — Netflix

Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) embrace as Anthony teaches Kate how to use a rifle. — Bridgerton (Image credit: Netflix/Liam Daniel)

Bridgerton season 2 had a tough act to follow. Bridgerton season 1 was Netflix's second most watched show ever (only beaten by Squid Game). And yet this sparkling period drama rose gamely to the challenge creating a wittier, even more expansive view of the Regency world, adapted from Julia Quinn's Bridgerton books. Season 2 focuses on the repressed elder Bridgerton brother Anthony and his reluctant ("enemies-to-lovers") romance with Kate Sharma, the sister of his bride-to-be. And it's just as delicious as the first...

Call the Midwife — BBC1

Call the Midwife cast wave goodbye to Trixie and Phyllis — Call the Midwife (Image credit: BBC / Nealstreet Productions / Sally Mais)

The long-running period drama, set in the 1950s and 60s, has been a fan favourite for over 10 years, following the lives of a group of midwives in the east end of London. Last season (11) saw all the much-loved characters back at Nonnatus House to celebrate its centenary including Helen George (Trixie Franklin), Jenny Agutter (Sister Julienne), Leonie Elliott (Lucille Anderson) and Linda Bassett (Phyllis Crane). But as always there was romance, heartbreak and even a brush with death. Will Call the Midwife be your pick?

Casualty — BBC1

Queen of the flings, Stevie reckons the tension between Faith and Iain is personal. — Casualty (Image credit: BBC)

The long-running British hospital drama has reached a whopping 37 series (and over 30 years) and it's still going. If there was an award for longevity, Casualty would be top of the list (it's the longest-running primetime medical drama series in the world), but it's not just surviving, it's thriving. It's continued to evolve and stay relevant and all these years later fans still watch in droves for the heartburn and heartbreak, acting talent and intense action on the wards. Does Casualty get your vote?

Death in Paradise — BBC1

DS Florence Cassell and DI Neville Parker in Death in Paradise — Death in Paradise (Image credit: BBC)

The magical combination of sleuthing and sunshine, courtesy of the long-running crime drama Death in Paradise, proved irresistible to viewers, especially in its usual broadcasting slot in the bleak UK winter. Viewers have been traveling to Saint Marie for over 10 years, reveling in the Caribbean scenery (Catherine's bar is a hit), the quirky characters (particularly the awkward, yet brilliant, detectives that get shipped out to tackle the strangely high crime rate) and the expanding list of guest stars.

Doc Martin — ITV

Doc Martin Season 10, with Martin, Louisa and the kids. — Doc Martin (Image credit: ITV)

Martin Clunes' grumpy haemophobic Doc Martin/Ellingham has been a huge audience hit for ITV from his first appearance in Portwenn (actually the seaside village of Port Isaac) to the final series of the Cornish medical Doc Martin, which is currently airing on ITV. Ably supported by a colourful cast, from Caroline Catz's long-suffering Louisa Ellingham, to the comedy father and son pairing Bert and Al Large (Ian McNeice and Joe Joe Absolom), Martin's super-fan Mrs Tishell (Selina Cadell) to Martin's most pragmatic advisor, his aunt Ruth Ellingham (Eileen Atkins). It's a gentle comedic drama that touches the heartstrings.

Peaky Blinders — BBC1

Peaky Blinders — Arthur and Tommy — Peaky Blinders (Image credit: BBC)

Peaky Blinders is one of the grittiest dramas in the category. Set in Birmingham just after WWI, it's based on the adventures of a real-life gang that operated in the late nineteenth century. The gang leader is Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), supported by family members Aunt Polly (the late Helen McCrory), Arthur (Paul Anderson), Ada (Sophie Rundle) and John Shelby (Joe Cole). A global sensation it made it to six seasons and still left the fans wanting more. Is Peaky Blinders your favourite drama?

Sherwood — BBC1

Sherwood Lesley Manville, David Morrissey — Sherwood (Image credit: BBC)

Sherwood is the new kid on the block, making the TV Times Awards list after its very first series. It's a police and crime drama that's set in Nottinghamshire against the backdrop of a divided working-class community. Starring Lesley Manville (Mrs Harris Goes to Paris). David Morrissey (The Walking Dead, Britannia) and Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey, Liar) Sherwood is based on the events that surrounded a series of real-life murders. It's compelling, quality television.

Shetland — BBC1

Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez in Shetland, standing on the seafront and staring out to sea, looking troubled. He is wearing his trademark black double-breasted peacoat, and has his hands in his jacket pockets. Behind him, out of focus, there are dry stone walls and a cottage — Shetland (Image credit: BBC)

The world-weary Jimmy Perez investigates the murders that pile up in surprising numbers (just like on Saint Marie and in Midsummer!) on the bleak yet beautiful island of Shetland. Over the years he's developed a close working partnership with colleagues Tosh, Sandy and Billy as well as his slightly scratchy relationship with Duncan, his daughter's biological father... Shetland continues to be a beautifully crafted study in muted colours and clever crime storylines. Does it get your pick?

Vera — ITV

Brenda Blethyn and Kenny Doughty star in Vera. — Vera (Image credit: ITV)

The indomitable Vera (Brenda Blethyn) is Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope of the Northumberland & City Police, to give her her full title. Always almost retired, she's a perfectionist and highly driven. Vera is all thriller, no filler. Quality acting, nuance, well-plotted crimes and the ever-changing Northumbrian weather. Now running at 12 (well-deserved) seasons and counting, Vera's never going to get any rest.