The 20 best comedies to stream on BBC iPlayer

Mobeen Deen has come a long way. He began as a character in YouTube videos created by Guz Khan, when Khan was still working as a teacher in Coventry. The concept of this former drug-dealing ne’er-do-well trying to stay on the straight and narrow after being left to raise his teenage sister was a strong one, and before long Man Like Mobeen was a BBC Three pilot and, soon after, a series.

The rest is history. Not only did Man Like Mobeen turn into a hit series, returning for multiple outings, it made Khan a big star on the comedy scene. It’s been praised for showing the realities of life for many young working-class British Muslims, and for creating characters and situations that feel realistic and substantial. And also for being extremely funny, driven by Khan’s off-kilter, quick-witted charm and charisma.

And now it’s back for a fifth and – sob! – final series, the longest one yet with six episodes, starting on Thursday 1 May at 9pm on BBC Three HD (CH 107/113) and in Apps > BBC iPlayer.

As series 5 begins, Mobeen and Nate (Tolu Ogunmefun) have been newly released from prison, where they spent series 4 after the unfortunate events of series 3. They’re obliged to deal with new living arrangements, while Saj (Salman Akhtar) and Harper (Perry Fitzpatrick) come to terms with losing their jobs. But Mobeen’s priority is rescuing his sister Aqsa (Dúaa Karim), who’s trapped in the UAE with Uncle Khan. His attempts to retrieve her lead him into conflict with an Irish gangster and the Turkish mafia. Of course.

In this series we’ll also take a trip back to the 90s to see how it all began for Mobeen, as well as Nate and Eight (Tez Ilyas), as teenagers in Small Heath. So will he do his duty, liberate Aqsa and get his life in order? What does the future hold for a man like Mobeen? We can’t wait to find out.

And there’s plenty more superb scripted comedy available to enjoy whenever you want in Apps > BBC iPlayer. We’ve picked out 20 of our absolute favourites, old-ish and new, as a starting point…

Stream series 1-3 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Crime doesn’t pay. We all know that. But it certainly provides gainful employment for Paul “Wicky” Wickstead (Greg Davies), who cleans up after unfortunate events, with responsibility for getting rid of any sign that anything untoward happened there. But the blood-mopping isn’t even the oddest part of his job. It’s the absolute weirdos he meets that make it special, from bloodthirsty widows to sandwich-obsessed writers and tech-shop conspiracy theorists. Davies stars alongside a parade of high-profile guests in this wickedly funny comedy.

Stream series 1-2 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Sophie Willan brought a delightful chaos to Taskmaster series 17 and if you enjoyed that, we’d recommend her sitcom Alma’s Not Normal. Loosely based on her own experiences, it’s all about Alma (Willan herself) and her attempts to live the fabulous life she dreams of, in the face of challenges including her extremely unusual family history – to uproarious effect. Willan has stated that it’s unlikely to return, so we’ll have to be satisfied with the two perfect series she created.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Although Lucy Punch’s insufferably snobbish Amanda provided many laugh-out-loud moments in three series of Motherland (also in Apps > BBC iPlayer), fans weren’t sure she was the ideal basis for a spin-off. A little Amanda went a long way. Those fears were misplaced as Amandaland proved an absolute riot, knocking Amanda down a social class or two via a divorce and forcing her to deal with both the consequences and her judgmental mother (Joanna Lumley). Could it even be… better than its parent show?

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Former Death In Paradise star Ben Miller created and stars in this uplifting comedy, which he was inspired to write after watching dating show Love On The Spectrum. He plays Julian, a publicly reviled author who’s on a press tour in Australia when he’s approached by Austin, a young neurodivergent man claiming to be his son. The fallout for his life, not to mention his marriage, could be disastrous… Michael Theo, a participant in Love On The Spectrum, is a revelation as Austin in this warm, witty comedy also starring Sally Phillips.

Stream series 1-3 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

You don’t get many TV shows set in rural Gloucestershire, which is perhaps one of the reasons why This Country – created by Daisy May Cooper with her brother Charlie – shone so brightly. It follows the Mucklowe cousins Kerry (Daisy May) and Lee, aka Kurtan (Charlie), as they deal – often ineptly – with the boredom and social claustrophobia of life in a sleepy Cotswolds village.

The Coopers’ performances are deeply silly yet utterly believable, the writing is note-perfect (see Kerry describing her purchase of an alpaca as “physically my largest mistake”), and the tone is often genuinely poignant; this is a show that never punches down at its characters. Prepare to shed actual tears when saying goodbye to Kerry and Kurtan at the end of series 3.

Stream series 1-5 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

When Alison (Charlotte Ritchie, Feel Good) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Stath Lets Flats) inherit a sprawling old house, they’re joined by a diverse group of former residents who just happen to be dead – and only Alison can see them. Co-created by Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick and other cast members from Horrible Histories, Ghosts became a huge hit praised for its smarts, sweetness and silliness.

Its final episode in 2023 broke hearts in households up and down the country. Now you can watch it again and again and pretend it never finished. There are strong rumours that it could return for a one-off feature-length special, but if that’s not enough for you, there’s a US version also in Apps > BBC iPlayer (plus French, German, Australian and more versions in the works).

Stream series 1-2 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

They came together by squabbling over a vet’s bill and somehow, it all worked out. Real-life spouses Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall created, wrote and starred in this brilliantly witty, often awkward Australian comedy about a mismatched couple who are getting everything wrong but staying strong – largely because they struggle to tolerate anyone who isn’t them. Fans may also enjoy No Activity, a police stakeout comedy featuring Brammall and Dyer, which is available in Apps > BBC iPlayer.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Adjani Salmon’s comedy following a talented but naïve British-Jamaican filmmaker was so good right out of the gate, it earned him a BAFTA award for the pilot alone. This set the bar very high for the full series – but Salmon hurdled that bar effortlessly. In a narrative loosely inspired by real-life events, as Kwabena (Salmon) gets closer to his dream, he’s confronted with the tribulations of balancing finances, love, and his own sense of reality. Series 2 has already been filmed and we can’t wait.

Stream series 1-9 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

The brilliant, darkly comedic anthology series from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton ended in 2024 with its ninth series (of course), and it’s given us a feast of brilliantly macabre delights. It is endlessly creative without any limits to the style or substance of an episode; from downright terrifying horror (“The Harrowing”) to comedy caper (“Wuthering Heist”) to family drama (“Last Night Of The Proms”). 

There tend to be only two rules: the action needs to take place inside something that has a number nine on it, and there needs to be a twist. The show’s live Halloween special is probably the scariest thing on TV since Ghostwatch – while remaining spookily funny.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Hairdresser Gemma (Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education) has got problems. Her sister’s in prison, she’s unexpectedly pregnant, and to top it all off, her flatmate’s moved out. So when her dad Malcolm (David Morrissey, Sherwood) reappears in her life looking for somewhere to live, the perfect solution presents itself. Or does it? Wood is one of 2025’s breakout stars and she’s terrific in this funny and touching generation-gap comedy, written by stand-up turned writer Danielle Ward.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Canadian artist Freya (Kyla Harris) decides it’s time to take the plunge and move across the Atlantic to live with her long-distance boyfriend Abe (Darren Boyd). Only thing is, she’s tetraplegic and needs care. Could her best friend Jo (Elena Saurel) provide a solution? Their relationship has already been through some rocky patches, and that was before Freya asked Jo to deal with her constipation issues… This disarmingly frank and occasionally unhinged comedy was created by Harris and her own best friend Lee Getty, based on their real-life experiences.

Stream series 1-2 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Here We Go is a broad TV comedy in the best sense of the word – its appeal is clear to literally everyone. Set up as a documentary of family life “filmed” by the youngest son, it’s the freshest and funniest take on the well-worn mockumentary format in years. The series stars big hitters in Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd), Jim Howick (Ghosts) and Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey) and cements all three as some of this country’s finest comic talent, while Freya Parks’ direct looks to camera are the most devastating since Martin Freeman’s in The Office. Series 3 is on its way in 2025.

Stream series 1-5 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Like all-time great The Office (also in Apps > BBC iPlayer), this is a BAFTA-winning mockumentary that revolves around confident men who are utterly delusional about their charm and abilities. Rather than a paper company, it’s set inside Kurupt FM, a pirate radio station pumping out UK garage and drum and bass from a flat in Brentford, west London.

MC Grindah (Allan Mustafa), DJ Beats (Hugo Chegwin), DJ Steves (Steve Stamp) and their manager Chabuddy G (Asim Chaudhry) are convinced that global musical success is within their reach; the show’s hilarious pathos comes from the fact that it is almost certainly not, but you root for them anyway. A modern classic.

Stream series 1-7 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Have you watched this wonderful comedy about a suburban Glasgow street and the couples who live on it? If not, why not? Because it’s possibly the finest Scottish sitcom since Rab C Nesbitt (there’s even some connective tissue between the two, with Elaine C Smith appearing in both).

Eric (Alex Norton) and Beth (Arabella Weir) dream of a quiet life, but cannot escape the neighbours who continue to drop into their house unannounced and uninvited. The show takes the idea that you can never choose your neighbours to the extreme: Doon Mackichan’s Cathy is one of the great sitcom beasts, while Smith’s life-force-draining Christine is equally iconic.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Famalam’s Gbemisola Ikumelo and Akemnji Ndifornyen collaborated again to create Black Ops, which takes no prisoners in its mission to skewer police and criminals alike. Dom (Ikumelo) and Kay (Hammed Animashaun) are community support officers going nowhere in their careers until they’re tasked with infiltrating a local gang. It turns out they’re even more rubbish at being delinquents than they are at policing… A second series is coming.

Stream series 1-2 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Following two absurdly theatrical, emotionally brittle middle-aged men around northern England’s fine dining establishments might not sound like your idea of a good time. But in the hands of Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon – playing fictionalised versions of themselves – and director Michael Winterbottom, this is an all-time classic that reveals plenty about acting, ageing, insecurity and masculinity. The second series set in Italy has more of the same, but with sunshine. Simply essential.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Life isn’t great for siblings Tiana, Tionne and Tanika – but when their mum disappears, they know they’ve got to keep up the appearance that everything is just, well, normal because the alternative is unthinkable. Cue a cat-and-mouse game between the kids and the authorities that swings between farcical and poignant. Written by Janice Okoh (based on her play Three Birds), it boasts great performances from its young cast (Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie, Akins Subair and Chenée Taylor), with Romola Garai (Vigil) as their well-meaning teacher.

Stream series 1-2 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

A CABM – that’s what Jonathan (Romesh Ranganathan, Romantic Getaway) is. A conflict-avoidant beta male. He’d rather bury his head in the sand than face up to anything serious, and that’s ultimately why his partner Claire (Jessica Knappett, Drifters) throws him out. But if series 1 is about a sad-sack getting dumped, things are looking up for Jonathan by the time series 2 rolls around, with a potential new love on the scene.

Stream series 1-3 and the special in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Created, written and directed by Mackenzie Crook (who also stars and probably did the catering too), this is a gorgeous, sun-washed comedy about two metal-detecting hobbyists who dream of finding gold. Co-starring Toby Jones, it’s a series that wears its heart on its sleeve without an ounce of cynicism: something that’s rare in comedy, and even rarer in a show that puts a pastime that is – let’s be honest – quite silly at its centre. There’s no bad time to catch up or reacquaint yourself with the Danebury Metal Detecting Club.

Stream series 1 in Apps > BBC iPlayer

A PE teacher frozen in the 1970s? Miraculously thawed out and revived? And unleashed on a modern school? The premise sounds like a fever dream but it’s the perfect set-up for Mike Bubbins’ brand of traditional, boisterous but non-toxic hyper-masculinity. As Tony Mammoth, he’s forced to confront the realities of the 21st century – from picking up dog poo to staying sober when driving – but he can still bring the lessons of the past to bear on the 2020s. There are only three episodes so far, but Mammoth will be back with a second series.

Man Like Mobeen series 5 starts on Thursday 1 May at 9pm on BBC Three HD (CH 107/113), when all episodes will be available in Apps > BBC iPlayer.