It's one of the biggest questions you can ask any British TV fan: what is the best BBC drama of all time and why?

Well, we posed that very question to ' followers on social media, and with more than 1,500 comments on our Facebook post, there were certainly a lot of opinions.

Having been at the forefront of producing homegrown drama, the BBC has plenty of hits under its belt – both decades-old classics to 21st century fare alike. From the more recent crime blockbusters like Line of Duty, to period dramas such as Wolf Hall and Pride and Prejudice, and the revered gangster thriller Peaky Blinders, the resulting list is packed full of big titles.

But which one came out on top?

We sifted through the many comments to find the 10 that were mentioned the most – with 10th place ending in a three-way tie.

Whether you think of yourself as a seasoned TV fan or want to find a show from yesteryear to binge-watch on iPlayer, you can check out the definitive list of best BBC dramas (as chosen by followers) below.

=10. Boys

Coming in one of the joint 10th places with 2.4 per cent of comments is Boys from the Blackstuff, the 1982 drama penned by Liverpudlian playwright Alan Bleasdale. The series served as a sequel to Bleasdale’s 1978 TV play, The Black Stuff, a slang term which referred to the tarmac laying work that the protagonists did.

While fictional, the series struck a chord with viewers by depicting some of the pressing issues at the time in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, including unemployment, social class issues and poverty. The five-parter’s episodes each focused on a different member of the group of unemployed men, with the series more recently being adapted by Sherwood writer James Graham as a stage play.

=10.

While John le Carré’s 1974 novel was more recently adapted for the big screen with Gary Oldman, lest we forget the 1979 drama series, which also comes in the 10th spot on the list with 2.4 per cent of comments. Sir Alec Guinness plays George Smiley, a retired intelligence officer who we follow as he's brought back into the mix when a Soviet double agent is found to have infiltrated the British Secret Service – and its most senior members.

The series kept viewers on the edge of their seats across seven episodes (re-edited as six in the US). Not only was it the talk of the town upon its release but the series scored BAFTA wins for Guinness as best actor and Tony Pierce-Roberts for best film cameraman.

=10.

Created by Doctor Who writing royalty Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, Sherlock comes in as our final entry for the joint 10th spot with an equal 2.4 per cent of comments from followers. Spanning 13 episodes, four seasons and a Christmas minisode, the series stages Arthur Conan Doyle’s well-known tales and characters against modern London. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman led the cast as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson, with the series going on to be nominated (and win) several awards over the course of its seven-year run.

While it may be 10 years on from the ending of Sherlock’s fourth season, fans continue to wait in hope that the team could reunite one day to create more. A revival may seem like a far away dream but you can understand the fervour, given the stellar writing and acting on show in its best episodes.

9.

With 2.7 per cent of comments, Wolf Hall comes in at number nine on the list. The BBC’s adaptation of the late Hilary Mantel’s hit novel premiered in 2015 and documented the life of Thomas Cromwell. While Mantel’s work was indeed a fictionalised biography, the series was praised for its work to recreate the 16th century era in which it was set.

The drama was of course lauded for the way in which it adapted Mantel’s book but was also bestowed with heaps of praise for the direction under Peter Kominsky, the terrific acting from leads Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance, as well as the attention to period detail.

8.

It’s been 30 years since This Life landed on our screens, but the drama is coming in at number eight on the list, with 2.9 per cent of comments. The definition of a word-of-mouth series, This Life focused on five aspiring lawyers – which included the likes of Amita Dhiri, Andrew Lincoln, Jason Hughes and Ramon Tikaram – who shared a house in South London. Far from a legal or courtroom thriller, the sweary series was created by Amy Jenkins who crafted the vibrant drama as something more akin to Channel 4’s risqué release reputation than the BBC. Well, it paid off – at least eventually.

At the time of its release, This Life went relatively under the radar until it eventually exploded as a bit of a cult hit, attracting strong viewer ratings. Following the lives of the five main graduates, the two seasons were packed with booze, drugs, sex and all the kinds of interpersonal drama you’d expect of a show centred around a rowdy friendship group.

7.

In at number seven on the list with 3.1 per cent of the comments is iconic spy drama Spooks. Running for an impressive 10 seasons, the series focused on the work of the intelligence officers at MI5, known colloquially by the show’s title name. Working round the clock to ensure the safety of the country is no easy task, with the show proving as such while keeping viewers hooked with its storylines, fast pacing, twists and surprise deaths.

While some fans may not have enjoyed the later instalments as much, there’s no denying that Spooks was a defining moment in the British drama space, featuring the likes of Nicola Walker, Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Richard Armitage and more.

6.

In at number six is Steven Knight’s defining Birmingham-based drama, Peaky Blinders. 4 per cent of comments mentioned the historical crime drama, which centred on one of the most powerful gangs of the time, run by Tommy Shelby and his family. Cillian Murphy went from notable film actor to recognisable TV gangster in an instant with the help of the series, embodying the lead character that viewers both somewhat feared and came to love.

As the series progressed, so too did the time periods showcased, and each season was different and considerably more dramatic than the last, with the first season kicking off after the First World War. Essentially, we followed the Shelby family as they controlled everything in Birmingham through the ‘20s and ‘30s, soon getting caught up in tensions with rivals, political struggles and of course, plenty of personal drama. Other standouts from the series include the late Helen McCrory, as well as real-life brothers Joe and Finn Cole, Sophie Rundle and various star-studded guest stars.

5. Pride and Prejudice

While the 1995 BBC adaptation may be best remembered for a wet shirt-clad Colin Firth as Mr Darcy, 's followers lauded it as an all-round “flawless production”. Coming in at number five on the list with 4.6 per cent of comments, the six-parter adapts the iconic Jane Austen novel and threw Firth firmly into the spotlight.

Starring alongside Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet, the series garnered a lot of critical acclaim upon its release – and continues to stand the test of time, despite today’s increasingly steamier period drama roster. It also signalled quite the shift in the real world too, with a new wave of enthusiasm for Austen’s works being reinvigorated thanks to the series.

4. Edge of Darkness

Edge of Darkness comes in at number four on the list, with just over 5 per cent of comments mentioning the 1985 production, which went on to inspire the 2010 film starring Mel Gibson. The crime drama/political thriller hybrid follows Yorkshire police officer Ronald (Bob Peck) as he struggles to make sense of his daughter’s murder after being shot dead on the doorstep of their home. He soon uncovers a wider mystery and government conspiracy as he digs deeper into his daughter’s environmental activism.

The show was met with praise upon its release, with many appreciating the way it shone up a mirror to the government's handling of nuclear industry issues at the time. Comments remembered Peck’s superb leading performance, the show’s ability to “get under your skin” and the score, which was crafted by iconic guitarist Eric Clapton and the late composer Michael Kamen, who was best known for his work with Pink Floyd and later in films like X-Men, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

3. Our Friends in the North

Originally broadcast in 1996, Our Friends in the North has long been regarded as one of the BBC’s best offerings, coming in third place with 5.8 per cent of comments. The drama is made up of nine episodes, each jumping forward in time and spanning a period of 31 years in total from 1964 to 1995. Telling the story of four friends from Newcastle upon Tyne, the series not only depicted their shifting dynamics, but also the changing political and social climate.

Comments obviously underlined the captivating performances from the cast, with the BBC series launching the likes of Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig and Mark Strong to heady heights. Also described by fans as a “British epic”, the series was written by Peter Flannery for the theatre, with some of the characters being based on real people. Despite the BBC’s initial legal concerns and having to dedicate a big budget to its production, the series stands the test of time – and is more relevant today than many might assume.

2. Line of Duty

It wouldn’t be a round-up of best BBC dramas without mention of Jed Mercurio’s seminal series. Coming in second on the list is Line of Duty, likely not to many people’s surprise seeing as it’s one of the most talked-about shows of recent years. Underlining the meaning of event television, many nights were spent by the nation tuning in to see what each season would throw at AC-12’s Steve, Kate and Ted.

Our (somewhat) trusty trio headed up the fight against corruption in the police force, with each instalment centring on a new case, station and officers, throwing us right into the action and not knowing who to trust. Aside from Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar grounding the drama with their own performances, the series wouldn’t be what it is without its impressive slate of guest stars – such as Lennie James, Stephen Graham, Thandiwe Newton, Anna Maxwell Martin and Keeley Hawes,

However, many commenters were keen to point out that while they revere the series, they didn’t like the sixth season's ending – so it’s a good thing that the seventh is coming soon.

1. Happy Valley

Topping the list with 14.6 per cent of comments is Sally Wainwright’s Happy Valley. Having come to a fitting conclusion more recently than most on this rundown, the series is undoubtedly a gem in the BBC drama crown.

Centring on divorced police sergeant Catherine Cawood as she navigates life in the aftermath of her daughter’s suicide, Catherine’s no-nonsense façade is rocked when she learns of the release of Tommy Lee Royce from prison. Blaming him for her daughter’s death, Catherine and Tommy’s worlds collide when he returns to Halifax and wants contact with his son (and Catherine’s grandson) Ryan – but gets caught up in nefarious dealings of his own. The dark thread of that cat and mouse chase continues throughout all three seasons, with episodes also focusing on various sinister crimes that tend to lead back to Royce.

The basis of this exceptional series is obviously Wainwright’s clever, whip-smart writing but the scene-stealing performances from Sarah Lancashire and James Norton – in a memorable yet chilling breakout role – make it a series that will likely set the precedent for BBC dramas for the foreseeable.

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