What to watch on UKTV Play right now

Sherlock

One of the most iconic characters in British history, this incarnation of Sherlock Holmes is a British crime drama television series that brings Sherlock and Watson into the present day. Created by BBC regulars Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his trusty sidekick Doctor John Watson.

Although the series depicts a variety of crimes and perpetrators, Holmes's conflict with popular nemesis Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is a recurring feature. Other regular roles include Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson, Holmes and Watson's lovable landlady, and series co-creator Mark Gatiss as Holmes's slightly flamboyant elder brother Mycroft.

Notorious Conan Doyle classics reimagined in the series include The Hounds of Baskerville, A Study in Scarlet and The Reichenbach Fall.

Classic EastEnders

Part of the holy trinity of British soaps along with Emmerdale and Coronation Street, UKTV Play has an abundance of old episodes of EastEnders ready for you to dive into at your leisure.

On the air since 1985 and set in Albert Square in the East End of London in the fictional Borough of Walford, the programme follows the dramatic stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives.

EastEnders remains a significant programme in terms of the BBC's success and audience share, often tackling many dilemmas that are considered to be controversial and taboo issues in British culture and helping to raise awareness of them.

Room 101

Taking its name from the infamous torture chamber in George Orwell’s 1984, this was a BBC comedy television show based on the radio series of the same name. The idea was that celebrities were invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign those hates to oblivion in Room 101.

The original version of the show consisted of a one-on-one interview between the host and guest. Consignment of the nominated items, persons or concepts to Room 101 was the decision of the host, sometimes after soliciting the opinion of the studio audience.

The 2012 revamp introduced a panel format, with three guests competing to have their pet hates consigned to Room 101, a decision that was made solely by the host.

Memorable guests on the show included Ricky Gervais, Spike Milligan, Stephen Fry, Boris Johnson, Ben Miller and Ian Hislop.

Zapped

Zapped is a British sitcom that follows Brian Weaver, played by James Buckley of The Inbetweeners fame, as a real world inhabitant who gets trapped in a fantasy realm.

Brian is a temporary office worker who takes delivery of a package addressed to someone in a place called Munty. When he opens it and puts on the amulet stored within, he finds himself teleported to the medieval setting where dragons and wizardry are commonplace. Series one focuses on his attempts to get back to the real world, where he’s not particularly missed by his colleagues.

With two seasons currently available to watch, a third season is set to start on Dave later this year.