Top 10 British Movies That Should Have Their Own TV Series

Crime Drama “Scum” could just be the tele adaptation that you’ve been craving, but never knew it! While the edgy, gritty drama is set in a violent and hostile English borstal, with an original cast headed up by a then-up-and-coming Ray Winstone, a TV version of this particular story could be the British answer to something like “Prison Break”… Except the only things ‘breaking’ if “Scum” was ever serialised would be the bones of every main character - if it’s anywhere near as brutal as the movie!

An ultimately feel good underdog story that you never really want to end, an extended “Slumdog Millionaire” series would allow you to enjoy it for that much longer! The show would retell the events from the film itself, with the plucky protagonist appearing on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and answering each question with help of personal - and often painful - flashbacks. But, in a serial format, each episode could cover one question only, allowing for a more in-depth backstory. Failing that, the show could even focus on a new character with their own eventful past.

Because who doesn’t want to spend more time with this loveable, little rascal! He's from ‘deepest, darkest Peru’, and he loves marmalade – what more do you what? The film series with Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins has far exceeded expectations, being adored by young and old alike. And yes, the character does already have a small screen history, fronting various animated shows over the years, starting way back in the mid-seventies. So, wouldn’t the live action take mesh just as well into an episodic format? Of course it would!

Eventually spawning a celebrated trilogy, “Kidulthood” is another stylish, gritty drama, following the lives of West London teenagers over the course of a single day. And “day” is the key word. Because this could easily be stretched out across several seasons of a TV series if it observed the central characters over a longer period of time - perhaps weeks, months or years. While the films feature large time jumps between each instalment, a series could flesh out the gaps in between, showing us what we missed or examining the lives of a completely new set of London youngsters.

To be fair, this black comedy is that good, you might feel as if you’ve watched a whole series, what with the number of times you can end up enjoying repeated viewings of it. Centred on two hit-men hiding out in the titular, high-culture city, there’s a lot more to their assignment than what first meets the eye. In TV format, the story could follow a similar concept, with a young assassin joined by an older, more experienced chap… But maybe hiding out in a different European location. In Brussels. In Berlin. In Bratislava. Take your pick.

Our hypothetical hoo-hah wouldn’t be the first “Hitchhiker’s Guide” TV series, that honour goes to the BBC 2 show, way back in 1981. But after the ultra-enjoyable 2005 big screen adaptation, there are clearly still stories to be told with Arthur Dent, his ever-present dressing gown, and his myriad of alien and robot friends. Douglas Adams’ comic, cosmic saga still resonates with modern audiences, and what better time than now for a contemporary retelling? With recent revivals for “Star Trek” and “Lost in Space” proving that there’s still an appetite for sci-fi on the regular.

Let’s just say this series could quickly become… quite addictive! The cult classic tale of a heroin addict trying to escape his old life of drug binges and petty crime in Edinburgh to start a fresh in London, only to get roped back in again, feels a perfect fit for television. And if it keeps the sorry, sleazy and morbidly hilarious tone of the original movie, it could be the ideal fix for anyone missing the glory days of “Shameless”. Perhaps a new cast to take the lead with cameos from the original line-up? As long as Spud features somewhere, we’re happy.

Who wouldn’t be clamouring like the undead to a fresh brain for this? Zombies have proven to be a huge success on television with “The Walking Dead” being a ratings juggernaut, and the undead White Walkers on “Game of Thrones” becoming a major part of its popularity. What do both those awesome shows still lack though? First class comedy. And that’s exactly what “Shaun of the Dead” provides, and what a series adaptation could bring too. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost; it’s not too much to ask, is it?

Football is a typically weekly game, with ardent fans travelling to home matches one week and off to other cities for away fixtures the next. So, why not turn this football flick into a weekly show too, and see what The Firm gets up to every Saturday? It would have to be on way past the watershed, mind you - and definitely not just as a follow-up to “Match of the Day” - because any series adaptation of this hooligan story would get very violent, very quickly.

One of the best things to come out of the bombastic, action packed “Kingsman” series is Colin Firth’s gentleman spy character - Harry Hart. Death couldn’t even hold him back! So it’s safe to say there’s a want and need to see more of the espionage mentor. But to make things even more interesting, a proposed series could centre on his origins story, tracking Hart from when he was just a rookie himself and charting his rise up the Kingsman ranks. Manners Maketh Man. Man Maketh Series. Everybody’s hooked. Easy.