'Masterpiece' BBC drama that's 'best ever' starring Harry Potter star streaming for free

A lesser-known BBC period drama is hailed as the best TV series ever, with one fan branding it a "masterpiece." The Singing Detective was first broadcast in 1986 and stars the late Michael Gambon as Phillip E. Marlow, a pulp mystery writer hospitalised with severe skin and joint disease.

Marlow, who has also been suffering writer's block, develops a fever due to his illness and refuses to take his medication; these circumstances combine to see him enter a fantasy world set in a stylised 1940s. In it, he is a wisecracking sleuth from his own writing who sings musical numbers, and his adventures are interspersed with his real-world struggles in the hospital and painful memories of the past.

They combine to create a surreal, avant-garde experience which is still held up by fans as a unique, small-screen classic today.

The series was written by Dennis Potter, who had suffered from debilitating skin issues himself, and took heavy inspiration for the series from his own life.

Fans continue to shower the show with praise, including the performance of Gambon, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise.

One fan on IMDb wrote: "The series lasts nearly seven hours and yet never fails to entertain. The series has a rich vain of dark humour and features some hilariously surreal song-and-dance sequences.

"This is a true masterpiece and, very possibly, the best TV series ever made. Don't miss any opportunity to catch it."

Another said: "The Singing Detective" is a quite cerebral and a brilliant show. SEEK THIS SERIES OUT and treasure it!

A third said it is as good as TV gets, and that they "absolutely adore this piece of work".

"Jon Amiel's sensitive, clever direction, Dennis Potter's biting, brilliant script & the towering lead performance by the great Michael Gambon makes this a treat to watch," they said.

"It's for those viewers who like to be treated as if they have a brain in their head and they don't need everything spelled out for them and telegraphed what is about to happen."

The Singing Detective is streaming free on BBC iPlayer.