British shows that went global
Last updated: August 14, 2025
From awkward office humour to a pastel-coloured baking tent. British TV has a habit of creating formats that audiences everywhere fall in love with. These five shows didn’t just succeed at home. They found fans in dozens of countries.
The Office
When The Office came in 2001 it was something new. Shaky cameras, brutal silences, people looking straight at you through the screen. It made you laugh and want to hide at the same time. It was a painfully relatable mix. A boss desperate to be liked and a workplace full of quiet chaos. The US remake became a nine season juggernaut, and other versions popped up from Sweden to Chile.
Love Island
Love Island’s 2015 revival was pure reality-TV engineering: singles pair up, re-couple, and try to win both each other’s hearts and the public vote. The rules are simple, the drama is daily and the format thrives on social-media buzz. It’s the kind of show that can be rebuilt in any sunny villa, in any country, without losing its spark. That’s why you now can find versions from Australia to the US.
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing brought ballroom back to primetime in 2004. Celebrities learn dance routines, perform live, and face the judges’ scores in front of millions. Rebranded as Dancing with the Stars abroad, it’s now licensed in over 60 countries. The appeal hits you straight away: those mad costumes and seeing people actually get better each week.
The Great British Bake Off
The British Baking show released 2010 and proved you didn't need people screaming at each other to make good TV. Just ordinary folks in a tent making cakes, challenges that mattered, and judges who actually cared what they were eating. That warmth is easy to adapt, swap in local hosts, favourite national recipes, and the format still works. Today, Bake Off has local versions from Turkey to Brazil.
Masterchef
First aired in 1990 and reinvented in 2005, MasterChef turns cooking into high-stakes storytelling. Contestants’ dishes are judged not just on flavour but on creativity, presentation, and personal journey. Its clean structure and built-in tension have made it one of the most licensed cooking competitions in the world, with versions from France to Bolivia.
Shows that works all over the world
What these five shows share is a crystal-clear concept and emotions anyone can connect with laughter, love, pride, tension or comfort. Whether it’s a terrible boss, a glamorous dance, or a perfectly risen sponge – they tap into feelings that don’t need translation.
