10 British Shows Set in Beautiful Vacation Destinations

(Photo: PBS)
Don't worry if you have no summer vacation booked. We've rounded up 10 British TV shows set in picturesque holiday hot spots so you can feel like you're jetting off somewhere new from the comfort of your own couch. Some are set in the U.K., others in Europe and elsewhere, but all have beautiful scenery to enjoy even when the storylines get dark. 
1. The Durrells in Corfu
This ITV/PBS Masterpiece series is based on Gerald Durrell's memoirs of his time living in Corfu in the 1930s. Keeley Hawes stars as his unconventional mother, Louisa, who moves the family to the beautiful Greek island to solve their financial problems. The warmhearted series originally ran from 2015 to 2019, shortly before cast member Josh O'Connor found even greater fame on The Crown.

2. Doc Martin
This long-running medical series is set in Portwenn, a fictional fishing village in Cornwall. It's filmed in Port Isaac, a real-life Cornish fishing village that's very pretty indeed. Martin Clunes stars as the title character, a brilliant former surgeon who reluctantly accepts a job as a local GP despite having somewhat limited social skills. The final season is due later this year; you can catch up with previous episodes on Acorn TV.

3. Signora Volpe
Silent Witness
star Emilia Fox leads this Acorn TV original series set in Italy's stunning Umbria region. She plays Sylvia Fox, an MI6 agent who relocates to the seemingly sleepy town of Panicale, where she finds a cold case murder to keep her busy. She also has a lovely stone farmhouse to renovate, but as you might guess, sleuthing soon becomes her top priority.

4. Murder in Provence
Set in Aix-en-Provence, one of France's most charming cities, this BritBox original series is based on detective novels by Canadian author M.L. Longworth. Roger Allam (The Thick of It) stars as super-sharp Judge Antoine Verlaque, who's actually more of an investigator because of the way things work in France. An added bonus comes in the form of Miranda fave Patricia Hodge, who plays the disapproving mother of Antoine's partner Marine (Nancy Carroll).

5. Hotel Portofino
This period drama which premiered on PBS in June definitely has glamour. Natascha McElhone stars as Bella Ainsworth, a wealthy Englishwoman who opens a hotel in the high-end Italian resort of Portofino shortly after World War One. Her guests aren't always as well behaved as they appear, though; look out for A Discovery of Witches' Anna Chancellor in a fun supporting role.

6. Benidorm
This hit ITV sitcom isn't as posh as Hotel Portofino, but it definitely is funny. With jokes as salty as the Mediterranean Sea, it follows a motley crew of Brits living in the lively Spanish resort of Benidorm. It ran for 10 seasons with cast members including Happy Valley's Siobhan Finneran and Whitechapel's Steve Pemberton, plus scene-stealing guest appearances from Dame Joan Collins as formidable hotel owner Crystal Hennessy-Vass.

7. White Lines
Created by Money Heist mastermind Álex Pina, this thriller series unfolds on Ibiza, the Spanish island synonymous with dance music and partying. Laura Haddock stars as Zoe Walker, a woman who heads to the island 20 years after her brother was murdered there in a bid to find out what really happened. There's only one season and you can find it on Netflix.

8. Whitstable Pearl
After Life
actress Kerry Godliman stars in this Acorn TV original series set in Whitstable, an English coastal town famous for its oysters. Appropriately enough, her character Pearl Nolan runs a seafood restaurant called Whitstable Pearl with her domineering mother Dolly (Frances Barber).  But, when a friend dies in mysterious circumstances, she returns to her earlier career as a detective alongside local cop DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles).

9. Death in Paradise
A firm favorite since it debuted in 2011, this BBC crime drama (which airs in the U.S. on PBS and BritBox) is set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie. It's probably a good thing that the island doesn't really exist, because despite the best efforts of Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington), the crime rate there is unusually high. It's filmed in the real-life island of Guadeloupe, which supplies the paradise vibes of the title.

10. The Mallorca Files
The Spanish island of Mallorca, a popular vacation spot, provides the setting of this BBC/BritBox detective drama. It follows a London Met Police officer (Elen Rhys) and German detective (Julian Looman) who team up to solve crimes committed against the international community on the island. Two seasons have aired so far, and there's a third on the way. 

Do you have a favorite show set in a pretty vacation hot spot?