There was no period restriction, but the dramas had to be series (or serials) rather than one-offs. To reach their verdict, the writers compiled a longlist. 'BBC4 and UK Gold should be repeating them but instead they're playing Coast 24 hours a day and bloody Silent Witness,' complained Grace Dent. A Very Peculiar Practice, Talking Heads, The Singing Detective, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Boys From the Blackstuff – these are among the 'national treasure' series that have seared themselves into our critics' imaginations. Here's an interesting thing, though: ahead of some great US drama that has attracted such praise and attention in the last 10 years – The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Buffy the Vampire Slayer – comes a raft of British drama from the 1980s.

Mad Men, the tale of 60s New York ad men, made the No 4 slot, just behind Our Friends in the North, an epic 1996 BBC2 series that traced the fates of four people across several decades.

The Wire – HBO's widely praised series about Baltimore – attracted plenty of praise, but only ranked at No 14. Their second favourite was Brideshead Revisited, the 1981 ITV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel about religion, nobility and paisley dressing gowns.

But it only made the top spot by a fraction. They almost all raved about this show, praising it as an original, absorbing and affectionate study of complicated family values. The overall winner was The Sopranos, the compelling tale of New Jersey mobsters created by David Chase.

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