U&Alibi

About U&Alibi

U&Alibi is a British premium television channel dedicated entirely to crime drama, owned by UKTV, the commercial broadcaster wholly owned by BBC Studios. Launched on 1 November 1997 as UK Arena, it has undergone more transformations than almost any other British channel, becoming UK Drama in 2000, UKTV Drama in 2004, Alibi in 2008 and finally U&Alibi in November 2024. As a pay television service available on Sky, Virgin Media, BT and TalkTalk, it describes itself as the only television channel dedicated to crime drama, offering a mix of British and international series, exclusive premieres and a growing slate of UKTV original commissions.

The channel's current identity as the home of crime drama dates from October 2008, when UKTV repositioned it to focus exclusively on detective series, mysteries and thrillers. Since then it has become one of the most distinctive brands in British pay television, premiering hit series from around the world and developing its own original dramas, several of which have gone on to primetime success on BBC One. Its 2024 rebrand as U&Alibi completed UKTV's unification of its channels under the U masterbrand.

UK Arena: an arts channel

The channel launched on 1 November 1997 as UK Arena, an arts and culture channel within the UKTV portfolio. UKTV had been founded in 1992 as a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Thames Television, and UK Arena was part of its early expansion, offering programming devoted to the arts alongside the partnership's other genre channels. The arts positioning reflected the optimism of the early multichannel era, when new channels were launched to serve almost every conceivable niche.

UK Arena's life as an arts channel was relatively short. The channel struggled to build a large audience for arts programming in the competitive multichannel market, and UKTV concluded that its slot could be put to better use. In 2000 the channel was renamed UK Drama, marking a decisive shift away from the arts towards scripted drama series.

The UK Drama years

As UK Drama, and from 8 March 2004 as UKTV Drama, the channel became a general entertainment drama service, broadcasting a mix of British drama series, classic serials and acquired programming. It drew heavily on the BBC's programme archive, offering viewers repeat runs of much-loved dramas alongside more recent series. The UKTV Drama branding aligned the channel with UKTV's naming conventions of the period, which saw its channels carry the UKTV prefix.

During this era the channel built a solid audience among drama fans, but it lacked a distinctive identity in a market crowded with general drama outlets. UKTV's decision in 2008 to reposition it as a dedicated crime drama channel was driven by the recognition that crime was the most popular and durable genre in television drama, and that a channel owning the genre outright could stand out from its rivals.

Alibi: the crime drama channel

On 7 October 2008 the channel was relaunched as Alibi, devoted exclusively to crime drama. The rebrand was a success, giving the channel a clear proposition: the best crime dramas from Britain and around the world, from classic detective series to contemporary thrillers. Alibi premiered international hit series including the Australian drama Harrow, the supernatural thriller Evil, the Texan noir Briarpatch and the Swedish series Tommy, while long-running favourites such as the Canadian series Murdoch Mysteries found a secure British home on the channel.

British crime dramas gave viewers another chance to catch their favourite series, with Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Silent Witness all featuring in the schedule, alongside classic detectives such as Miss Marple. The channel's positioning as the only television service dedicated to crime drama gave it a marketing edge, and it developed a loyal audience of genre enthusiasts who knew exactly what to expect when they tuned in.

UKTV originals

Alibi stepped into original drama commissioning with a series of UKTV original crime dramas that became flagship titles for the channel. Traces, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston and produced by Red Production Company, was an early hit, followed by We Hunt Together, starring Eve Myles and Babou Ceesay and produced by BBC Studios, about a detective duo hunting a pair of deadly lovers. Annika, starring Nicola Walker as a Glasgow marine homicide detective who breaks the fourth wall, became the channel's fourth UKTV original and one of its most successful, produced by Black Camel Pictures with support from Screen Scotland.

Further originals followed, including The Diplomat, starring Sophie Rundle in a Barcelona-set drama from World Productions, and The Red King, from writer Toby Whithouse and starring Anjli Mohindra, Marc Warren and Adjoa Andoh. In 2025 the channel premiered new series including I, Jack Wright, the Mark Gatiss drama Bookish, which was recommissioned for a second series ahead of its premiere, and Mudtown. Several of these originals proved so successful that they transferred to BBC One for primetime terrestrial broadcasts, with We Hunt Together and Annika both reaching wider audiences on the BBC's flagship channel.

International premieres

Alongside its originals, the channel has maintained a strong slate of exclusive international premieres. Recent acquisitions have included CSI: Vegas, the revival of the forensic franchise; So Help Me Todd, the American legal dramedy; Dark Winds, the AMC noir set on a Navajo reservation; and the Icelandic series Black Sands. These premieres give the channel a steady flow of new content and reinforce its position as the first British home for crime series from around the world.

The channel's acquisitions strategy has favoured series with strong central characters and distinctive settings, from the Canadian procedural Hudson & Rex, about a detective and his police dog, to the American period mystery Miss Scarlet. This character-led approach has helped the channel build a consistent brand identity even as its schedule ranges across continents and centuries.

The U&Alibi rebrand

On 7 November 2024 Alibi was rebranded as U&Alibi, completing UKTV's roll-out of its U masterbrand across the channel portfolio. The rebrand had begun in July 2024, when UKTV's free-to-air channels became U&Dave, U&Drama, U&W and U&Yesterday and the UKTV Play streaming service was renamed U. The pay TV channels followed later in the year, with Gold becoming U&Gold on the same day as Alibi's transition, and Eden becoming U&Eden on its move to free-to-air in October 2024.

The U&Alibi identity brought the channel visually into line with its sister services while preserving its crime drama positioning and its on-air personality. UKTV's corporate materials describe U&Alibi as dedicated to television crime drama, inspecting the best selection of UK premiere hit series and worldwide favourites, a description that captures the channel's blend of original commissions, exclusive acquisitions and much-loved repeats.

Ownership

U&Alibi is owned by UKTV, which has been wholly owned by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, since 2019. BBC Studios acquired full control of UKTV and its channels in a deal that ended the previous joint ownership with Discovery, making the broadcaster one of the BBC's most significant commercial assets. UKTV operates as an advertising-funded commercial broadcaster, distinct from the licence-fee-funded BBC channels, and has been a significant investor in British production, commissioning original drama, comedy and factual programming from independent producers across the UK.

The channel's website is uandalibi.co.uk, and its programming is also available through U, UKTV's free streaming service, which offers catch-up viewing and box sets across the broadcaster's portfolio.

Availability and how to watch

U&Alibi is a premium pay television channel available on Sky on channels 109 and 826, on Virgin Media on channels 126 and 200, on BT on channels 312 and 382, and on TalkTalk on channel 312. It operates a one-hour timeshift service, U&Alibi +1, and its programmes are available on demand through Sky, Virgin Media, BT and TalkTalk, as well as on the U streaming service. The channel broadcasts in high definition, downscaled for the standard-definition feed.

Unlike its free-to-air sister channels, U&Alibi has remained within the pay TV bundle, alongside U&Gold, following UKTV's 2024 carriage negotiations with Sky. Its premium positioning reflects the value of its exclusive premieres and original commissions, which UKTV regards as worth a subscription.

Place in British television

Nearly three decades after its launch as an arts channel, U&Alibi has become one of the most clearly defined brands in British television. Its journey from UK Arena through UK Drama and Alibi to U&Alibi mirrors the evolution of the multichannel market itself: from niche genre launches through consolidation and rebranding to the current era of masterbrands and streaming. Few channels have reinvented themselves so thoroughly, and fewer still have found as durable an identity as Alibi did in crime drama.

The channel's original dramas have given it a creative credibility beyond its pay TV footprint, with series such as Annika, Traces and We Hunt Together earning critical acclaim and terrestrial transfers. As U&Alibi, it continues to serve the large and loyal audience for crime drama, offering guaranteed thrills, twists and turns to viewers who know that when they tune in, a mystery will always be waiting.