Call The Midwife has been voted the best show of the past 25 years in a Radio Times poll.
The BBC period drama, loosely based on real life events, follows a group of midwives in the East End of London in the late 1950s.
In a poll to mark the 25th anniversary of RadioTimes.com, readers were asked to vote for their favourite from a list complied by TV experts. Call the Midwife claimed 25% of the vote.
Another BBC series secured the second place spot, with sci-fi series Doctor Who receiving 13%.
In joint third place were Line of Duty and Sherlock with 7% of the vote, while Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones took 5% and 4% respectively.
Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas said: “All of us on the show are absolutely delighted. It was a really lovely surprise.
“When you’ve been going on for as many years as we have, you know you’re not the thrill of the new any more, so it says a lot about our audience’s loyalty.
“But also we’re doing something right in keeping the show fresh as we move forward.”
She added: “In terms of beating other shows, I don’t think drama should be a competition.
“I think all dramas of note have something to offer their audience and there’s such a variety of programmes these days from all the different streamers.
“I’m just really proud we’re still up there with shows which are very recent and very heavily promoted.”
The first series of Call the Midwife, set in 1957, aired on BBC One in 2012. There have been a further 10 series and a popular Christmas special each year.
The show has featured a variety of stars since its launch, including Miranda Hart, Helen George and Jenny Agutter.
Producer Pippa Harris said the show could run indefinitely, saying: “It’s become part of our lives ... it’s difficult to imagine not doing it.”
