Right now you can watch The Tube on streaming — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. Every one of its 5 seasons holds up. Strong word of mouth says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Paula Yates anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

The Tube arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The writing in The Tube treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. The Tube was an innovative United Kingdom pop/rock music television programme, which ran for five seasons, from 5 November 1982 until 1987. It was produced in Newcastle upon Tyne for Channel 4 by Tyne Tees Television, which had previously produced the similar music show Alright Now and the music-oriented youth show Check it Out for ITV; production of the latter ended in favour of The Tube. The Tube was presented live by hosts including Jools Holland, Paula Yates, Leslie Ash, Muriel Gray, Gary James, Michel Cremona, Nick Laird-Clowes and Mike Everitt. Paula Yates and Jools Holland lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. Across 5 seasons (1982–1987), it never lost the thread that made it worth starting. The performances in The Tube do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, The Tube delivers. If you have already watched The Amanda Show, The Tube is a natural next step. The complete run is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Paula Yates's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.

The Tube wrapped up in 1987 — and 5 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.