Let’s be honest, ranking episodes of Sharpe feels a bit like judging your favourite pint. Even the weaker ones still go down well. Still, some episodes clearly hit harder, feel sharper, and carry more weight than others. After a full rewatch, here’s a cleaned-up, properly argued ranking that leans on story, character work, and that all-important battlefield tension.
The Ranking Criteria
Before anyone storms off waving a Baker rifle, here’s what matters in this ranking:
- Narrative strength and pacing
- Sharpe himself, whether he’s commanding or just reacting
- Supporting characters actually doing something memorable
- Battle sequences, which are the show’s bread and butter
- Rewatch value, because some episodes improve with age, others… less so
19. Sharpe’s Justice
Setting
Industrial Yorkshire after the Napoleonic Wars. It is the least recognisably Sharpe setting in the entire series, with mills and corrupt businessmen replacing battlefields and French cavalry.
Plot
Sharpe investigates the murder of an old comrade and uncovers corruption among local industrialists. The detective story never really comes together, and the whole thing feels oddly small.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean and Daragh O’Malley still do solid work, but the villains are forgettable and there is very little chemistry between the supporting cast.
Why It Ranks Here
A perfectly watchable television drama, just not a particularly good episode of Sharpe.
18. Sharpe’s Gold
Setting
Portugal and Spain during the Peninsular War. The scenery is lovely, which is fortunate because the script often seems to wander off and admire it.
Plot
Sharpe searches for a cache of gold while dealing with Spanish guerrillas and shifting loyalties. The episode struggles to settle on what kind of story it wants to be.
Cast and Characters
The guest cast never quite click, although Harper remains gloriously unimpressed with almost everyone around him.
Why It Ranks Here
The weakest of the main Peninsular War episodes. There are good ideas here, but they never become a good episode.
17. Sharpe’s Mission
Setting
Enemy territory in Spain. It has all the usual ingredients, villages, forests, French patrols, but somehow never feels as tense or atmospheric as the better episodes.
Plot
Sharpe must rescue a spy and escort him to safety. The mission should feel urgent. Instead, it often feels oddly sluggish.
Cast and Characters
Sharpe spends too much of the episode reacting rather than leading. The supporting cast are serviceable but not memorable.
Why It Ranks Here
Entirely decent, but never more than that.
16. Sharpe’s Honour
Setting
The Spanish countryside, with a smaller and more personal scale than usual.
Plot
Sharpe becomes tangled in a family dispute and a dangerous romance. It is more interested in intrigue and honour than gunpowder and battle.
Cast and Characters
There is some strong chemistry between Sharpe and the guest cast, but Harper looks increasingly as though he would rather be somewhere else.
Why It Ranks Here
A quieter episode with strong character moments, though it lacks the energy and scale of the best entries.
15. Sharpe’s Revenge
Setting
France after Napoleon’s first fall. The post-war atmosphere gives the episode an interesting edge.
Plot
Sharpe is framed for murder and has to clear his name. The story starts strongly but becomes uneven as it goes on.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean is excellent when Sharpe is angry and cornered. There is a lot of that here.
Why It Ranks Here
A strong premise that never quite becomes a great episode.
14. Sharpe’s Regiment
Setting
Back in Britain, with barracks, corrupt officers and missing soldiers instead of battlefields.
Plot
Sharpe investigates the disappearance of men from his regiment and uncovers fraud and corruption.
Cast and Characters
The villains are gloriously slimy, and Sean Bean spends the entire episode looking as though he would cheerfully throw them out of the nearest window.
Why It Ranks Here
Less action than usual, but a much sharper story than many of the lower-ranked episodes.
13. Sharpe’s Challenge
Setting
India gives the series a fresh look, with grand locations and a very different atmosphere.
Plot
Sharpe becomes involved in rebellion and political intrigue. The larger scope works surprisingly well.
Cast and Characters
Toby Stephens is particularly memorable, and Sean Bean slips back into the role with ease.
Why It Ranks Here
An enjoyable late experiment that proves the character can work outside the Napoleonic Wars.
12. Sharpe’s Trafalgar
Setting
Almost entirely aboard a ship at sea. It is cramped, claustrophobic and very different from the usual battlefield formula.
Plot
Sharpe becomes involved in murder and espionage before the Battle of Trafalgar.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean is excellent at conveying Sharpe’s utter hatred of being trapped on a ship. It is difficult not to sympathise.
Why It Ranks Here
Unusual, smaller in scale, but surprisingly effective.
11. Sharpe’s Peril
Setting
India again, though this time with bigger landscapes and more spectacle.
Plot
Sharpe escorts a governor through dangerous territory while trying to survive betrayal and rebellion.
Cast and Characters
The supporting cast are stronger than in Sharpe’s Challenge, and the larger scope gives everyone more to do.
Why It Ranks Here
A fun and adventurous episode that feels more cinematic than most.
10. Sharpe’s Fury
Setting
Spain in the final years of the Peninsular War. The setting feels larger and rougher than some of the later episodes, with villages, battlefields and occupied territory all thrown together.
Plot
Sharpe returns home only to find himself pulled into another conflict involving old enemies, betrayal and revenge.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean is clearly enjoying himself, and the supporting cast are strong. The villains are satisfyingly unpleasant, which always helps.
Why It Ranks Here
A very entertaining episode, though it does not quite have the focus or impact of the very best entries.
9. Sharpe’s Sword
Setting
Spain during the Peninsular War, though with more theatricality and style than usual.
Plot
Sharpe must deal with a sadistic French officer and a dangerous spy.
Cast and Characters
The villains are superbly unpleasant, which always helps. The duel is one of the best scenes in the series.
Why It Ranks Here
Big, dramatic and memorable.
8. Sharpe’s Waterloo
Setting
Waterloo itself. Or at least, a rather smaller and emptier version of Waterloo than history remembers.
Plot
Sharpe faces old enemies during Napoleon’s final defeat. The personal side of the story works far better than the battle.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean and the returning cast bring real emotion and weight to the ending.
Why It Ranks Here
It deserves credit for the emotional payoff and familiar faces, but it simply cannot convincingly recreate Waterloo. For such an enormous battle, there are moments when it looks as though Napoleon has invaded Belgium with roughly seventeen men and a horse.
7. Sharpe’s Company
Setting
Back in Spain, where the series feels most comfortable.
Plot
Sharpe fights to regain command of his company while dealing with the monstrous Obadiah Hakeswill.
Cast and Characters
Pete Postlethwaite is magnificent as Hakeswill. He is so vile that he almost steals the series.
Why It Ranks Here
One of the strongest character-driven episodes and home to the show’s best villain.
6. Sharpe’s Skirmish
Setting
Set during the retreat to Corunna, with snow, mud and exhausted troops everywhere. It has one of the bleakest atmospheres in the series.
Plot
Sharpe and his men are trapped behind enemy lines and must survive while protecting a vital supply of gunpowder.
Cast and Characters
The smaller scale gives Sean Bean, Daragh O’Malley and the rest of the riflemen more room to shine.
Why It Ranks Here
A lean, tense and underrated episode. It lacks the scale of the very best, but it is one of the series’ most enjoyable smaller adventures.
5. Sharpe’s Rifles
Setting
Portugal during the retreat to Corunna. Mud, rain and chaos everywhere.
Plot
Sharpe assembles his riflemen and begins the journey that defines the series.
Cast and Characters
The introduction of Harper is one of the best moments in the entire show.
Why It Ranks Here
The perfect beginning. Rough around the edges, but full of energy and personality.
4. Sharpe’s Battle
Setting
A major battle in Spain, with all the smoke, confusion and panic the series does best.
Plot
Sharpe trains inexperienced troops and then has to lead them in combat.
Cast and Characters
Sharpe is at his most commanding here, and the supporting cast all contribute.
Why It Ranks Here
This is Sharpe at its most purely enjoyable.
3. Sharpe’s Eagle
Setting
The Battle of Talavera, one of the strongest historical settings in the series.
Plot
Sharpe is ordered to capture a French Eagle standard.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean is superb, and the supporting cast all get memorable moments.
Why It Ranks Here
This is the episode where Sharpe fully becomes the legend.
2. Sharpe’s Enemy
Setting
The borderlands between Spain and Portugal, harsh, dangerous and perfectly suited to the story.
Plot
Sharpe must rescue hostages while facing one of the nastiest enemies in the series.
Cast and Characters
The villain is excellent, Harper is great, and the entire cast seem completely locked in.
Why It Ranks Here
It gets better every time you watch it. The pacing, tension and action all come together brilliantly.
1. Sharpe’s Siege
Setting
A fortress under constant threat, with a claustrophobic sense that disaster is never far away.
Plot
Sharpe leads a desperate defence before launching a savage counterattack.
Cast and Characters
Sean Bean gives one of his best performances, and everyone else rises to the occasion.
Why It Ranks Here
The definitive Sharpe episode. Brutal, emotional, tense and endlessly rewatchable.
