In the last few years, we've received a lot of questions about how to watch British TV for free. The bad news is that if you want access to all the immediate premieres of the most popular shows, you're going to have to pay for at least a few streaming services.
Your local public library might be able to hook you up with free access to some services/shows via Kanopy or Hoopla or an alternative, but they're somewhat limited (especially if you're a heavy viewer).
The good news, though, is that the UK has decades of TV and film output, and a lot of the not-brand-new titles are free on ad-supported streaming services. One of our favourites is Tubi, and you can watch it on your web browser, phone, tablet, or smart TV.
A few recommendations currently on Tubi (some are also on Amazon's free-with-ads service, too)...
- Rose & Maloney - Sarah Lancashire & Phil Davis star in this series about investigating old cases to rectify miscarriages of justice. Tubi | Amazon Freevee
- Vexed - Toby Stephens (Dame Maggie Smith's son) and Lucy Punch star as a pair of mismatched London detectives in this playful 2012 series. Tubi | Amazon Freevee
- Our House - This thriller sees a woman returning to her London home, only to find her belongings gone, her husband missing, and a bunch of strangers living there. Tubi | PBS Masterpiece (not free)
- Plebs - This British period comedy follows three young men just trying to make their way in Ancient Rome. Tubi | Amazon Freevee
- Undeniable - This two-part thriller follows a woman who saw her mother killed as a child, and who believes an oncologist she encounters is the culprit. Tubi
New Shows Coming to Acorn TV (US) in July - The new schedule includes new seasons of two favourites - Candice Renoir and Signora Volpe!
- TIP: Like Emilia Fox in Signora Volpe? Be sure to also watch her alongside Dawn French and Iain Glen in Delicious.
New & Upcoming
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On BritBox, July 2nd brought season 4 of Grace, followed by season 5 of Suspects on the 3rd and Capital on the 4th. On the 8th, they'll add the final season of Lovejoy to the platform.
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On Acorn TV, July 1st brought Orphan Black: Echoes, The Little Drummer Girl, and season 1 of The Restaurant - along with new episodes of My Life is Murder and Murdoch Mysteries. There won't be any entirely new shows coming on July 8th, but they'll have new episodes of My Life is Murder and Murdoch Mysteries.
- On the PBS Living channel over on Amazon Prime, season 27 of Antiques Road Trip premieres on the 1st.
- On Peacock, July 5th brings Back to Black, a biopic about the late Amy Winehouse. Marisa Abela (Industry, Cobra) stars as Winehouse, and the series features appearances from Lesley Manville and Eddie Marsan.
More to Read...
BritBox July 2024 Schedule of Premieres - July brings us new seasons of Silent Witness and Grace, plus a whole lot more...
A Look at AA Dhand's DI Harry Virdee Series - Soon to be a British TV show, this British crime series about a talented Sikh investigator makes for "unputdownable" reading.
The overexposure of women to literature breeds unnatural fancies...
Dr. Christie, Fingersmith
Stream it (US): BritBox
Recent Casting Notices...
As always, there's much to look forward to. Here are a few more projects in various stages of development:
- Harry Potter - No, we haven't time traveled back to the past - there's going to be a new live-action TV series based on the popular books. Each season of the show will be based on one book, and production begins this year.
- The Host - A woman and her teenage daughter arrive at a secluded AirBNB, only to realise the host intends to join them. No dates yet, but it's said to be in active development with Common People Films.
- Love Ireland - This romcom will feature a second generation Irish American who runs away from his wedding, only to land on an Irish island doing its first ever matchmaking festival. In active development with Mad As Birds productions.
- The Night Guest - Mad As Birds is also developing this one about Ruth, a widowed woman who lives a simple, quiet life in an isolated beach house. One day, a wind-blown stranger arrives at her door, claiming to be a government care worker. With this strange woman in her house, frightening memories of her childhood in Fiji press upon her with increasing urgency.
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