British TV news for American audiences. Enjoy British TV shows like Sherlock, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, or Midsomer Murders? Wish it was easier to know when new shows are out on each of the different streaming services? Want a way to discover older British shows you might like? Sign up and we'll keep you updated.
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BritBox December Schedule (& Christmas Specials!) + British Spy & Political Thrillers
Published 4 days ago • 4 min read
A few people have emailed recently to ask whether we'll be doing a new British TV Streaming Guide soon, and the answer is YES. We're just waiting on details from a couple more streaming networks before we wrap things up and get it submitted for Amazon's approval. With any luck, it will be live and ready for purchase by Thanksgiving weekend. When it's ready, you'll be the first to know.
What we're...
Watching: The Marlow Murder Club - I hate waiting for weekly episodes to drop, so I waited until this weekend to start. Based on Robert Thorogood's novels, the series follows eccentric retiree and crossword setter Judith Potts and her two friends as they meddle in local murder cases.
Reading: Killing Time by MC Beaton w/ RW Green - I'll be honest; I haven't liked the Agatha Raisin books quite as much since MC Beaton passed on. Rod Green is getting better at writing Agatha as he goes, but it's not quite the same. Even still, they're solid mysteries and Dame Penelope Keith's narration on the audiobook version makes them well worth a listen while I'm exercising or doing chores around the house.
As a side note, I've spoken with two older friends in the last couple weeks who didn't realise you can now buy simple, affordable wireless headphones/earbuds that connect with your smartphone or tablet (and to many TVs and computers now, too). With 70,000+ people reading these emails, I figured there might be someone else here who would benefit from knowing that. These are the ones I use, but everybody's choice will be shaped their personal preferences:
On BritBox, season 2 of Sherwoodpremiered with two episodes on the 14th, followed by pairs of episodes on Thursdays through the 28th. On the 18th, look for the docuseries Women on the Force, and on the 20th, look for The Complete & Utter History of Britain, with Terry Jones and Michael Palin.
On Acorn TV, new episodes ofWhitstable Pearl continue on Mondays through the 25th. New episodes of The Midwich Cuckoos: Village of the Damned premiere on Thursdays through the 28th, and new episodes of The Graham Norton Show air on Fridays through the 29th. On the 18th, look for Maternal, a 2023 series about female NHS doctors heading back to work after maternity leave. They'll also be adding the film Mysterious Creatures that day.
On PBS Masterpiece, The Marlow Murder Club wraps up tonight with its season 1 finale - and YES, it's been renewed for a second season!
On Apple TV+, season 2 of Bad Sisters premiered on November 13th (two episode premiere + 1 weekly through December 25th). On the 22nd, look for the feature film Blitz, which follows a mother searching for her son in WW2 London.
On Netflix, the film Joy premieres November 22nd. Based on a true story, it follows the story of the world's first IVF baby.
On Starz, part 2 of Season 7 of Outlander premieres on the 22nd.
On Peacock, The Day of the Jackal premiered on Thursday the 14th. Eddie Redmayne stars as the Jackal, an assassin who meets his match in British intelligence officer Bianca.
12 British Political & Spy Dramas You Can Stream...
No matter what you believe politically, the one thing nearly everyone can agree on is that the modern political landscape is kind of awful. So - rather than dwell on the things most of us can't really change, we figured it would be more fun to take a look at some British dramas about fictional spies and politicians.
Slow Horses - A disgraced team of MI5 agents uncovers deadly conspiracies in this darkly witty spy thriller.
Killing Eve - A stylish cat-and-mouse game unfolds between a bored MI5 agent and a charismatic assassin.
The Diplomat - Political secrets and personal stakes collide as a British ambassador navigates global crises. Season 1 is free on Freevee, all seasons are on Netflix.
The Night Manager - A hotel manager turned spy infiltrates the world of a dangerous international arms dealer.
Cobra - High-stakes political drama where the UK government grapples with crises that threaten national security.
The Prisoner - A surreal, mind-bending tale of a former spy trapped in a mysterious village
A Spy Among Friends - A friendship unravels as Cold War espionage exposes betrayal at the highest level.
Alex Rider - A reluctant teenage spy takes on deadly missions in this action-packed adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's (Foyle's War) novels.
Spooks (MI-5) - The elite agents of MI5 tackle terrorism and espionage in a tense, gripping series.
The Little Drummer Girl - A young English actress is drawn into a dangerous Mossad operation in this stylish Cold War drama.
Bodyguard - A troubled war veteran becomes the personal security officer for a controversial government minister. Also on Netflix.
House of Cards - A scheming politician manipulates his way to power in this dark political drama which went on to inspire the popular American adaptation.
British TV news for American audiences. Enjoy British TV shows like Sherlock, Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, or Midsomer Murders? Wish it was easier to know when new shows are out on each of the different streaming services? Want a way to discover older British shows you might like? Sign up and we'll keep you updated.
We have a lot of random British TV news that's been building up lately, and since most people don't see every single Facebook post we make (thanks to their algorithm), we figured we'd throw it all in a quick email for anyone who might have missed something. First off, PBS has announced dates for a couple of returning shows. Season 4 of Vienna Blood premieres January 5th, 2025, with new episodes weekly through the 26th (4 in total). Season 5 of All Creatures Great & Small will premiere on...
Fans of Reverend Richard Coles' Canon Clement Mysteries will be thrilled to know the series is headed to the small screen. Acorn TV and Channel 5 are in the process of co-producing an adaptation of the first book in the series, Murder Before Evensong. The book follows Canon Daniel Clement, a rector who finds himself involved in a murder case when the cousin of a church patron is found stabbed in the neck. Since its 2022 release, Coles has written two further books in the series: A Death in...
Ever since the new Rebus adaptation premiered on ViaPlay last week, we've gotten a lot of emails like... "Okay, I've subscribed to ViaPlay for Rebus - what else should I watch while I have it?" Why would I subscribe to a service for one show? Do they have anything else worth watching? And of course, we received a few messages that were just venting about how many streaming services you need to watch all the good British shows - which we understand (though as a news site, we can't do anything...
