BBC Studios has announced the titles coming to BritBox in December 2024, which include everything from new BritBox Originals to classic British fare. BritBox is a digital video subscription service offering the largest collection of British TV in the U.S. and Canada.
The December lineup includes the Sophie Turner-led Joan, the highly anticipated Shetland Season 9, and the crime drama Protection. BritBox will also offer Christmas specials from Sister Boniface Mysteries, Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, and Peep Show. Seasons one and two of Peep Show will premiere on BritBox in December as well.
BritBox is the leading streaming destination for the best of British television and culture, offering the most comprehensive, must-see collection of British entertainment all in one place. The service provides a pipeline of exceptional storytelling and showcases the depth and breadth of British creativity from across the UK.
BritBox curates a quality selection of classic titles and original commissions across various genres, including dramas, comedies, documentaries, and lifestyle programming. Launched in 2017 and now wholly owned by BBC Studios, BritBox is available in the US, Canada, Australia, and the Nordics.
BRITBOX DECEMBER 2024 SCHEDULE
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 1
Paddington (2014) | New to BritBox | 1 x 120’ | All at Once
After a deadly earthquake destroys his home in the Peruvian rainforest, a young bear (Ben Whishaw, Skyfall) makes his way to England in search of a new home. The bear, dubbed “Paddington” after the London train station, finds shelter with the family of Henry (Hugh Bonneville, Douglas is Cancelled) and Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins, Jane Eyre).
Although Paddington’s amazement at urban living soon endears him to the Browns, someone else has her eye on him: Taxidermist Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies) has designs on the rare bear and his hide.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 5
Joan Season 1 | US Exclusive, CA Co-Exclusive | 6 x 60’ | 2x Weekly
Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) takes the role of Joan Hannington in Joan, inspired by the life of the UK’s most notorious jewel thief. The series opens with Joan, a fiery and uncompromising woman in her twenties who is deeply scarred and vulnerable.
She is a devoted mother to her six-year-old daughter, Kelly, but is trapped in a disastrous marriage with a violent criminal named Gary (Nick Blood, Slow Horses). When Gary goes on the run, Joan seizes the opportunity to create a new life for herself and her daughter.
Adopting new identities and making new acquaintances along the way, Joan becomes a masterful jewel thief. She embarks on a thrilling, high-stakes journey that challenges her every limit, driven by her desire to care for her daughter and create a secure home for them both.
Through her sharp intelligence, charm, and talent for impersonation and performance, we follow the twists and turns in Joan’s life, the ups and downs, the heartache and the joy that makes this story so compelling to follow.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 11
Shetland Season 9 | BritBox Original, BritBox Exclusive, North America Premiere | 6 x 60’ | Weekly
Acclaimed detective drama Shetland returns with another distinctive and emotionally complex mystery starring BAFTA and Emmy nominee Ashley Jensen (Extras). Having returned to her native Shetland in pursuit of a vulnerable witness for London’s Met Police in season eight, DI Calder (Jensen) is now a resident of the Isles.
Calder is thrown in at the deep end after a friend of DI Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh goes missing. When the friend’s young son emerges alone on the moors, having witnessed a life-changing trauma, it sparks a chilling tale of love, death and betrayal. Calder and Tosh (Alison O’Donnell, Holby City) must walk the line between the personal and the professional as they set out on a labyrinthine investigation amid the stunning landscapes of Shetland.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 17
Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas Special 2024: Once Upon a Time | BritBox Original, North America Premiere, North America Exclusive | 1 x 90’ | All at Once
Great Slaughter’s pantomime rehearsals get a shocking twist when a cast member ends up mysteriously dead. Can Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson, Father Brown) unravel the plot before death strikes again?
The local constabulary are enlisted to swell the cast for the town’s pantomime production – Cinderella! But when Tibbles the cat presents the production with a grisly gift – a human eyeball – the crime-solving Catholic nun is on the case.
Events take a sinister turn when an actor is found dead – stabbed in the back. With a murderer and an eyeball to contend with, matters get more complicated when another cast member is dispatched. Can Sister Boniface unmask the culprit before they kill again? And most importantly, can Great Slaughter Amateur Dramatics Society give the public the joyous Christmas pantomime they deserve?
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 20
Black Widow: The Murder of David Jackson (2023) | US Exclusive, US Premiere | 1 x 120’ | All at Once
On the eve of Valentine’s Day 2021, a private birthday celebration in a sleepy beachside resort ended in bloody murder. Within hours, recordings of the aftermath and a shocking confession were shared globally, and the world was gripped by the story of Penny Jackson and her victim David.
66-year-old Jackson, a retired accountant, murdered her ex-army officer husband, David, coldly stabbing him on three separate occasions over an 18-minute period, all whilst on the phone to emergency services.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 24
Peep Show Season 7 Christmas and New Year Specials | New to BritBox | 2 x 30’ | All at Once
Mark (David Mitchell, Ludwig) invites his parents over for Christmas lunch, but his plans go awry when Jeremy (Robert Webb, Death in Paradise) gets over excited and Dobby (Isy Suttie, Man Down) and Super Hans (Matt King, Something in the Air) both arrive unexpectedly.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 25
Beyond Paradise Christmas Special 2024 | BritBox Original, North America Premiere, North America Exclusive | 1 x 60’ | All at Once
Can Humphrey (Kris Marshall, Death in Paradise) and the team solve a series of eerie cases in time for the annual Christingle? When a man is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife, Humphrey and the team investigate. Esther (Zahra Ahmadi, Count Arthur Strong) assumes there must be a rational explanation, but when Humphrey also spots the ghost, it’s clear there’s more to the case than meets the eye.
Meanwhile, Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn, Derry Girls) deals with a missing person case when the Virgin Mary disappears from the church, and Martha (Sally Bretton, Not Going Out) struggles to communicate with foster teenager Jaiden. Can the Shipton Abbott police force solve these mysteries?
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 26
Carols from King’s Christmas Special 2024 | North America Premiere, North America Exclusive | 1 x 75’ | All at Once
A beloved British celebration of Christmas, filmed amidst the beauty of historic King’s College Chapel in Cambridge.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 27
Deceit Season 1 | New to BritBox | 4 x 60’ | All at Once
Five months on from the brutal murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common and the Met Police are still no closer to capturing the man they’re convinced is responsible. First identified through a television appeal, the evidence is stacked against Colin Stagg (Sion Daniel Young, Lost Boys & Fairies). The media feed a national obsession, covering every detail of the case and demanding justice.
The police are determined to catch the man who, in their eyes, is guilty before he kills again. In desperation, the relatively young detective inspector leading the case, engages the nation’s most famous criminal profiler to devise a bold undercover operation which will see an attractive, young female officer start a relationship with Colin Stagg.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 28
Peep Show Season 1 | New to BritBox | 6 x 30’ | All at Once
Wannabe pop star Jeremy (Robert Webb, Death in Paradise) has been thrown out by his ex and has ended up living with his old university friend, Mark (David Mitchell, Ludwig). Socially dysfunctional in their different ways, Mark and Jeremy have an unhealthy reliance on one another.
Peep Show Season 2 | New to BritBox | 6 x 30’ | All at Once
Mark (David Mitchell, Ludwig) finally succeeds in wooing Sophie (Olivia Coleman, The Crown) only to stuff it up when she discovers he has hacked into her emails. Meanwhile, Jeremy (Robert Webb, Death in Paradise) falls hopelessly in love with Nancy (Rachel Blanchard, Fargo), a gorgeous American.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 29
Protection Season 1 | North America Premiere, North America Exclusive | 6 x 60’ | All at Once
When witness protection officer, Liz (Siobhan Finneran, Happy Valley), hears there’s been a shooting at a safe house, she has a lot of questions to answer, including why another officer – who she was having an affair with – was at the crime scene too.
AVAILABLE DECEMBER 31
Gardeners’ World Winter Special 2024 | North America Premiere, North America Exclusive | 4 x 60’ | All at Once
The BBC flagship gardening show is packed with good ideas and tips from experts and timely reminders to get the most of your garden, whatever its size or type.
Death in Paradise Christmas Special 2024 | BritBox Original, North America Premiere, North America Exclusive | 1 x 90’ | All at Once
There’s a stranger in paradise – a new detective inspector heading up the police team. DI Mervin Wilson (Don Gilet, EastEnders) makes quite an entrance – he’s barely arrived and he’s already trying to leave! A Londoner through and through, DI Wilson makes no secret of the fact he struggles with everything about Saint Marie, and it’s not long before he clashes with Selwyn (Don Warrington, Chasing Shadows) and the other officers.
But a baffling crime tests all their sleuthing skills. Two Santa Clauses have been found murdered, with a third the target of an attempted murder. All three victims were shot at the same time, with the same gun, in completely different locations. But how?
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to provide the latest news on streaming, movies, and TV shows. He previously created the websites ComingSoon, SuperHeroHype, and ShockTillYouDrop.