New on BritBox in the US for December 2023: This year’s Christmas specials revealed
Some great British television shows are coming to BritBox in the US this holiday season.
The streaming service kicks off December with every episode of classic BBC children’s drama Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, starring Tony Robinson from Blackadder.
This month’s big drama premiere is Archie, ITV’s new drama series about the life of actor Cary Grant, which is preceded by two of his best movies, Bringing Up Baby and North by Northwest.
BritBox then has a run of exciting specials for lots of our favourite shows from mid-December, with Christmas episodes of Sister Boniface Mysteries (ahead of its third season next year), Death in Paradise spin-off Beyond Paradise, BBC sitcom Here We Go, festive stalwart Mrs. Brown’s Boys, crime drama Vera, and Gardeners’ World.
There’s also Mark Gatiss’s latest Christmas ghost story, Lot No. 249, and another chance to see Downton Abbey star Jessica Brown Findlay’s 2014 adaptation of Jamaica Inn.
For all the latest updates on British period dramas, don’t forget you can like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, sign up for our newsletter, or subscribe to our YouTube channel!
Featuring the latest hits from the UK and much-loved telly classics from the past, BritBox is available for just $8.99 per month, or $89.99 per year.
The subscription streaming service from BBC Studios and ITV offers viewers in the US and Canada the biggest collection of streaming British television.
Amazon Prime members can also watch BritBox as an Amazon Channel and you can sign up for a free trial here!
Here are all the upcoming new additions:
Maid Marian and Her Merry Men – Seasons 1-3 (available from 4 December 2023)
Claiming to be the true story of Sherwood Forest, Maid Marion and Her Merry Men offers a fun account of the outlaws’ struggles, with Maid Marian as the brains of the outfit and Robin as a posh but cowardly tailor Running for four series it was a triumph for Robinson in a notoriously difficult genre, both garlanded with well-deserved BAFTA and RTS Awards at the time and still warmly remembered today.
Bringing Up Baby (available from 6 December 2023)
Harried paleontologist David Huxley (Cary Grant) has to make a good impression on society matron Mrs. Random (May Robson), who is considering donating one million dollars to his museum.
On the day before his wedding, Huxley meets Mrs. Random’s high-spirited young niece, Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn), a madcap adventuress who immediately falls for the straitlaced scientist. The ever-growing chaos – including a missing dinosaur bone and a pet leopard – threatens to swallow him whole.
North by Northwest (available from 6 December 2023)
This classic suspense film finds New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent.
Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm’s associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. Soon Vandamm’s henchmen close in on Thornhill, resulting in a number of iconic action sequences.
Archie (available from 7 December 2023)
BAFTA® Award-winning and Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter and executive producer Jeff Pope brings the remarkable, little-known story of the formative years of Hollywood superstar, Cary Grant to screens in this much-anticipated drama.
One of the twentieth century’s most iconic figures, Cary Grant touched the world with his charm, wit and grace. But few knew Archie Leach, the man behind the name, and the enormous challenges he overcame on his path to stardom.
From his troubled childhood to the one overpowering lie that shaped his life, this surprising and emotional drama captures the struggles, fears, loves and losses of Archie Leach – a man who couldn’t be further from the character he invented to save himself. Starring Jason Isaacs and executive produced by Jennifer Grant, Cary Grant’s daughter, and Dyan Cannon, his ex-wife.
Sister Boniface Mysteries – 2023 Christmas Special (available from 12 December 2023)
In this exclusive Christmas special, Britain is in the grips of the ‘Big Freeze’ – the worst winter on record. Sister Boniface and her fellow travelers are stranded in a train after a frozen coupling snaps, leaving the last carriages stranded in snow.
When The Star of the Orient, a precious jewel, is stolen from its safe and a passenger is discovered murdered, Sister Boniface must use her exceptional detection skills to decide who among the suspects is responsible. But with little signs of rescue and a failing generator, passengers must also contend with a more pressing issue – freezing to death.
Vera – 2023 Christmas Special (available from 20 December 2023)
DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) and team return to solve a wintry mystery in the long-running, smash-hit series’ first ever Christmas special.
Would I Lie To You? – Season 16 (available from 22 December 2023)
Rob Brydon (Gavin & Stacey) hosts this long-running panel show where contestants must lie about their biggest secrets, often to hilarious effect.
Two teams of four celebrities compete against each other on each episode. The teammates reveal unusual facts and embarrassing stories about themselves — some true, some not. Also featuring David Mitchell (Peep Show) and Lee Mack (Not Going Out).
No Offence – Season 1-2 (available from 24 December 2023)
Written by Bafta-winner Paul Abbott (Shameless, State of Play), No Offence is a police procedural with a difference. DI Vivienne Deering leads her ramshackle team of raucous officers, tackling crime in their jurisdiction, firmly on the wrong side of the tracks.
Drug lords, arsonists and notorious murderers are all in a day’s work for this crack team of unorthodox officers, and over three series we see them become embroiled in major cases that threaten to rip apart the very fabric of their lives.
But while the drama and action is thrilling, and often outrageous, the humor and heart of this series are what has made it such a well-loved programme. With fast-paced, dizzying plotlines and characters you can’t help falling in love with, No Offence is a crime drama with flair and originality to spare.
Beyond Paradise – 2023 Christmas Special (available from late December 2023)
Kris Marshall returns as DI Humphrey Goodman in a special festive episode of Beyond Paradise. On Christmas Eve, the detectives of Shipton Abbot are tasked with solving a puzzling case involving a series of break-ins and mysterious gifts
Lot No. 249 (available from late December 2023)
Written and directed by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), this year’s installment of the BBC tradition of A Ghost Story for Christmas is an adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle short story Lot No. 249.
The spooky, festive program will star Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) alongside The Great star Freddie Fox and will follow a group of Oxford students, one of whom undertakes research into the secrets of Ancient Egypt, which becomes the talk of the college. As these experiments continue, strange occurrences abound in the mysterious Lot. No 249.
Mrs. Brown’s Boys – 2023 Christmas Special (available from late December 2023)
It’s Christmas in Finglas once again and everyone’s favorite Irish Mammy is returning for another holiday special. Starring Brendan O’Carroll, this classic sitcom delivers endless laughs in this festive episode.
Here We Go – 2023 Christmas Special (available from late December 2023)
Youngest son Sam documents the highs and lows of the Jessop family as they navigate a combination of life’s everyday challenges: changing careers, keeping the romance alive within a marriage, adopting a healthier lifestyle, kidnapping a dog, destroying a swimming pool and sabotaging a wedding.
Although nothing quite goes to plan for the Jessops, their indomitable spirit sees them find moments of unexpected delight among the disappointment, and laughing in the face of disaster.
Princess Anne: The Plot to Kidnap a Royal (available from 28 December 2023)
The forgotten story of the daring and bloody criminal plot to kidnap Princess Anne in March 1974, including an extraordinary shootout in the shadow of Buckingham Palace. Key witnesses recount the minutes of mayhem and violence.
Jamaica Inn (available from 30 December 2023)
Based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel of the same name, this limited series stars Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) and follows a young woman named Mary goes to live with her aunt and uncle who run the Jamaica Inn. She soon realizes her uncle is using her for another type of business.
Gardeners’ World – 2023 Winter Specials (available from 31 December 2023)
Monty and the team celebrate the joy that the gardening year brings with a selection of brand new stories of cultivation, inspiration, and discovery in the exuberant world of horticulture.
If you want to give BritBox a try, just sign up for a free trial here!