BritBox: All Your Questons About The Streaming Service Answered, Including What Shows To Look Out For

The BBC and ITV's new platform is billed as a "truly British" rival to Netflix and Amazon Prime.
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The BBC and ITV’s new streaming service BritBox has officially launched.

The joint venture aims to showcase existing content from the two British broadcasters, as it looks to rival the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime, who currently dominate the streaming market.

As well as box sets of classic series, BritBox will feature new shows commissioned especially for the service, which is billed as “truly British”.

BBC/ITV

But with so many other alternatives out there, including the newly launched Apple TV+ and the upcoming Disney+, is it worth signing up for yet another service?

To help you decide, we’ve unpacked our BritBox highlights and answered some of the practical questions you may currently be asking about the new platform...

Which shows are on there already?

At present, BritBox boasts a back catalogue of old classics and more recent series, with genres ranging from drama to reality. Here’s a few select highlights...

Classic BBC drama

BBC dramas on BritBox
BBC dramas on BritBox
BBC

Happy Valley

Life On Mars

House Of Cards

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Last Tango In Halifax

Tipping The Velvet

The Life

Spooks

Cranford

McMafia

Ashes To Ashes

Clocking Off

Cutting It

Hustle

ITV dramas

ITV on BritBox
ITV on BritBox
ITV

At Home With The Braithwaites

Downton Abbey

Broadchurch

Victoria

Prime Suspect

Band Of Gold

Cold Feet

Mrs Biggs

Marcella

Scott And Bailey

Inspector Morse

Midsomer Murders

Secret Diary Of A Call Girl

The Darling Buds Of May

Comedies

BritBox

Absolutely Fabulous

Gavin & Stacey

The Royle Family

Keeping Up Appearances

French & Saunders

The Vicar Of Dibley

Two Ronnies

The Young Ones

Victoria Wood As Seen On TV

Only Fools And Horses

Goodness Gracious Me

Fawlty Towers

Bottom

Red Dwarf

One Foot In The Grave

Benidorm

Black Adder

Dinnerladies

Come Fly With Me

Little Britain

Extras

Channel 5 Highlights

Celebrity 5 Go Caravanning

Cruising With Jane McDonald

Reality and Factual

Britbox

Love Island

Ibiza Weekender

The Only Way Is Essex

Top Gear

David Beckham Into The Unknown

However, two shows not currently on the service are Footballers’ Wives and Bad Girls, which has prompted a lot of disappointed reaction online...

Who gives a shit we want Footballers Wives https://t.co/w0epu0uM21

— Lee McVeigh (@LeeMcVeigh) November 7, 2019

Wont get #britbox unless they get Footballers Wives. Iconique show

— The Fox (@PresidentFoxy) November 7, 2019

*Cancels subscription* #BritBox pic.twitter.com/PoAJX26hKr

— Elliot Gonzalez (@elliot_gonzalez) November 7, 2019

Indeed they don't, which is very annoying. (And for the record - they don't currently have either Bad Girls or Footballers' Wives 😞)

— Cord Busters UK (@cordbusters) November 7, 2019

Channel 4 is soon to join the party

While shows from the BBC, ITV and Channel 5 are available to stream as of now, Channel 4 will soon complete the list of UK broadcasters with content on the service.

The network has struck a deal that will see over 1000 hours of Channel 4 programming uploaded in spring 2020. However, it will not be on an exclusive basis, as much of the same content (and more) will still be available to stream on their own catch-up service, All4.

What else is coming?

A whopping 627 episodes of classic Doctor Who are set to arrive on Boxing Day as a delayed Christmas present for Whovians.

There will be original programming too

Lambs Of God
Lambs Of God
BritBox

As well as box sets, it will feature new shows commissioned especially for the service.

The service launched with one original series called Lambs Of God, with has been likened to The Handmaid’s Tale.

The drama centres on three nuns who eke out a traditional living on a rugged island, but when the outside world intrudes in the form of an ambitious young priest, they set about protecting their sacred way of life.

There are also two new episodes of Midsomer Murders being uploaded which will be exclusive to the platform.

There are no further details on any other shows just yet, but BritBox bosses are expected to make some announcements in the coming weeks.

So how much does BritBox cost, then?

A monthly subscription to Britbox is going to set you back £5.99 a month. However, you do get a free 30-day trial when you first sign up.

By comparison, Netflix’s most basic plan costs the same price, as does Amazon Prime’s – although for £2 a month extra, Amazon Prime subscribers can get the full perks, which include same-day delivery from the e-commerce company.

The newly-launched Apple TV+ is currently the cheapest of all the major streaming platforms, costing £4.99 a month, but it does also have a much smaller catalogue to choose from.

How can I watch BritBox?

If you’re watching on computer or mobile devices, just go to BritBox’s website.

You can also use the mobile and tablet apps on Apple and Android devices, or access it through the Roku and Apple TV apps.

The BritBox app will also soon launch on Samsung Smart TVs, appearing as a “Recommended App”.

BritBox is also partnering with BT to create a range of products for their customers to gain access to the platform.

At present, programmes are not available to download and watch offline, but it has been claimed this feature will debut in 2020.

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