New series starring Idris Elba and Sean Bean are to debut in the U.S. via BritBox this fall as the subscription streaming service tries to beef up its slate.
A joint venture between BBC Worldwide and ITV, BritBox offers the largest collection of British television in the U.S. But upon its launch in March, it came under some criticism that it mostly offered recycled classics and lacked many of the BBC and ITV’s new headline shows, possibly because those were reserved for other outlets such as BBC America. The new fall lineup, announced Thursday, brings a number of fresh offerings.
Critically acclaimed BBC drama Broken (pictured), which stars Bean as a maverick Catholic priest presiding over a parish in Northern England, will make its American debut after having launched in Britain in May. The show, created and written by Jimmy McGovern, co-stars Anna Friel, Adrian Dunbar and Ray Donovan star Paula Malcomson.
BritBox is also set to become the exclusive U.S. home of Five by Five, a collection of five short films created by and starring Elba. Set in London, the shorts center on a teenager, played by Michael Ajao (“Attack the Block”), who has a chance encounter that leads him to make a dangerous decision. The consequences play out across the episodes. Five by Five debuted in the U.K. in March.
The latest season of comedy drama Cold Feet will debut in Britain in September and shortly after on BritBox. The new season reunites series regular Robert Bathurst with his Downton Abbey co-star Siobhan Finneran as she joins the cast. James Nesbitt and John Thomson also return. The 12th season of cult sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf will also debut on BritBox shortly after its U.K. launch.
“The new programs we are adding range from exclusive, edge-of-your-seat dramas to beloved reality shows, ensuring BritBox has plenty of hours of content that will appeal to all British TV lovers,” said Soumya Sriraman, president of BritBox.
The lineup will also see the U.S. SVOD debuts of reality-show hits Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
