As is the case with almost everything in the U.K., British TV doesn’t work quite the same way as its American counterpart. Individual seasons tend to be shorter, and they also tend to have longer runs. Although the country is known primarily for its crime procedurals (and it certainly has plenty of great ones), there’s much more diversity to British TV than you might initially expect.
And, lucky for you, BritBox gets you access to many of the best shows that are available across the pond. We’ve selected three of the very best shows on the service that you should definitely make time for in March.
Vera (2011-)
Yet another reliably excellent British crime procedural, Vera has already run for 13 seasons and seems unlikely to slow down anytime soon. The series follows Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope as she works with her colleagues to solve a variety of grisly crimes in Northumberland.
Like many great procedurals of its kind, Vera is also about its central character’s personal demons, and the way those demons interact with the kind of police officer that she’s become. Although the series can be a bit on the serious side, it also has its moments of levity, as well as a central performance from Brenda Blethyn that will keep you coming back for more.
Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
A show so influential it kicked off an entire wave of British exports in the 2010s, Downton Abbey was remarkable in part because of how it played with so many of the most common tropes from the world of British fiction. Set in 1912, the series follows a wealthy British family as they deal with the onset of modernity while also affording their support staff plenty of time in the limelight.
The series begins with the sinking of the Titanic, and traces this single family through many of the events that shaped the early part of the 20th century. Featuring an incredible ensemble of British thespians, Downton Abbey was a phenomenon in part because it was genuinely great. You can skip Downtown Abbey: A New Era, the 2022 movie, and just stick the original show.
Doctor Who (1963-1989)
Few shows have been around longer or have a larger legacy than Doctor Who. BritBox has many of the show’s earliest episodes dating all the way back to the 1970s, so if you’re a completionist, you can fully understand where the series got its foundations.
While the streamer doesn’t have the more recent incarnation of the show with David Tennant or Matt Smith, which has become an entire franchise unto itself, it does have dispatches from the initial run. Part of the charm of that run, in addition to the zany premise, comes from the low production values, and from the sense of adventure that Doctor Who has always had at its best.
