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After our last email, we received a number of confused emails from people saying BritBox won’t allow them to watch some particular mystery or drama until they upgrade to BritBox Premier - and that the price difference was not small, but rather, a requirement to pay $149 immediately.
Since it is genuinely confusing in some situations, we wanted to take a minute to explain what’s happening there. We’re not BritBox, so we don’t speak for them - but we can shed a bit of light on why you’re getting that prompt (and if you already understand this, you can just scroll on down to the regular news).
We’ll use the show Gone as an example, since it’s a new one right now and only 4 episodes have premiered for “regular” BritBox members. If you try to watch episode 5 (which won’t premiere for regular members until the 6th), it will ask you to upgrade your account for $149.99/year (or some pro-rated amount, based on what subscription you already have and how long you’ve had it).
That’s a lot to get hit with for what seems like a single episode - but the amount covers the entire year of the upgraded subscription, plus it gives you access to the entire BBC Select catalog (which adds several hundred non-fiction shows like documentaries, travel shows, etc). For comparison:
12 months at the normal monthly rate of $10.99/month: $131.88/year
Regular annual membership: $109.99/year
Premier membership (annual option only): $149.99/year
So you can see, the actual price difference is not as enormous as it might seem - and for scripted programming, it’s entirely optional. If you’re not impatient, you can just wait for the episodes to air weekly for the non-binge premieres. If it asks you to pay more, it just means the episode isn’t available on your account YET. Confusing and a bit annoying, sure, but not quite as crazy as it initially seems when you see that huge upgrade price.
Ghosts: The Possession of Button House
A quick bit of British TV news before we move onto the schedule and 10 mysteries we promised in the subject line…
The Ghosts UK feature film, Ghosts: The Possession of Button House, has released a single first-look image ahead of the UK and Ireland premiere on 23 October 2026. No word on a US date yet, but BBC Studios is handling global sales, and with the success of the American adaptation, it’s entirely possible we’ll soon see this one in theaters.
Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen have just been announced as the leads for You Are Here, and upcoming BBC love story based on the novel by David Nicholls.
BACK IN STOCK: We have more copies of Everyone Here Should Be Dead Now: An English Village Adult Coloring Book and British TV Streaming Guide: US Edition, Summer 2026.
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THIS WEEK IN BRITISH TV
On BritBox, new episodes of Escape to the Country continue at a rate of four new episodes every Friday through September 25th. On the 1st, season 46 of Antiques Roadshow premieres (binge premiere), and on the 5th, season 2 of The Hardacres premieres (BritBox Premier members can watch it now).
On Acorn TV, August 3rd brings us new episodes of Summertide and The Ridge. Also on the 3rd, we’ll see the return of The Chelsea Detective (for season 4).
On PBS Masterpiece, this Sunday brings the final episode of Grantchester (though PBS Passport members have been able to watch the whole thing for a while).
On Netflix, July 30th brought The Bombing of Pan Am 103, a historical thriller about the terrorist attack that led to an explosion over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. On August 7th, a new animated comedy from Ricky Gervais, Alley Cats, will premiere (including Whitstable Pearl’s Kerri Godliman as one of the voices).
On Apple TV+, new episodes of season 5 of Trying continue to drop weekly until August 26th.
On BBC Select (+ BritBox Premier), the 30th brought season 2 of Murder 24/7 and Secrets of the Human Body. On August 2nd, they’ll add Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler.
On Apple TV, season 4 of Ted Lasso premieres August 5th.
Quite a few people wrote back last week, asking for some ideas about shows they could watch without paid subscriptions like BritBox, Acorn TV, Netflix, etc. So - we’ll do a few emails that include some of the best options within each category. Today, mystery…
Bergerac - This 80s-90s classic stars John Nettles as DS Jim Bergerac, a recovering alcoholic detective on the lovely islands of Jersey. You can find it HERE on BritBox with all seasons available, but Fawesome also offers 3 seasons at no charge. As a side note, the new Bergerac will be premiering on PBS August 16th.
The Bletchley Circle - Don’t let the 2012 premiere date fool you - this mystery about a group of female former WW2 codebreakers still feels quite fresh. You can watch HERE with BritBox, Peacock, or Howdy - but it’s also available on Tubi free with ads (Pluto also has both seasons).
Before We Die - Lesley Sharp stars in this 2021 adaptation of the Swedish series, and she plays a Bristol-based detective investigating the murder of her lover. You can watch it HERE on PBS Masterpiece with no ads, or you can check it out on Tubi or Pluto for free.
Death in Holy Orders - If you’ve watched Acorn TV’s version of Dalgliesh, you might want to try going back to the 2003 Martin Shaw version. You can watch it HERE on Amazon (where you have the option to go ad-free), or check it out over on Tubi or Fawesome for free.
Father Brown (Classic) - If you can’t deal with ads, you can watch the classic 1970s version HERE on BritBox - but if you’re looking for a free option, Tubi and Pluto both have it. It’s darker and different from the modern adaptation, but you can definitely see the shared DNA - and it makes you think.
Midsomer Murders - If you’re one of those people who like to just leave a TV playing in the background, the Midsomer Murders FAST channel is a free and fantastic option to just stream episodes endlessly. Beyond that, you can also stream most seasons on Tubi, Pluto, Plex, and Roku Channel. Acorn TV is the only place to get season 25, though.
Rosemary & Thyme - Giving up BritBox doesn’t mean getting rid of the ability to endlessly re-watch this particular comfort show. You can also stream it for free on both Tubi and Pluto. Because you can never get enough crime-solving gardeners.
Silent Witness & New Tricks - Why are we combining these two long-running British crime classics? Because there’s a delightful FAST channel that does nothing but air episodes of the two shows, 24/7. You can watch it HERE on Tubi.
Line of Duty - You can, of course, watch Line of Duty HERE with no ads - but you can also watch the first 4 seasons of this tense police series on Tubi, Pluto, and Fawesome. It follows a group of detectives who investigate police corruption, and the good news is that after a bit of a break, the BBC officially announced in March that a 7th series is on the way.
Prime Suspect - This is one of those classics everyone should check out at some point - both for Dame Helen Mirren’s great performance and the fact that it heavily influenced many later series. You can watch it HERE without ads, but you can also watch all 7 seasons of free-with-ads services like Tubi, Pluto, and Roku Channel.
One additional note - if you like a lot of older shows and you want to watch them without spending an extra $8-11/month, Howdy is a newer option that’s sort of a compromise. It’s a bit like Tubi or the ad-supported Roku Channel (it’s actually owned by Roku), except that you pay $2.99/month to get similar types of shows without the ads. You won’t find the big, high-profile premieres, but it has a great library of slightly older shows and movies.
You might get to wash their fancy knickers, but you’ll never get to wear them.
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