Last Updated on November 28, 2021
There’s never been a better time for fans of British period dramas to have BritBox, the subscription streaming service from BBC Studios and ITV. By the close of December 2020, BritBox will be home to the largest streaming collection of British period dramas in North America.
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With the addition of one or more period dramas everyday throughout the month (totaling over 75 new British period dramas in December), BritBox’s already impressive collection of the genre is expanding to include more award-winning titles based on classic British literature, Jane Austen adaptations, a collection of Catherine Cookson period dramas, romances, mysteries, and more.
An introductory 7-day free trial period to BritBox is available on their website, and on Amazon Channels for Prime members, here. If you already have BritBox through Prime, use our “Add to your WATCHLIST” links below each title to do just that.
British Period Dramas Added to BritBox December 1 – 7
The Cazalets (2001)
Amid dramatic change and upheaval in WWII-era England and spanning a decade, discover the privilege, prestige, and hidden secrets of the Cazalet dynasty. Based on The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard.
6 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 1
Dandelion Dead (1994)
The BAFTA-winning true story of a Welsh lawyer who finds himself in the middle of what would become one of Britain’s most infamous murder trials. Starring Michael Kitchen (Foyle’s War).
2 episodes
Not Rated
Available December 1
Heading Home (1991)
Drawn to the Bohemian literary crowd of post-war Soho, Janetta Wheatland becomes involved with two men from very different worlds. Starring Gary Oldman and Joely Richardson.
Rated TV-PG
Available December 1
Life in Squares (2015)
“Life in Squares” dramatizes the lives of the Bloomsbury Group, an influential set of artists and intellectuals. Told over 40 years, from the death of Queen Victoria to the Second World War, the story centres on the relationship between sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. Starring Catherine McCormack and Eve Best.
3 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 1
Love in a Cold Climate (2001)
Three young women search for love as they grow out of their care-free youth and into adulthood in this adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel. Set between 1929 and 1940. Starring Alan Bates, Rosamund Pike, Elisabeth Dermot Walsh.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 1
The Night Watch (2011)
Linked by their wartime experiences, four young Londoners in the 1940s discover new freedom and must make peace with their past in order to build their future. An adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Booker Prize shortlisted novel of the same name, and starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Claire Foy, and Jodie Whittaker.
Rated TV-PG
Available December 1
North & South (2004)
A powerful adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s feisty and passionate love story starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe set in the changing world of Victorian industrial society. Margaret Hale is one of literature’s most original heroines: a southerner from a country vicarage newly settled in the industrial northern town of Milton. In the shock of her move, she misjudges charismatic cotton mill-owner John Thornton, whose strength of purpose and passion are a match for her own pride and willfulness.
4 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 1
The Other Boleyn Girl (2003)
Probably not the version you’ve seen… This tale of passion and royal intrigue depicts the story of Mary Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s mistress before he married her elder sister Anne. Based on Philippa Gregory’s novel of the same name, and starring Natascha McElhone as Mary Boleyn and Jodhi May as Anne.
Rated TV-14
Available December 1
Room at the Top (2012)
Young Joe Lampton must choose between his love for a married woman and the stability offered by a life with the beautiful daughter of an industrial magnate. Based on John Braine’s 1957 novel of the same name and starring Matthew McNulty, Maxine Peake, and Jenna Coleman.
2 episodes
Rated 18+
Available December 1
Theatre Night: Lady Windermere’s Fan (1985)
From the wit and wisdom of Oscar Wilde comes the story of Margaret Windermere, a wife doubtful of her husband’s fidelity when he begins spending time with another woman. Starring Helena Little, Tim Woodward, and Stephanie Turner.
Rated ALL
Available December 1
Under the Greenwood Tree (2005)
A warm-hearted Thomas Hardy romance starring Keeley Hawes and James Murray. Amidst the surrounding farms and woodlands of the idyllic village of Mellstock, southern England, a love story grows between local boy Dick Dewey and beautiful schoolteacher Fancy Day. But in seeking her hand in marriage penniless Dick finds himself in competition with other more likely suitors, including wealthy landowner Farmer Shiner and local vicar Reverend Maybold.
Rated 13+
Available December 1
The Way We Live Now (2001)
Dave Suchet and Cillian Murphy star in Anthony Trollope’s epic Victorian tale exhibiting the trials and tribulations of love, honor, and greed. Set in the railway boom of the 1870s, the old order faces turmoil as it is swept aside by the brash new forces of business and finance. Starring David Suchet, Helen Schlesinger, and Shirley Henderson.
4 episodes
Rated 13+
Available December 1
A Royal Scandal (1996)
Richard E. Grant stars in this true story of bitterness and betrayal, where a royal marriage between George, Prince of Wales and Caroline of Brunswick, entered into for all the wrong reasons, falls apart. Susan Lynch, Michael Kitchen, and Frances Barber also star.
Rated TV-14
Available December 2
Middlemarch (1994)
Dame Judi Dench, Robert Hardy, Rufus Sewell, Pam Ferris, and Patrick Malahide star in this adaptation of George Eliot’s tale of provincial life on the brink of momentous change, where the Industrial Revolution will split a town into two opposing factions.
6 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 2
My Family and Other Animals (2005)
Based on Gerald Durrell’s renowned autobiography, the eccentric Durrell family experience the joys of living a life of freedom and adventure. If you loved “The Durrells of Corfu,” this stellar earlier period drama with Eugene Simon, Imelda Staunton, Matthew Goode and Russell Tovey is a must-see.
Rated TV-PG
Available December 2
Anna of the Five Towns (1985)
The daughter of a rich widower struggles to cope with newfound wealth, blossoming love, and independence from her domineering father. An adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s 1902 novel of the same name, starring Lynsey Beauchamp, Anne Blackman, and Katie Carey.
4 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 3
Mansfield Park (1983)
Sylvestra Le Touzel stars in Jane Austen’s witty Regency romance, where impoverished Fanny Price is sent to live with her more affluent uncle and struggles for acceptance by her shallow relatives.
6 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 4
Northanger Abbey (1987)
Katharine Schlesinger stars in this Jane Austen adaptation as Catherine Morland, the young woman with a taste for melodrama and romance. Invited to stay with the affluent Tilney family, she learns a sinister family secret worthy of her taste for Gothic tales. Also starring Robert Hardy and Peter Firth.
Rated 13+
Available December 4
Emma (1972)
Adapted from Jane Austen’s celebrated novel, Emma Woodhouse meddles in the love lives of all of her friends, though she is often mistaken in her judgment. She is counseled and criticized by her brother-in-law, Mr. Knightley, whose attentions are motivated by more than just brotherly love. Doran Godwin and John Carson star.
6 episodes
Rated 7+
Available December 5
Persuasion (2007)
Anne Elliot is pressured by her parents to turn away her true love due to his lack of status or wealth. Years later, he returns from sea, a successful naval officer, which salts the wound on Anne’s heart. Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones star in this Jane Austen adaptation.
Not Rated
Available December 5
Pride and Prejudice (1980)
Can you ever have too much of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Here, Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul lead the cast as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in a faithful BBC adaptation of the classic romance in which Mrs. Bennet tries to find husbands for her five daughters.
5 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 6
Sense and Sensibility (1981)
Jane Austen’s 1811 tale of two devoted sisters with totally differing attitudes to life and love. Filmed on location in the stately homes of picturesque Dorset and Somerset, and starring Irene Richard as Elinor Dashwood and Tracey Childs as Marianne Dashwood.
7 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 7
Sense and Sensibility (2008)
From acclaimed writer Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bleak House) comes this enchanting adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel about love and marriage. Marianne Dashwood (Charity Wakefield) wears her heart on her sleeve when she falls in love with the charming but unsuitable John Willoughby (Dominic Cooper), ignoring her sister Elinor’s warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. With a star-studded cast including Mark Williams (Father Brown) and Mark Gatiss (Sherlock).
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 7
British Period Dramas Added to BritBox December 8 – 14
The Lady Vanishes (2013)
A BBC adaptation of the classic 1930s thriller The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White that sees a beautiful, spoilt young woman risking her life to solve the mysterious disappearance of her traveling companion, starring Tuppence Middleton, Tom Hughes, and Selina Cadell. Iris Carr befriends an older woman while traveling solo by train. When Iris wakes from a nap, the woman is gone and other passengers claim she never existed.
Rated TV-PG
Available December 8
Madame Bovary (1975)
Gustave Flaubert’s tale of a bored housewife whose yearning for excitement leads to ruin, heartbreak, and tragedy. Emma Bovary is the dreamy, frustrated, unfaithful wife of a French country doctor in this National Emmy-nominated mini-series adaptation starring “Home Fires” Francesca Annis, Tom Conti, and Gabrielle Lloyd.
4 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 9
Madame Bovary (2000)
Flaubert’s story of the quest for fulfillment in love is an enduring classic. By marrying a local doctor, Emma Bovary feels that she will escape her provincial upbringing. But it is not long before she feels constrained and frustrated by married life, ignoring her devoted husband and daughter and immersing herself in romantic thoughts which lead, inevitably, to affairs. Starring Frances O’Connor, Greg Wise, and Eileen Atkins.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 9
Daniel Deronda (2002)
Set in Victorian London, Gwendolen Harleth is drawn to Daniel Deronda (Hugh Dancy, The Jane Austen Book Club), a selfless and intelligent gentleman of unknown parentage, but her own desperate need for financial security may destroy her chance at happiness. Romola Garai, Jodhi May, Edward Fox, Hugh Bonneville and Amanda Root also star in George Eliot’s love story.
4 episodes
Rated 7+
Available December 10
Fanny by Gaslight (1981)
Michael Sadleir’s lurid story of romance, scandal, and jealousy, set against a background of depravity in Victorian London’s demi-monde of the 1870s. This BBC mini-series stars Chloe Salaman as Fanny, Peter Woodward, and Anthony Bate.
4 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 10
Catherine Cookson’s The Glass Virgin (1995)
Living a life of luxury, Annabella Lagange is blissfully unaware that her father Edmund is a wastrel and a womanizer, with debts threatening to ruin the wealthy family into which he married. Also unbeknownst to her is a life-shattering secret that looms over her and her family. Starring Emily Mortimer, Jan Graveson, Christine Kavanagh and Brendan Coyle.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 11
Catherine Cookson’s The Secret (2000)
Set among the atmospheric streets of 19th century Tyneside, Freddie Musgrave’s life is thrown into turmoil when a letter implicates him in a murder. Further complications arise due to Freddie’s feelings for his boss’s foster daughter, Belle, who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a madman. Starring Colin Buchanan, Joanna Rowden, Adam Ironside and Milton Johns.
3 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 11
Catherine Cookson’s The Wingless Bird (1998)
As Britain is on the brink of WWI, three very different families are linked by the strong-minded Agnes Conway in this story of perseverance and love across class divides. Starring Claire Skinner, Edward Atterton, and Anne Reid.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 11
Catherine Cookson’s Colour Blind (1998)
In industrial Tyneside during World War I, life for the McQueen family is turned upside down when daughter Bridget shocks her intolerant family and brings home an African sailor. Starring Niamh Cusack, Joe Caffrey, Dearbhla Molloy and Ian Embleton.
3 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 12
Catherine Cookson’s The Moth (1997)
In early 1900s England, a carpenter leaves the shipyards for a job in his uncle’s business, and life in the country is not as idyllic as he had imagined. Starring Justine Waddell, Jack Davenport, David Howey, and Janet Dale.
3 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 12
Catherine Cookson’s The Cinder Path (1994)
Tale of a Charlie MacFell, a prosperous farmer’s son who gets involved with two sisters, then goes to fight in the trenches in WWI. Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lloyd Owen, Polly Adams, and Rosalind Ayres.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 13
Catherine Cookson’s The Dwelling Place (1994)
Set in the 1830s, the period drama tells the story of 16 year old Cissie Brodie after the death of parents, and the repossession of the family home. She finds a barren place to live and care for her younger brothers and sisters with the help of Matthew, a local carpenter, but her life becomes complicated when the aristocratic Fischel family take an unwelcome interest. Starring Tracy Whitwell, Lucy Cohu, and Ray Stevenson.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 13
Catherine Cookson’s The Rag Nymph (1997)
Starring Val McLane, Alec Newman, Christine Anderson, and a young Honeysuckle Weeks in an impulsive act of charity that changes her life, a rag and bone lady in the slums of Victorian Newcastle takes in the 10-year-old daughter of a prostitute.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 13
Catherine Cookson’s The Fifteen Streets (1989)
In northern England around the year 1900, a rugged Tyneside dockworker and the daughter of a wealthy local shipbuilder fall in love and try to bridge the social gulf that divides them. Starring Owen Teale, Sean Bean, and Anny Tobin.
Rated TV-PG
Available December 14
Catherine Cookson’s The Gambling Man (1995)
In Victorian England, Rory recovers after being left for dead by the Pittie brothers and discovers that his friend John has been jailed for the theft of a small sum from his boss’s safe. Meanwhile, the business is being run by Charlotte, the boss’s daughter, who is proving herself to be a capable businesswoman. Charlotte suspects the Pittie brothers of attacking Rory and tries to find out more. Starring “Grantchester’s” Robson Green, Ian Cullen, Bernard Hill.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 14
Catherine Cookson’s The Round Tower (1998)
Set in mid-1950s England, this story tells of the wealthy, socially upwardly-progressive Ratcliffe family. Their youngest daughter, seventeen year old Vanessa, feels alienated from her selfish parents, who are more interested in their eldest daughter’s upcoming marriage into one of their town’s old families. When an old friend of the family, who is himself trapped in a loveless marriage, enters her life, everything changes. Starring Emilia Fox, Ben Miles, Jan Harvey, Keith Barron, and Denis Lawson.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 14
British Period Dramas Added BritBox December 15 – 21
Catherine Cookson’s The Girl (1996)
In mid-19th century Northumberland,, a dying woman delivers her daughter to the home of her former lover, Mr Thorton, and his wife is not pleased with the new arrangement. Starring Siobhan Flynn, Jonathan Cake, David Auker, Mark Benton, and Jill Baker. Phenomenally prolific and blessed with a vivid imagination and engaging prose style, Catherine Cookson has been delighting countless fans for decades.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Doesn’t appear to be available through Add-On Channel
Available December 15
Catherine Cookson’s The Man Who Cried (1993)
Set during the turbulent times of the 1930’s Depression and WWII, Abel Mason searches for happiness for himself and his young son. Starring Ciaran Hinds , Kate Buffery and Amanda Root.
2 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 15
Catherine Cookson’s The Tide of Life (1996)
In this period drama starring Gillian Kearney (The Forsyte Saga), the lively and unconventional young housekeeper Emily Kennedy learns valuable lessons about life and love in her relationships with three very different men. Forced from home of her first employer, Sep McGilby after his plans to marry her come to tragic end, Emily finds work as housekeeper for farmer, Larry Birch. Another tragedy occurs, and when Nick Stuart inherits the farm owned by Birch’s wife, Nick gives Emily a new future.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 15
Jane Eyre (1983)
After a wretched childhood as an orphan, Jane Eyre accepts the position of governess at Thornfield Hall. She soon falls in love with the brooding owner, Mr Rochester. Jane gradually wins his heart but, before they can find happiness as man and wife, they must first overcome the dark secrets of his past. Starring Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke as Jane and Mr. Rochester in an adaptation of Brontë’s classic. Read our review.
11 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 16
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)
In a remote village on the Yorkshire moors, a beautiful widow and her son move into the near-derelict Wildfell Hall. Befriended by a handsome farmer, she remains mysteriously silent about her past and why she is afraid – until she becomes the focus of malicious village gossip.Based on Anne Brontë’s story, and starring Toby Stephens, Rupert Graves, James Purefoy, and Tara Fitzgerald.
3 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 16
Wuthering Heights (1978)
A faithful adaptation of Emily Brontë’s unforgettable 1847 story of jealousy, revenge, and the destructive passion. Starring Ken Hutchison as Heathcliff, with Kay Adshead as Cathy. Adopted as a boy by the kindly Mr Earnshaw, Heathcliff comes to live with the family at their home, Wuthering Heights, in the Yorkshire moors. He soon falls in love with Earnshaw’s headstrong daughter Cathy in a doomed relationship that plunges them both into despair when Cathy agrees to marry her rich neighbour Edgar Linton. Tortured by his love, the dark and sinister Heathcliff refuses to relinquish his emotional hold on Cathy, and does everything in his power to destroy the lives of her and her family.
5 episodes
Not rated
Available December 16
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (2008)
As this period drama opens, the beautiful and innocent Tess Durbeyfield, dressed in white, dances in the May Day celebrations in her village. She catches a glimpse of a handsome stranger, but he ignores her. Later Tess is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune. Here she meets a very different man – the manipulative and fraudulent Alec. Will her very innocence prove to be her downfall? A thrilling story of seduction, murder, cruelty and betrayal unfolds. Whilst unstintingly gorgeous and romantic, this new adaptation is an intense, moving and provocative depiction of the tragically beautiful story. Gemma Arterton (Lost in Austen) stars as Tess Durbeyfield in this adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel.
4 episodes
Rated 13+
Available December 17
The House of Eliott (1991)
In stylish 1920s London, two beautiful sisters struggle to the top of the fashion world. From the creators of “Upstairs, Downstairs” comes an addictive drama series set in the era of flappers and suffragettes. Louise Lombard and Stella Gonet star as Evangeline and Beatrice Eliott, sisters born into wealth and privilege who must support themselves after their profligate father dies and leaves them penniless. They have no education or training, just a passion for fashion design. As suitors try to woo them and scoundrels try to trip them up, they make independent, exciting lives for themselves and the women they employ in their house of haute couture. Seen on A&E, PBS, and BBC America. Winner of top awards for costume design, including an Emmy® and a BAFTA.
34 episodes
Not rated
Available December 17
A Tale of Two Cities (1980)
A tale of romance and sacrifice, and of tyranny and hatred set during the French Revolution, adapted from the classic novel by Charles Dickens. Two men fall in love with the same woman, one a French aristocrat and the other an embittered English barrister, but when the Reign of Terror threatens to destroy all her happiness, one must make an heroic sacrifice for the woman he loves. Starring Paul Shelley, Ralph Michael, and Sally Osborne.
8 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 18
Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)
Old Martin Chuzzlewit is nearing his death. Who will inherit his riches? With such a prize to play for, the Chuzzlewit family bring forth all of their cunning, greed and selfishness. Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens. Starring Paul Scofield, John Mills, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Walden, Elizabeth Spriggs, and Pete Postlethwaite.
6 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 18
Dombey and Son (1983)
Based on the legendary novel by Charles Dickens, this miniseries chronicles the tale of Paul Dombey, a rich man whose riches cannot hide him from the mystery and heartbreak of life. Dombey’s one dream is to have a son to whom he can pass his business on. When Paul’s son is born into tragedy, the two men, and Paul’s daughter, Florence, find themselves on an unpredictable journey through life.Starring Julian Glover, Shirley Cain and Lysette Anthony.
10 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 19
Great Expectations (1981)
An adaptation of the Dickens classic. Violence and Victorian gentility meet in one of Dickens’ greatest creations. Pip’s epic journey from boy to man has at its center his relationships with the terrifying convict Magwitch, manipulative Miss Havisham and the beautiful but heartless Estella. Joan Hickson (Miss Marple) stars as Miss Havisham, and Gerry Sundquist as Pip.
6 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 19
Great Expectations (2011)
In this Charles Dickens adaptation, a terrifying encounter on the marshes with an escaped convict and a summons from the mysterious Miss Havisham change orphan Pip’s life forever. Gillian Anderson stars as Miss Havisham, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Estella, Douglas Booth as Pip, and David Suchet as Jaggers.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 19
Bleak House (1985)
This production of Charles Dickens’ 1852 classic brings to life a host of famous characters. It is at the Court of Chancery, London, where the Jarndyce versus Jarndyce case has dragged on for many years. As new evidence is brought to light in court, a long line of innocent victims are ground down by the legal process. Adapted by Arthur Hopcraft. Dame Diana Rigg stars as Lady Dedlock and Denholm Elliott as John Jarndyce.
8 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 20
Bleak Old Shop of Stuff (2011)
A BBC comedy series parodying the works of Charles Dickens and heavily influenced by a similar, long-running radio series. Welcome to the adventures of Jedrington Secret-Past, upstanding family man and owner of The Old Shop Of Stuff, where he sells a plethora of miscellaneous odd things. But with every good-hearted hero, there must come a villain. Enter Malifax Skulkingworm – a lawyer with a heart of flint, an unusual evil hat and a decidedly sinister plan to ruin Jedrington and incarcerate his family. Starring Robert Webb, Stephen Fry, Finlay Christie, and Katherine Parkinson.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 20
Little Dorrit (2008)
This mini-series tells the story of Amy Dorrit, who spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father, who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors’ prison in London. Amy and her family’s world is transformed when her boss’ son, Arthur Clennam, returns from overseas to solve his family’s mysterious legacy and discovers that their lives are interlinked. Claire Foy (The Crown) and Matthew Macfayden (Pride and Prejudice) star.
8 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 21
Hard Times (1994)
More Charles Dickens! Thomas Gradgrind, a wealthy, retired merchant in the industrial city of Coketown, England, devotes his life to a philosophy of rationalism, self-interest, and fact. He raises his oldest children, Louisa and Tom, according to this philosophy and never allows them to engage in fanciful or imaginative pursuits. Starring Harriet Walter, Bill Paterson, Alan Bates, and Richard E. Grant.
Rated TV-14
Available December 21
British Period Dramas Added BritBox December 22 – 31
Drovers’ Gold (1997)
A tale of adventure, courage and romance set in 1843. When an English drover refuses to pay widow farmer Ruth Jones a decent price for her cattle, her son Aaron recruits his own ragtag band of drovers to take the herd to market himself. Filmed on location, the Celtic cowboys pass through some spectacular scenery on the hazardous trail from their Welsh valley to London. This BBC series stars Geraldine James, Andrew Howard, and David Calder.
6 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 22
Our Mutual Friend (1998)
This highly acclaimed BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’ last completed novel paints a powerful portrait of Victorian London. Set against the contrasting backgrounds of new money and squalid poverty, two epic love stories unfold amid bitter tensions over money, class and passion. Starring Anna Friel, Keeley Hawes, and Steven Mackintosh.
4 episodes
Rated 7+
Available December 22
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012)
Starring Matthew Rhys, this 2-part period drama is an adaptation and completion of Charles Dickens’ last novel, left unfinished at the halfway mark at his death. Opium addict and choirmaster John Jasper has vivid dreams of killing his beloved nephew Edwin Drood and stealing his fiancee Rosa. With Edwin Drood feared dead, Jasper tries desperately to remember events of the night before.
2 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 23
The Pickwick Papers (1985)
Starring Nigel Stock, Clive Swift and Phil Daniels, this BBC series is an unforgettable adaptation of Charles Dickens’ great comic masterpiece; Mr. Pickwick the engaging, middle-aged innocent who gains experience of life from his travels through early Victorian England.
12 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 23
David Copperfield (1986)
Charles Dickens’ cherished story chronicling the life of a kind-hearted orphan, from his childhood tribulations to his literary success. When the BBC period drama opens, David Copperfield tells the story of his life that holds great happiness and terrible sorrow, starting with the circumstances of his birth. With Colin Hurley as David Copperfield, Brenda Bruce as Betsy Trotwood, Simon Callow as Wilkins Micawber, and Jeremy Brudenell as Steerforth.
10 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 24
Oliver Twist (1985)
Starring Amanda Harris, Ben Rodska, Dominic Jephcott and Eric Porter in a BBC adaptation of the classic novel. The story centers on orphan Oliver Twist, born in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. After escaping, Twist travels to London, where he meets “The Artful Dodger”, a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal, Fagin.
12 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 24
Hearts of Gold (2003)
Two people from very different backgrounds find it impossible to be together. But their love makes them determined – and destined – to try. The romantic Welsh drama about the forbidden love between Bethan and Andrew begins when new doctor Andrew meets miner’s daughter Bethan and finds a spirit lacking in his previous girlfriends.
2 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 27
The Buccaneers (1980)
Starring Carla Gugino, Mira Sorvino, and Sienna Guillory, four ambitious American girls secure husbands and position in England in order to live happily ever after. But life bears little resemblance to the fairytales, and castles appear a lot less magical when you have to live in them. They soon find themselves trapped by the trappings of wealth, and discover that beneath fine manners and social graces lie some very shabby vices.
5 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 27
Little Women (1970)
Angela Down, Jo Rowbottom, Janina Faye and Sarah Craze star in this BBC production of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth, that has delighted generations. Jo strives to remove her family from their genteel poverty by becoming a successful writer. Set during the American Civil War, Alcott’s highly moral tale offers us the Victorian ideal of perfect womanhood. Adapted by Alistair Bell and Denis Constanduros.
9 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 28
Women in Love (2011)
Rosamund Pike and Rachael Stirling star in this powerful adaptation of D H Lawrence’s novel about the lives of two sisters, Ursula and Gudrun Brangwen, as they struggle with their own loves, desires and passions.
2 episodes
Rated 16+
Available December 28
The Woman in White (1982)
In Victorian England, Laura and her half-sister Marian are entwined in a terrifying web of deceit. Laura’s doppelganger, a mysterious woman dressed all in white, may hold the key to unlock the mystery. Diana Quick, Ian Richardson, Jenny Seagrove and John Shrapnel star in this BBC period drama.
5 episodes
Rated
Doesn’t appear to be available through Add-On Channel
Available December 28
Lorna Doone (2000)
The year is 1675. England is threatened by religious and political rivalries. King Charles II’s Catholic brother, James, is next in line for the throne, but many Protestants put their faith in Charles’ illegitimate son, The Duke of Monmouth. On the king’s death, conflict is inevitable. Over seven days journey from London, Exmoor is a primitive and lawless area. Here, farmer Jack Ridd lives with his wife Sarah, son John, and two daughters. The only shadow over their simple life is cast by the notorious outlaw family the Doones, an aristocratic family banished from their ancestral lands who now live through looting, theft, and murder. Against a backdrop of political and religious upheaval, John falls in love with the “queen” of the notorious Doone clan –a family that he has sworn vengeance on. Starring Martin Clunes, Michael Kitchen, Anton Lesser, Peter Vaughan, and Richard Coyle.
3 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Doesn’t appear to be available through Add-On Channel
Available December 29
Servants (2003)
In the Great Taplows country house in 1850s England, the servants of the Sturges Born family are silent and obedient in front of their masters. But out of sight, they lead lives full of secrets, ambition, love, and intrigue. When the period drama opens, the Sturges Borne family are returning to their country seat, Taplows, with their retinue of servants after a summer away in Italy. Soon, preparations are underway for a grand dinner and Taplows’ servants, particularly Mr Jarvis, are keen to impress. Starring Joe Absolom, Kenny Doughty, Shaun Parkes, Orla Brady, Felicity Jones and Catherine Shepherd.
6 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 29
Vanity Fair (1987)
Thackeray’s plucky adventuress Becky Sharp claws her way up through society in this lavish period production which boasts the Battle of Waterloo as one of its set pieces. Starring Eve Matheson, Benedict Taylor, Freddie Jones and Jack Klaff.
8 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 30
Vanity Fair (1998)
Natasha Little, Frances Grey, Tom Ward and Anton Lesser star in BBC’s adaptation of the classic. Becky Sharp, the penniless, orphaned daughter of an artist and a dancer, and Amelia Sedley, the sheltered child of a rich city merchant are unlikely, but firm, friends. Becky is an irrepressible schemer who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, while her friend pursues the opposite course from the drawing rooms of Regency London to the fields of Waterloo.
6 episodes
Rated TV-14
Available December 30
The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
The beloved PBS Masterpiece Theatre series is an inspiring story of triumph and loss, love and laughter. Born into the servant class, Louisa Leyton rises from the scullery to become the best chef in Edwardian London and manager of the most elegant—and discreet—hotel in town. She learns the rules of high society from powerful men captivated by her beauty but never sheds her Cockney accent or attitude. Even in the throes of World War I, Louisa proves she can take whatever life dishes out while remaining in a class all her own.
Based on the true story of Rosa Lewis, a culinary genius and owner of London’s venerable Cavendish Hotel, this acclaimed BBC series dramatizes the life of an indomitable woman in entertaining stories full of humor and heart. Created by John Hawkesworth (Upstairs, Downstairs) and starring Gemma Jones (Sense and Sensibility) as Louisa and Christopher Cazenove (A Knight’s Taley) as Charlie, the dashing love of her life.
31 episodes
Rated 16+
Available December 31
The Paradise (2012)
Made homeless by the death of her father and with nothing to live on but her wits, Denise comes from the country to work in the spectacularly glamorous Ladies Paradise, England’s first department store. So begins our rags-to-riches story of a young girl who falls in love with the intoxicating and dangerous charms of the modern world. Starring Joanna Vanderham, Emun Elliott, and Elaine Cassidy.
16 episodes
Rated TV-PG
Available December 31
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If you enjoyed this post, be sure to see The Period Films List, with the best British, historical and costume dramas sorted by era. For a list of period-set mysteries added to BritBox in 2020, see this page.
John Naylor
March 7, 2021 at 9:52 am (4 years ago)It would be great to watch “MOTHER LOVE” again with Diana Rigg.
Peter Parsons
December 29, 2020 at 8:43 pm (4 years ago)Quite awhile ago, there was a Brit Series that included wonderful episodes/Short Stories, incl. “The Watercress Girl” any chance it could re-appear here?
Geri McCall Barrath
December 26, 2020 at 11:30 am (4 years ago)When are you going to publish the information for shows from Dec. 22-31?
Willow and Thatch
December 26, 2020 at 12:28 pm (4 years ago)Just as soon as we can; it takes quite a bit of work.
Joan
December 14, 2020 at 10:44 am (4 years ago)I have added the majority of these to my watchlist. Some of the links were missing, but I am hopeful that they will appear soon. Thanks for sharing this. I love period dramas!