The streaming options continue to proliferate with BritBox launching in South Africa on Friday, August 6.
Yes, the new video-on-demand service, which has already successfully launched in the United States, UK, Canada and Australia, has over two million subscribers, globally.
This joint venture between BBC and ITV, who are behind some of the biggest offerings to come out of the UK, will see audiences enjoying the best of dramas, comedies, documentaries, lifestyle shows as well as murder mysteries, which, let’s be honest, the latter is their forte.
Just to whet appetites, season six of “Line of Duty” is on the menu. Interestingly, I got to interview writer, creator and director Jed Mercurio, who is behind this critically-acclaimed crime series, and he unpacked the surprises for this season.
In fact, the twists are something he prides himself on. Heck, even Stephen King is hooked on the series.
Of the two episodes I caught, I loved the parallel storytelling, where an unsolved case a revisited while the head of the investigation is also being secretly monitored on allegations of misconduct.
Fast-paced and tense, viewers will be left on tenterhooks by the curveballs thrown in.
Other biggies to look out for include “Professor T”, which stars Ben Miller, who is known for his roles in “Death in Paradise, “Bridgerton” and “Primeval”.
Then there is Nicole Walker, who helms “Annika”. Of course, crime dramas are her comfort zone.
Old favourites like “Vera”, “Unforgotten”, “Grantchester” and “The Syndicate” return for new seasons.
There’s a wonderful slate of documentaries, too, with Michael Apted’s multi-award winning documentary series, “Up”, among the highlighted offerings.
Royal fans will be able to take a trip down memory lane by reliving Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s unforgettable wedding in 1981, in the high-definition doccie-feature, “Wedding of the Century”, which includes key interviews as well as behind the scenes footage.
On the lifestyle front, “Rick Stein’s Long Weekends” is the perfect way to unwind. Aside from sharing brilliant recipes, he visits markets, restaurants, wineries, cafés and bars, in search of food excellence.
Neale Dennett, BritBox International’s new markets launch director, said: “We’re really excited to be bringing BritBox into South African homes and are confident viewers are going to love our programming, which offers a mixture of brilliant classic and contemporary content, plus the biggest collection of British box sets, all in one place.”
BritBox CEO Reemah Sakaan said their research showed a clear appetite from viewers of diverse backgrounds for premium British programming, expertly curated and available on demand.
She added: “British TV and film has grown exponentially as a cultural export in recent years, with productions and talent frequently scooping BAFTAs, Emmys and Oscars, and regularly recognized as some of the best in the world for quality and escapism.
Our TV is no longer niche but has come firmly into the mainstream, plus there’s a definite rise in nostalgia viewing, which is finding completely new audiences. It’s a rich time to be in British TV.”
Visit BritBox.com for more information. Aside from a week’s free trial, the subscription is R99.99 per month or R999,99 for a year.