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UK (And Europe) TV SERIES THREAD: Britbox, Acorn TV, PBS Masterpiece

UpperWestside

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UpperWestside

UpperWestside 6026

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I grew up watching a few of the classics like Benny Hill and Are You Being Served. Now thanks to streaming and some recommendations here from @Brothahorn and in real life when I meet tourists from the UK I have watched a pretty good amount of shows. I know some of y’all can add to this list so please feel free to do so. 
 

Apps to use: Britbox, Acorn and PBS Masterpiece will get you the good stuff. Some shows might be on Prime as well.
 

Shows: 

Line of Duty: AcornTV For my money it is the best show I have watched. Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston are great working in AC-12 together. “Letter of the Law” from Dunbar’s character will get stuck in your head. I cannot get enough of this show. If you only watch one show let it be this one.

Endeavour (PBS Masterpiece)/Inspector Morse/Inspector Lewis(Britbox)

Best series of shows on here. Just absolutely, positively superb. Endeavour just finished their final season. Bittersweet to know it is done. Will eventually watch all three series again.

Vera: They are coming back for another season which will be the 13th. Fairly incredible considering Brenda Blethyn, the character playing Vera, also films a comedy series and is just short of 80. This is an awesome, must-see show.

Shetland: Britbox. Highly underrated, but another must-see set in the Shetland Islands. One of the actors is actually from there. Douglas Henshall’s main character is just perfect for the show.

Bloodlands: AcornTV. Three seasons. You will hate one of the main characters and might hate-watch the show because of them. I know I did.

The Bay: This is a pretty good show. Combo of police work and home lives.

Midsomer Murders: AcornTV @Brothahorn recs this show and that’s enough for me.

Death in Paradise: Britbox

Beyond Paradise: Britbox

London Kills: AcornTV

Madame Blanc Mysteries: AcornTV

Darby and Joan: AcornTV

One Lane Bridge: AcornTV

Manhunt: AcornTV

Vienna Blood: PBS Masterpiece 

Astrid: PBS Masterpiece. French show with subtitles. Based around a main character that is autistic.

Miss Scarlet and the Duke: PBS Masterpiece. Very nice show based in the Victorian Period. Female private detective trying to prove she belongs.

Tin Star: This show goes hard in the paint. Highly recommend. 

The Mallorca Files: Britbox

McDonald and Dodds: Britbox

Murder in Provence: Britbox

Bancroft: Britbox

Traces: Britbox

Fortitude: This show is great. Stanley Tucci is in it.

Prime Suspect (Starring Helen Mirren)

New Tricks

Luther: Britbox

Happy Valley: AcornTV

Broadchurch: PBS Masterpiece 

The Chelsea Detective: AcornTV

Silent Witness: Britbox

Murdoch Mysteries: AcornTV

Unforgotten: PBS Masterpiece 

Foyle’s War: AcornTV

I am leaving out so many amazing shows, but this is a good starting point. Please feel free to add to this list. I will keep updating new shows y’all recommend on this post.

 

 

 

 

 

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  • UpperWestside changed the title to UK (And Europe) TV SERIES THREAD: Britbox, Acorn TV, PBS Masterpiece
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Shetland is awesome. The scenery is so good it's stupid. I need to go through my britbox history and see if there's anything you missed,  but you hit pretty much everything. 

New tricks is great. Especially the first few seasons before most of the original cast was gone. 

 

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dogbreath

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Old Comedies that are raunchy and funny  

Inbetweeners - still on prime  

Ideal - pot dealer with colorful visitors and emphasis on dark for the comedy part  

Spaced. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost. 

Fresh Meat - on prime. 6-7 uni students sharing a flat. Same creators as peep show. 

Coupling - on prime. Concepts such as porn buddies, captain subtext, Dick Darlington.  
 

 

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fellside

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2 hours ago, dogbreath said:

 

Fresh Meat - on prime. 6-7 uni students sharing a flat. Same creators as peep show.

 

 

Which is also the same creator as Succession, Jesse Armstrong.

I'm also a fan of British comedy/panel shows.

Taskmaster - 5 comedians compete in random tasks, and it's the best thing ever. The season with James Acaster is my favorite.

Would I Lie to You - Simple panel show but David Mitchell and Lee Mack are the wittiest people on earth.

That Mitchell and Webb Look - British sketch comedy show from 15 years ago or so.

https://youtu.be/nZ3eJnRJPXY?si=Ow1nC_j_GKFSLwwp

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UpperWestside

UpperWestside 6026

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18 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

it would also be helpful to attach networks to some of these.

i just did a roku search for line of duty and it's on hulu, amazon, and britbox.

I will try and go through the shows listed and attach the streaming app. I am just going to find them based on the three apps I use since they are all just for shows from the UK, Europe or a few Oceania-based shows. 

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DoobieWah

DoobieWah 1379

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I started watching Midsomer during the covid lockdown. It's on ovation every afternoon. They stretch two one and half hour episodes into five hours with commercials. 

I've seen Lewis and Morse and am on season two of Endeavour. 

I've also seen the full run of Doc Martin. The Cornwall coast speaks to my pasty British heritage. 

One thing I've noticed is seeing the same actors over all the different series. It really reminds you how small GB is - they have like sixty actors they recycle again and again. 

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Chopper

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Two shows that aren't dark and/or about murders...

The Lost King (a shortish film released in the UK in 2022) new on Acorn is good and uplifting. A woman with a job in marketing quits because she wants to learn more about King Richard III. What she learns changes the public understanding of history.

800 Words is a New Zealand tv series (3 seasons)  about a Sydney newspaper columnist who, after the unexpected death of his wife, impulsively moves with his teenage kids to a remote beach town in New Zealand. Gorgeous scenery. Not overly soapy or dramatic imo. All 3 seasons are on acorn, 2 are on roku and peacock.

edit - also I resisted watching Foyle's War for awhile but once I got around to it, it was remarkable.

Not certain it hasn't already been mentioned but an excellent British cold case detective show that's on Prime is Unforgettable (edit - goddammit UNFORGOTTEN). 4 seasons. Season 5 was shown in the UK this year so should be on US streaming soon. It may be on PBS Masterpiece first.

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Jiggy-Z

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I will second:

Endeavor. Good stories with with 60s and 70s nostalgia thrown in. Spot on.

Unforgotten. Complex weave of cold cases and more complex than you average detective shows.

Line of Duty.  Modern set with corruption thread weaving through all seasons.

White Chappell. Cheesieier than the above, but shorter. Easy to watch and good characters and sets. Good material too, would not be surprised at a reboot.

All on Prime.

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Jiggy-Z

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On 8/27/2023 at 8:49 PM, Post Oak said:

The Detectorists.

I can't recommend this show highly enough. One of my favorite shows ever.  It's sweet, charming, light and funny.  The cast is outstanding and the story doesn't drag. 

It's a dopamine hit for me.

 

Those detectorists are some interesting people.

I ran into one on PINS after a fishing tournament down there when we were headed off the beach. He was was way down about the 48 mm.

We stopped to check out his 15' bamboo surf rods that je deployed.

The old man had a Spanish real on a necklace. Said he had found three from the 1550 wrecks at the 58, 59, and 60.

According to Texas law, detecting is not even allowed on PINS, but if you do find something, you are supposed to turn it iver to the state antiquities board.

Old man did not give a fuck and was terminal with cancer. Stopped for about an hour and gave him some beer. Tons of stories...and apparently Mel Fisher is a wanker.

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Chopper

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Every now and then we watch an episode of Above Suspicion as well as Prime Suspect, both on Britbox. Above Suspicion stars a young, smokin' hot and sultry Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton from Ystone) as a newbie Detective Investigator partial to tight fitting skirts that extend just above the knee. Prime Suspect stars a younger Helen Mirren as a DCI trying to take charge of an investigatory unit where she has to battle both the criminals and the old boys network. As tv police dramas, Prime Suspect holds up better; extremely well, in fact. But both are highly entertaining.

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Chopper

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On 9/18/2023 at 12:15 PM, UpperWestside said:

Vera just wrapped up another season of filming and there are going to be some changes to the cast. Vera’s original sidekick will be back. He left after season 4 if memory serves correct. Can’t wait to see season 13 in a few months. 

That's great. The replacement was a definite downgrade.

On 8/27/2023 at 7:49 PM, Post Oak said:

The Detectorists.

I can't recommend this show highly enough. One of my favorite shows ever.  It's sweet, charming, light and funny.  The cast is outstanding and the story doesn't drag. 

It's a dopamine hit for me.

Took your recommendation. Love it so far. We're not binging it so still in S1. Never would have watched it without reading your rec so thanks!

 

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UpperWestside

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29 minutes ago, Chopper said:

That's great. The replacement was a definite downgrade.

 

 

There was a much better story with her original partner. I read that it may not be a happy homecoming between the two characters, but that just adds to David Leon’s (plays Joe Ashworth) return. 
 

I believe that Ibinabo Jack’s character, DC Jacqueline Williams, is not returning because she is on another job right now. I don’t think they were entirely set on a season 13 when 12 ended so that makes sense. I liked her character, but change is good. Kenny is still there and so is DC Edwards. Kenny has great chemistry with Vera in their scenes. 

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DDD Dad

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Does anyone know whether the old series from the 1970's "Porridge" is available anywhere to watch?  I have fond memories of watching that show with my father and uncle when we visited my uncle in Norwich back when I was young.  I had never seen my dad laugh out loud at a television show before and he was in tears watching it.

Wondering if it holds up after all these years.  Plus as an added bonus Kate Beckinsale's dad starred in it.

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UpperWestside

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2 hours ago, DDD Dad said:

Does anyone know whether the old series from the 1970's "Porridge" is available anywhere to watch?  I have fond memories of watching that show with my father and uncle when we visited my uncle in Norwich back when I was young.  I had never seen my dad laugh out loud at a television show before and he was in tears watching it.

Wondering if it holds up after all these years.  Plus as an added bonus Kate Beckinsale's dad starred in it.

Looks like it is on Britbox and possibly Prime as well.

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Chopper

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I've mentioned The Sandbaggers in a different thread. Looked it up because I wanted to post about it in this thread and it looks like it's now on Apple+. Also all the eps appear to be on youtube as well. Found this video where the guy gives an intro and then walks through the first ep pointing out what makes it such great tv. He calls it one of the best shows you've never heard of. I say it's probably the best show you've never heard of. Simple and remarkable television with tension, dry wit, humorous endings, fighting bureaucracy and foreign spies, but no real action just layers of intrigue. 3 seasons and it would have gone longer but the writer and producer died suddenly.

 

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UpperWestside

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On 10/9/2023 at 11:36 AM, abuelo gringo said:

Currently enjoying The Sixth Commandment on Britbox.  Limited series based on real events concerning a young "religious" man preying on old folks.  How it was done pre internet.

I am watching this as well right now. I am on the first episode. It’s pretty good from what I have seen so far.

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UpperWestside

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The latest season of Unforgotten was really good. Having to put in a new DCI in actress Sinead Keenan to replace Nicola Walker went almost seamlessly. This is probably the best produced show in the UK currently going. How they are able to merge several storylines together by the 6th episode is just brilliant writing. The writing and acting on UK police dramas are superior in just about every facet to an American police drama in my opinion.

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UpperWestside

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Payback was indeed really good and you can definitely see the association with Line of Duty with one cop feeding info to the bad guys in the show. 
 

So the main bad guy is played by accomplished Scottish actor Peter Mullan. You might also remember him from the 2nd photo as well where he played a bad guy from out in the sticks in an American series all of us would know called Ozark. The carryover from each character is evident. He excels at this kind of role whether using his normal accent or American one. This was a highly, highly watchable show. Not sure how they could do a season two, but I am in if they figure it out. 

IMG_9470.jpeg.5b00532fb5e5a953bfdbc4d41a4d403b.jpegIMG_9471.jpeg.a4d3f322c6c6db28da4269b5d23c4b3b.jpeg

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Celery Man

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Seven Up/The Up Series is one of the greatest works of documentary filmmaking ever. I’ve watched the whole thing several times, I hope they do one last episode even though Apted passed away since the last installment.

I think it is on BritBox, here is the first episode on YouTube 

 

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UpperWestside

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Season 2 of The Chelsea Detective is a big upgrade over the 1st season with the new DS. All the characters seem to have found their voice and it just feels like the team fits together better now. 

Vanessa Emme is the new DS by the way. She plays off Adrian Scarborough’s character much better. She was in 3 episodes of Bloodlands which was a really good show, especially if you want to root for a main character to get offed because the character is so imminently hateable.

IMG_9606.thumb.jpeg.2de3e56a5881930b19bc0ad63e394d5c.jpeg

 

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Chopper

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On 11/14/2023 at 3:28 PM, TexPx said:

If you liked Broadchurch check out this Aussie murder mystery set in a small town in Tasmania. On Amazon Prime.

https://www.polygon.com/23810363/deadloch-series-season-1-prime-video-watch

This was definitely good.

On Acorn, Hidden Assets. Season 1 and 2 are both online. Season 2 just finished dropping. Police procedural involving financial crimes taking place in both Limerick, Ireland and Antwerp, Belgium. I thought it was very good. A few faults but nothing you'd bang your head against the wall over like Dexter.  I understand there will be a S3, as well.

 

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Stringer

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Seven Up/The Up Series is one of the greatest works of documentary filmmaking ever. I’ve watched the whole thing several times, I hope they do one last episode even though Apted passed away since the last installment.
I think it is on BritBox, here is the first episode on YouTube 
 

For me, this is the greatest accomplishment in cinema history. Just an incredible look at how people grow (or don’t grow) over their lives. So interesting. Nick is my guy.

I think they’ll keep it going as long as they can. It seems insane not to at this point.
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Celery Man

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3 hours ago, Stringer said:


For me, this is the greatest accomplishment in cinema history. Just an incredible look at how people grow (or don’t grow) over their lives. So interesting. Nick is my guy.

I think they’ll keep it going as long as they can. It seems insane not to at this point.

Would love to have been in a class of his. What a great Mr Holland story he had. Unfortunately he did pass away since the filming of the last. I should watch again - amazing to me that the shithead John seems like a decent person as an old man. Wish we had seen more from the upper class boy who seemed more creative and went into documentary film - I think he’s had a career. 

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UpperWestside

UpperWestside 6026

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I was worried that the newest season of Shetland would not do well because of Douglas Henshall being done with the show. What has transpired has been pretty awesome as temporary DI Tosh (Alison O’Donnell) Detective Sandy Wilson (Shetland Islands native Steven Robertson) and newcomer from the Met, DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen), have made this season just as good as those before it. This show can go on as long as they want it to with this cast.  The drama has been just as good, if not better, with having Tosh as the focus of the show.

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Stringer

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Would love to have been in a class of his. What a great Mr Holland story he had. Unfortunately he did pass away since the filming of the last. I should watch again - amazing to me that the shithead John seems like a decent person as an old man. Wish we had seen more from the upper class boy who seemed more creative and went into documentary film - I think he’s had a career. 

Yeah, I saw that on Nick. Super sad. John still has that air of an asshole, but he actually seems to be grounded and doing good works, so good on him.

Probably my favorite change was 21 Up pissed off at the world Suzy to 28 Up happily married with kids Suzy. So funny.
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Chopper

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1 hour ago, UpperWestside said:

I was worried that the newest season of Shetland would not do well because of Douglas Henshall being done with the show. What has transpired has been pretty awesome as temporary DI Tosh (Alison O’Donnell) Detective Sandy Wilson (Shetland Islands native Steven Robertson) and newcomer from the Met, DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen), have made this season just as good as those before it. This show can go on as long as they want it to with this cast.  The drama has been just as good, if not better, with having Tosh as the focus of the show.

Love this show and have it slated to watch next week.

It's on MGM+ and was probably mentioned in a different thread somewhere, but A Spy Among Friends (Kim Philby double agent story) was so much fun to watch. Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis (and Anna Maxwell Lewis, too) are outstanding. The streaming channel is on sale at prime as of yesterday.

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ClubWhatever

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I took a shot with Silk and really liked it.   The lead is a great actress.

I also liked Ballykissangel (first three season only).  Loved the gal who played the friend of the leading lady and also the guy who played the town Scrooge.

Wanted to see something more by the ballykissangel lead so I watched DCI Banks.   It's pretty good, but probably a cut below the best British drama.   Good enough to watch the whole series.

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Chopper

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1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

based on this thread, we started line of duty. in early s4 currently and keeps getting better. 

If you like Line of Duty, have you watched Shetland? It's also phenomenal. @UpperWestsidehas me psyched for S8 even though Douglas Henshall has exited. Top notch acting, writing and cinematography.

Someone above mentioned Vera which, again, is just stunning. The early seasons were shot using movie quality film and the coast of Northeast England never looked so amazing on the small screen. Endeavour and also Unforgotten are also among the best of the best. Although if you appreciate historic police procedurals, Foley's War, showing British police work in a small country city during WW2 is also beyond memorable. TMI, I'm sure.

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