Shows That Aren't On BritBox, But Should Be

We need more quaint British TV

There are few things my wife Robin loves more than a quaint British TV series… our son, yellow sheet cake with chocolate frosting, maybe nothing else? She recently got into a new show called Ludwig, which led us to discover the deep back catalog of English television available on the streaming service BritBox. Sure, we all know about Downton Abbey, but it turns out there’s a whole universe of rain-soaked detectives and clumsy butlers out there.

But still—it’s not enough. Once you get hooked on quaint British TV, nothing else scratches the itch. Here are some shows that aren’t yet on BritBox, but definitely should be.

Little Dripping

Detective Inspector Peter Wellingborough (Rupert Bindle) solves murders in the tiny, picturesque village of Little Dripping, where 3/4ths of the population is found dead over the course of nine seasons. Each victim is discovered in increasingly whimsical locations—the cricket pavilion, the annual jam competition, inside the May Day maypole. The Guardian calls it “relentlessly, unapologetically British.”

Plunging Heights

A gritty drama set in the perpetually gray northern town of Coalsham, where it has rained continuously since 1963. In between shifts at the grease factory, Darren Scowlsley (James McScotland) squints at the weather, his family, and occasionally directly into the camera. Radio Times praises it as “depressingly authentic.”

Terribly Sorry!

This workplace comedy is set in Pemberton & Sons, a thriving publishing company housed in a Victorian building with absurdly narrow hallways. Uptight office manager Fiona Pinchley (Emma Thompkins-Thomas) and timid new hire Martin Mumblesmith (James Cringely) attempt to navigate the close quarters with hilariously apologetic results. The Evening Standard says it’s “drier than a Christmas sausage.”