The heat of summer is behind us, and BritBox is bringing us more films, comedies and dramas: from the award-winning Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom starring Idris Elba, the critically acclaimed Staged starring David Tennant, The Tourist starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie and more.
BritBox UK (don’t confuse it with the US version) is a streaming subscription service owned by ITV. It curates British TV programmes and classic films from ITV, BBC, Channel 5 and Channel 4.
The subscription costs £5.99/month or £59.99/year, and you can usually get a free trial (See my review of BritBox UK here).
You can subscribe either directly via the BritBox website, or as an Amazon Prime Video channel (which will then make it available on every device with a Prime Video app – including Sky Q / Sky Glass).
It’s worth noting that big changes are coming to BritBox UK soon, with it moving over to become a part of ITV’s new streaming service, ITVX – learn more about the upcoming BritBox changes in our guide.
- Missed the previous month? Here’s everything that came to BritBox in August 2022.
As always, some content may be added later in the month, but these are the highlights for the month of September 2022:
September 1
Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004)
A comedy film directed by Peter Richardson, where Winston Churchill is portrayed as a no-nonsense American GI, flown to Europe to thwart Hitler and save the monarchy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uou6GBZCck
He romances a young Princess Elizabeth, and together with his good mate, Eisenhower, they rescue Britain from a plot to hand the country over to the Nazis.
Starring Christian Slater, Neve Campbell, Miranda Richardson, Harry Enfield, Rik Mayall and Bob Mortimer.
Eat the Rich (1987)
Alex is a disgruntled server at a snobby exclusive restaurant who falls on hard times. Forced to deal with the contempt and disgust of the upper class, Alex and his cohorts attempt to go on a rampage.
Meanwhile, General Karpov and Spider plot to involve the inept anarchists in their plans to derail the Prime-Minister-to-be’s campaign.
Starring Al Pillay, Nosher Powell, Rik Mayall and Lemmy.
Sweeney! (1977)
Hard-bitten Flying Squad officer Jack Regan gets embroiled in a deadly political plot when an old friend asks him to investigate the death of his girlfriend.
Framed on a drunk-drive charge and suspended from the force, with his partner and best mate George Carter unable to help, Jack must rely on his wits to evade deadly government hitmen and expose the real villain of the piece.
Starring John Thaw, Barry Foster, Diane Keen, Dennis Waterman and Ian Bannen.
The Pope Must Die (1991)
When Pope Pius dies suddenly, the Mafia engineers the election of liberal priest-cum-car-mechanic Father Albinizi as the new pope.
However, the new pope slowly realises that he has been duped and sets out to expose the corruption thereby saving his own life.
Starring Robbie Coltrane, Peter Richardson, Paul Bartel and Herbert Lom.
The Supergrass (1985)
While taking a holiday in the country with his mother, Dennis hits on a scheme to impress a girl so that she’ll go away on a trip with him as his girlfriend. Although he fails to gain any interest from the girl, the police take a great interest in his story.
From this point on, Dennis digs a deeper hole for himself at every turn.
Starring Ade Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane, Peter Richardson and Keith Allen.
Who Killed Nancy? (2009)
Documentary feature film: On October 12th 1978, Nancy Spungen, an ex-prostitute and drug addict was found dead in a bathroom at the Chelsea Hotel in New York.
Her boyfriend, Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious, was the assumed killer until he died of an overdose.
The Comic Strip Presents… (Seasons 1-5, 1982-1990)
A series of self-contained television movies starring performers from London’s “Comic Strip” comedy club and their friends.
Noted for a high sense of parody of previous movies, literature, and generally everyone in sight.
Starring Peter Richardson, Ade Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Rik Mayall.
September 8
Staged (Season 1)
David Tennant and Michael Sheen star as two actors whose West End play has been put on hold due to Covid-19, but whose director has persuaded them to carry on rehearsing online.
The season also aired on Netflix in the UK, but will be removed from there on September 3, and then move to BritBox.
Away (2016)
Set in the seaside town of Blackpool, an unlikely friendship blossoms between a lonely, suicidal widower and a young woman trying to escape an abusive ex-boyfriend.
Starring Timothy Spall, Hayley Squires, Juno Temple and Joanna Roth.
Cracks (2009)
Jealousy flares after the headmistress of an elite boarding school for girls becomes obsessed with a new student.
Starring Eva Green, MarÃa Valverde, Juno Temple and Imogen Poots.
Friends and Crocodiles (2006)
Tracing the changing relationship of maverick entrepreneur Paul Reynolds and his assistant Lizzie Thomas over a period of 20 years from the beginnings of the Thatcher era to the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
Starring Damian Lewis, Robert Lindsay, Eddie Marsan and Jodhi May.
Golden Years (2016)
Fate, the pensions crisis and a steadfast refusal to accept the injustice of old age have contrived to force law abiding, retired couple, Arthur and Martha Goode into a life of crime.
Refusing to take the loss of their pensions lying down and to fade away into their declining years, our characters decide to fight back.
They decide to take back what was theirs in the first place – They decide to start robbing banks.
Starring Bernard Hill, Virginia McKenna, Phil Davis, Sue Johnston, Mark Williams and Alun Armstrong.
Joe’s Palace (2007)
A drama centred on the relationship between Elliot Graham, a strange and wealthy Londoner, and Joe Dix, a teenager who takes care of an empty house Elliot owns.
Starring Sir Michael Gambon, Danny Lee Wynter, Rupert Penry-Jones, Kelly Reilly, Rebecca Hall and Alfie Allen.
Onegin (1999)
Russia, 1820s: Onegin inherits his uncle’s country estate and moves there from St. Petersburg. He befriends his neighbour, Lensky, and meets Tatyana through him. She falls in love with Onegin but he just wants friendship.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Liv Tyler, Toby Stephens and Lena Headey.
Song for a Raggy Boy (2003)
The true story of a single teacher’s courage to stand up against an untouchable prefect’s sadistic disciplinary regime and other abuse in a Catholic Reformatory and Industrial School in 1939 Ireland.
Starring Iain Glen, Aidan Quinn, John Travers, Dudley Sutton, Chris Newman and Marc Warren.
The Tourist (2010)
Frank, an American tourist, is visiting Italy to deal with a recent heartbreak. Elise sits with him on a Venice-bound and makes everyone believe that he is her lover, who is wanted by the police.
Starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Rufus Sewell and Steven Berkoff.
W.E. (2011)
Wally is obsessed with what she deems to be the greatest love story, that of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. However, she soon realizes that their romance was not as perfect as she believed.
Starring Andrea Riseborough, Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac, James D’Arcy, David Harbour and Katie McGrath.
Perfect Strangers (Miniseries, 2001)
At an elaborately organised reunion, held in a grand London hotel, Raymond, his wife Esther and their son Daniel are slowly drawn into their ancestors’ family tree. Meeting distant, and not so distant, relatives for the first time they begin to establish their positions within this eccentric and eclectic family.
Helping them on their way, Stephen, the appointed ‘pedigree-hunter’ and archivist, unravels their entwined stories with the aid of his extraordinary collection of family photographs.
In an attempt to piece together and make sense of their forgotten or obscured personal histories, the past impacts on the present and they come face to face with the darkest of family secrets.
TV miniseries directed by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Michael Gambon, Jill Baker, Matthew McFayden and Anton Lesser.
The Lost Prince (2004)
The Lost Prince follows the life and times of Prince John, the youngest son of George V and Queen Mary whose short life spanned one of the most momentous periods in British history.
As a very small boy he is surrounded by the extravagant court of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and is a witness to many royal occasions. But as he grows, Johnnie becomes prone to epileptic fits and his family becomes increasingly embarrassed by his condition.
They have him shut away in a remote farmhouse on the Sandringham estate. During his isolation, he holds his own miniature court and watches the adult world become consumed by the tragedy of the First World War.
Starring Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Tom Hollander, Bill Nighy and Bibi Andersson.
September 15
A United Kingdom (2016)
The story of King Seretse Khama of Botswana and how his loving but controversial marriage to a British white woman, Ruth Williams, put his kingdom into political and diplomatic turmoil.
Starring David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Jack Davenport, Jessica Oyelowo, Tom Felton and Laura Carmichael.
Creep (2004)
Party-loving Kate wakes up in a London tube station to find the place locked up and deserted. With no choice but to stay there until morning, Kate soon finds that some things are much more frightening than being alone, as she heads into the labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city, pursued by an unknown attacker.
Starring Franka Potente, Sean Harris and Jeremy Sheffield.
Enemy At The Gates (2001)
Vasily Zaytsev, a Russian sniper, gains notoriety for killing numerous Nazis during the Battle of Stalingrad. Major Konig of Germany is then tasked to get retribution and kill Zaytsev.
Starring Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Ed Harris, Joseph Fiennes, Bob Hoskins and Ron Perlman.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
A chronicle of Nelson Mandela’s life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
Starring Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Lindi Matshikiza and Deon Lotz.
Oliver Twist (2005)
An adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.
Directed by Roman Polanski and starring Ben Kingsley, Barney Clark, Harry Eden, Mark Strong, Jamie Foreman and Leanne Rowe.
Selma (2014)
A chronicle of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Starring David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo and Cuba Gooding Jr..
The Monocled Mutineer (1986)
During World War I, Percy Toplis, a deserter from the British Army, played a major role in the Étaples Mutiny in September 1917.
Starring Paul McGann, Cherie Lunghi, Bill Fellows, Jerome Flynn, Timothy West and Jim Carter.
September 22
Danny And The Human Zoo (2015)
A dramatised account of the early life and career of impressionist, comedian and actor Lenny Henry in 1970s Dudley.
Starring Lenny Henry, Kascion Franklin, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, Cecilia Noble and Evanna Lynch.
Hyena (2014)
Good policing doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything by the book. But as the business of crime in London turns to favour the Albanians and Turks, how does a “good” policeman survive?
Starring Peter Ferdinando, Stephen Graham, Elisa Lasowski and Neil Maskell.
Match Point (2005)
At a turning point in his life, a former tennis pro falls for an actress who happens to be dating his friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law.
Directed by Woody Allen and starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Penelope Wilton and Brian Cox.
To End All Wars (2001)
A true story about four Allied POWs who endure harsh treatment from their Japanese captors during World War II while being forced to build a railroad through the Burmese jungle. Ultimately they find true freedom by forgiving their enemies.
Based on the true story of Ernest Gordon. Starring Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Carlyle, Ernest Gordon and Mark Strong.
September 29
The Last Days of Lehman Brothers (2009)
Founded in 1850, Lehman Brothers was one of Wall Street’s oldest investment banks before its collapse.
This film gives a dramatisation of the most dramatic weekend on Wall Street since 1929.
Starring James Cromwell, Corey Johnson, James Bolam, Ben Daniels, Michael Landes and William Hope.
Van Gogh: Painted with Words (2010)
Award-winning drama-documentary, presented by Alan Yentob, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead role of Vincent Van Gogh, using dialogue sourced from the artist’s letters to his brother.
3 Non-Blondes (Seasons 1-2, 2003)
Gary Reich, the man who started the hidden-camera careers of Sacha Baron Cohen (Da Ali G Show) and Dom Joly (Trigger Happy TV), has found three women to take to the streets and carry the genre just that little bit further. Nothing is sacred and no one is safe.
Starring Jocelyn Jee Esien, Ninia Benjamin and Tameka Empson.
Rab C Nesbitt (Seasons 1-8, 1988-1999)
Rab C. Nesbitt is lowlife scum (and proud of it) in Glasgow, Scotland who spends his time drinking in his local and speaking to the camera about the state of society as he sees it.
Starring Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper, Elaine C. Smith, Andrew Fairlie and Barbara Rafferty.
The Real McCoy (Seasons 2-5, 1991-1995)
The groundbreaking sketch show that brought the black British perspective to TV, packed with guest stars, music and razor-sharp comedy.
Starring Leo Chester, Curtis Walker, Felix Dexter and Robbie Gee.