BritBox Adds Three Fun Thrillers for The End of December

BritBox initially launched in 2017 on the back of having a complete catalog of British favorites that were, up until that point, only found haphazardly on streaming. Classic Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, the old Upstairs Downstairs, Inspector Morse, and the like. The service also attempted to appeal to British ex-pats with live coverage of cultural hallmarks streamed from its BBC and ITV partners. While the streaming service has pivoted to originals since then, some of these segments remain, especially in the last year, with massive coverage of the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth's passing, and of course, the King's first Christmas Speech.

But BritBox no longer relies on this stuff alone to bring in viewers. This year it's introducing a new scheme, BritBoxing, starting Boxing Day, Monday, December 26, and running through the end of the year. Most of what will be available on the first day is a series of 2022 Christmas specials. However, three new shows starring actors well-known in America will also arrive, with all episodes for those taking the year's final week to laze around the house. They are Wagatha: A Courtroom Drama on December 27, The Control Room on December 28, and finally, Deadline on December 29.

The two-part Wagatha: A Courtroom Drama is hitting Channel 4 on December 21 and 22, so this is a swift turnaround for American streaming. Based on the highly publicized “Wagatha Christie” social media scandal that wound up as the court case Rebekah Vardy v Coleen Rooney. For though who are not even a little bit online, Rooney suspected one of her girlfriends was leaking gossip about her family, eventually revealing it to be Vardy via Twitter. The cast makes it look like the series will be worth watching; Chanel Cresswell (This is England) plays Rooney, and Natalia Tena (Game of Thrones) as Vardy, with Michael Sheen (Good Omens) as lawyer David Sherborne.

Second up, there's The Control Room, with stars Marvel series veteran Scottish actor Iain De Caestecker (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). The three-part thriller series aired on the BBC over consecutive nights in July 2022. De Caestecker stars as ambulance control room worker Gabe Maver, with Joanna Vanderham (The Paradise) as Sam Tolmie, a former childhood friend who ropes him into a cover-up. The series didn't get high marks for creativity or writing, but the acting was supposed to be good, so hopefully, it will be enjoyable. 

And last but certainly not least is the Channel 5 thriller Deadline, starring another Marvel veteran, James D'arcy (Marvel's Agent Carter), alongside Charlie Murphy (Happy Valley). This four-part thriller aired in April, with D'arcy as a journalist obsessed with the murder case surrounding Natalie Varga (Murphy), a London-based member of Hungarian high society accused of murdering her extremely wealthy husband. Like The Control Room, this is not one that got high marks for being a high-end series, but in a lineup of good old fashioned turn your brain off TV, it's a fitting conclusion.

Wagatha: A Courtroom Drama, The Control Room, and Deadline stream with all episodes over three consecutive days from December 27-29, 2022, on BritBox.