Everything British Worth Streaming in December 2024

December is upon us, and if you weren't ready for 2024 to be over, well, I can't help you; heck, I can't even get my stuff together, as evidenced by the fact that this post is going up five days after the first of the month. To be fair, it's not totally my fault; some of the delays were due to (A) the holidays and (B) the inability of specific networks (who shall remain nameless) to set all their release dates for the holiday season before they all went on vacation. But finally, everyone's ducks are in a row (well, mostly), and we can run down everything streaming for December 2024, the holidays, and the end of the year.

The "Festive Special" (which is the politically correct term the Brits landed on in the early aughts and are now stuck using) is a British tradition in the best sense of the word; the true "TV replaces staring at the fire" in action, as families gather in the living room and instead of staring at flames and reaming, they stare at all the characters they spend the year with, checking in to see how the holidays are going at their place. Americans have the Lifetime/Hallmark Christmas Movies, of course, and network shows here sometimes still air holiday-timed episodes in conjunction with the season. But with scripted series taking less real estate on our televisions, it's now becoming a borrowed tradition on these shores as those of us on this side of the pond tune into the Christmas episodes coming over from the U.K.

It's not wall-to-wall "festive" offerings; some regular programming is mixed in for the scrooges who would like to be excused from the holiday narrative. Let's run down everything on offer, including a couple that debuted in the first few days of the month.

Dalgliesh Season 3

Our first show has already started airing, the new season of everyone’s favorite poet-detective Dalgliesh. Bertie Carvel returns as the titular Adam Dalgliesh for three more two-part adaptations of PD James’ best-selling murder mysteries. Like the first two seasons, the series continues to cover the same stories that the 1980s-era Dalgliesh series did on PBS, but in a more cohesive narrative, resetting everything to the 1970s. The first two episodes started streaming exclusively on Acorn TV on Monday, December 2, 2024; two more follow on consecutive Mondays through mid-December.

White Lies

I feel generally bad about this one: Natalie Dormer finally landed herself a police procedural, the politically relevant White Lies, a South African series produced during the hot minute streaming services thought it might be an economically viable place to launch. Unfortunately, in the time it took to make the series that theory failed to produce, streamers abandoned the country, and a small but brilliant show is now being shuffled off to Sundance Now and AMC+, where no one will ever know it exists. White Lies premieres Thursday, December 5, 2024; one episode a week to follow through mid-January. 

The Chelsea Detective 2024 Christmas Special

The first of Acorn TV’s holiday specials goes to The Chelsea Detective, which successfully returned for Season 2 and announced Season 3 a few weeks back. Adrian Scarborough returns as DI Max Arnold saddled with the case of Chloe Carmichael, former popstar and one-time darling of the tabloids, who is found dead in her Chelsea mansion flat in the days leading up to Christmas. They first suspect a drug overdose, but forensics soon establish that Chloe had been drowned in the bath—the special premieres exclusively on Acorn TV on Monday, December 16, 2024.

The Newsreader 

A brand new period piece series set in the mid-1980s, starring Fringe’s Anna Torv and Interview with a Vampire’s Sam Reid, sounds like it should be the next cult hit if it were only streaming someplace that was not Sundance Now or AMC+. The Newsreader is an Australian series where Torv and Reid play an odd-couple-style pair of reporters covering the era’s significant stories, including the Challenger explosion, the hype of Halley’s Comet, and the complexities of the AIDS crisis. The series premieres Thursday, December 19, 2024, and will stream one episode a week through the end of January.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries 2024 Christmas Special

Acorn TV’s other high-profile holiday offering is the second-ever Christmas special for The Madame Blanc Mysteries. Antiques dealer Jean White (Sally Lindsey) and her friends in Sainte Victoire attend a murder mystery night at a hotel with a spooky history. When an actual murder takes place, a rainstorm traps Jean inside with all the suspects. Sounds like a party to me! The special will air and stream on Channel 5 and Acorn TV on Friday, December 20, 2024.

Darby & Joan Season 2

Finally, the Australian set series Darby & Joan returns for a second season three years after debuting in 2022. Season 1 focused on widowed English nurse Joan Kirkhope (Greta Scacchi), searching for who killed her husband and teaming up with ex-detective Jack Darby (Bryan Brown). Season 2 will focus on Dabry’s past and why exactly he took to the open road with no plans to ever return home. The new season arrives with two episodes on Acorn TV on Monday, December 3, 20024; new episodes continue every Monday through the end of January.

The Secret Lives of Animals

Narrated by PBS favorite Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Apple TV+'s latest team-up with the BBC Natural History Unit has brought us The Secret Lives of Animals. Running ten episodes, the new series highlights 77 unique species in 24 countries over three years, revealing stunning, never-before-seen animal behaviors and highlighting the remarkable intelligence of the natural world. All ten episodes will arrive at once on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

Joan Season 1

For those who could not be bothered to watch Sophie Turner's excellent turn as Joan Harrington in Joan when it aired on the American network CW (of all places!), the good news is that since CW doesn't have a streaming service, the series will go to BritBox. The BBC-owned streamer will run the series like it does all its high-profile gets, two episodes a week, starting on Thursday, December 5, 2024, and running through mid-December. We already recapped it from the CW run, and we highly recommend it. 

Shetland Season 9 

Shetland finally returns, just as we thought it might be 2025 before it came here. This is the second season since the primary lead switched from Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez to Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder, effectively rebooting the series entirely and producing a brand new (and surprisingly much improved) detective show. The new season kicks off with Calder thrown in at the deep end after a friend of DI Alison McIntosh goes missing. Season 9 premieres Wednesday, December 11, 2024, and will follow with one episode a week on Wednesdays through the end of January.

The Jetty Season 1

Jenna Coleman enters her detective era in The Jetty, one of the series we've been looking forward to arriving over here since it was initially announced. Coleman stars as Ember Manning, who is tasked with figuring out the connection between a fire, a cold case, and an illicit love triangle between a man in his twenties and two underage girls. This is a bit of an oddity, as BritBox announced it first, and then, 48 hours later, Hulu announced it also had picked up the rights to stream it. All four episodes will arrive on Friday, December 13, 2024, on BritBox and Hulu.

BritBox's 2024 Festive Slate

As is only right and proper, BritBox will bring a slew of British "Festive Specials" over to this side of the pond this holiday season, featuring fan favorites Sister Boniface, the teams of Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise, and, as always, Carols from Kings. Here's the full rundown: 

• Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas Special 2024: Once Upon a Time Tuesday, December 17, 2024
• Beyond Paradise Christmas Special 2024 Wednesday, December 25, 2024
• Carols from King’s Christmas Special 2024 Thursday, December 26, 2024
• Gavin & Stacey: The Finale Thursday, December 26, 2024
• Death in Paradise Christmas Special 2024 Friday, December 27, 2024
• Inside No. 9: The Party’s Over Monday, December 30, 2024
• Gardeners’ World Winter Special 2024 Tuesday, December 31, 2024
• Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell Wednesday, January 1, 2025

*Updated 12.12.2024

Protection Season 1

Siobhan Finneran is also entering her detective era, though one could argue it's not as big a deal as Coleman since she did co-star in Happy Valley. The new series, Protection, features Finneran as a witness protection officer who has to deal with a shooting at the safe house where her witnesses were being kept. The case only grows more complex as it turns out to be an inside job. All six episodes will arrive on Sunday, December 29, 2024. 

The Jetty Season 1

(See BritBox Above)

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special

Disney+ may only have one British Festive Special, but it's the big one as Doctor Who's second reboot returns for Christmas, from the episode's looks. Titled "Joy to the World," guest star Nicola Coughlan will be bringing the holiday to the Doctor and London and everything everywhere all at once while she's at it—the special streams starting around noon ET on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, 2024.

That Christmas

Another one that was already here by the time I finished this list is Netflix's new holiday animated film. It is based on Richard Curtis' That Christmas trilogy of children's books, all short stories set around the Christmas celebration and adjoining holidays. An A-list roster of British talent voices the characters, and someone convinced Ed Sheeran to write an original Christmas song for Netflix to help promote as part of the film. The film started streaming on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

Black Doves Season 1

Black Doves is Netflix's about-to-be next-big-hit. The streaming service is so sure it's the next big hit that Season 2 is already in production. I've seen all the episodes, and gentle reader, Netflix is correct. Keira Knightley stars as a spy posing as a politician's wife who learns her lover has been murdered. Ben Whishaw is her old assassin friend who joins her on a quest for truth and vengeance. The two put all that big-screen blockbuster action training they learned in the Pirates and Bond franchises to damn fine use. All episodes debut on Thursday, December 5, 2024.

The Great British Baking Show: Holidays Season 7

In a slightly odd decision, Netflix is not streaming The Great British Baking Show: Holidays Season 7 (comprised of the 2023 Christmas Special and the 2024 New Year's Special from 11 months ago) on the Friday after the season finale. Instead, both episodes, comprised of returning contestants from prior years, debuts on Monday, December 9, 2024. Please make a note of it.