What’s New on BritBox for April 2021

BritBox is a U.S. subscription video-on-demand service owned by BBC Worldwide and ITV plc. It focuses primarily on British television series, featuring current and past series supplied from the BBC and ITV. Some series, such as Coronation Street, have new episodes available the next day after their British premiere.

Here’s what’s coming to BritBox in April!

April 1, 2021: Ambassadors

Starring the celebrated comedy duo David Mitchell (Upstart Crow, The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff) and Robert Webb (The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff, Peep Show), Ambassadors is a sharply written comedy drama that follows the lives of employees at the fictional Tazbekistan embassy.

April 1, 2021: Hi-de-Hi! S1-9

Welcome to Maplins Holiday Camp, Britain’s favorite holiday camp, where the sun-drenched summer never ends, and we hope you will enjoy your stay. Set in the late 50s/early 60s, this BAFTA-winning comedy by Jimmy Perry (Dad’s Army) and David Croft (Dad’s Army, ‘Allo ‘Allo!) finds the ill-assorted staff and their guests all at sea by the seaside. The entertainment staff return to Maplins Holiday Camp only to find that the camp is now being run by a former college professor, the well-meaning but dreamy academic Jeffrey Fairbrother, who is in stark contrast to his team. After initial clashes, the team realize that they are on the same side and face far greater challenges from the holiday-makers.

April 1, 2021: The Brittas Empire S1-6

Despite his ambition and good intentions, everything seems to go wrong at Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre when manager Gordon Brittas (Chris Barrie, Red Dwarf) is around. Well-intended but largely incompetent, Brittas frequently upsets his staff, wife Helen and the public as he repeatedly brings chaos into their lives. Too busy empire-building, Nero-style, to notice that he is the problem, Brittas fiddles away merrily while Rome burns.

April 1, 2021: This Time with Alan Partridge

Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan, Cruise of the Gods) is handed the career of a lifetime: the chance to stand in as co-host on a weekday magazine show. But can he capitalize on the opportunity? Knowledgeable, insightful, sophisticated – Alan Partridge is none of these. But, even after reaching his nadir of complete obscurity and medical addiction to Toblerone, this indomitable broadcaster keeps bouncing back. This kind of format can flip in the blink of an eye from a moving piece on child soldiers in West Africa to a VT about a vegetable growing competition in Yorkshire. With the sheer variety of topics covered, striking the right tone would be dizzyingly hard even for a skilled presenter.

April 3, 2021: Easter From Kings 2021

Celebrate Easter with music and readings from the Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge. Featuring seasonal hymns performed by the world-famous choir and readings, Easter From Kings provides the rare opportunity to spend the holiday surrounded by the beauty of King’s College Chapel.

April 6, 2021: Death in Paradise S10

The hugely popular comedy-drama is back for its tenth anniversary season with its usual combination of baffling murders, intriguing puzzles and famous guest stars. Set against the stunning backdrop of the sunshine Caribbean island Saint Marie, season 10 is filled with surprises including a shock return of a familiar face and new characters turning up on shore.  The arrival of twins is the least of JP’s challenges as a new arrival, and work, tests him to his limits. Meanwhile, Selwyn finds himself in the firing line and Catherine faces grave danger following the death of a friend.

April 8, 2021: Question Time 2021

The staple NOW program will be returning to BritBox for a brand new season. The 40-year-old BBC institution continues to give the general public from around the world a voice and a chance to have their questions answered by the panelists, who are usually made up of political figures from all parties, journalists, and trade union leaders (although in recent years, we are seeing more celebrities and comedians). Presented by Fiona Bruce, who chaired it after David Dimbleby in January, the current affairs program maintains its healthy debates amid chaos and controversies.

April 13, 2021: Kate & Koji S1

Starring award-winning talent Brenda Blethyn (Vera, Secrets & Lies) and Jimmy Akingbola (Ted Lasso, Rev.), Kate & Koji follows the unlikely friendship between Kate, a working-class woman who runs an old-fashioned seaside cafe, and Koji, an African asylum seeking doctor. Although from very different worlds, they are similar in ways they do not recognize, including a dogged determination to never back down.  do not recognize, including a dogged determination to never back down. Produced by Hat Trick Productions (Celebrity Mastermind, Derry Girls) for ITV, the series was filmed in the picturesque coastal town of Herne Bay in Kent, South East England.

April 20, 2021: Antiques Roadshow S40

A national and international treasure, Antiques Roadshow has been thrilling the public for many years. And now, the historically fascinating series celebrates its 40th anniversary in style with an episode based at the magnificent Castle Howard in Yorkshire. Against the stunning backdrop of one of Britain’s grandest stately homes, experts invite the public to bring in their antiques for examination. Other episodes in this stand-out series feature the show’s signature grand locations and intriguing antiques, including a possible Renoir sketch, a rare letter written by Charles Darwin and some precious diamond drop earrings very nearly lost in the mail.

April 27, 2021: Grace

Based on the bestselling Roy Grace series by Peter James and written by Russell Lewis (Endeavour), John Simm (Life on Mars, Trauma) stars in this brand new thriller as the troubled but unyielding DS Roy Grace who has given his life to the job. When the drama opens, his career is at rock bottom. He has been exiled to running enquiries into long forgotten cold cases, and the disappearance of his beloved wife, Sandy, still haunts his thoughts. Following another reprimand for his unorthodox methods, Grace risks being moved from the job he loves most. With so much at stake, his colleague Detective Sergeant Glenn Branson knows Grace has more to give and asks him for help with a case. After a stag night prank appears to go wrong, the groom – a successful property developer with everything to live for – has gone missing. With nothing but instinct, a lingering suspicion and his obsessive nature, Grace doggedly pursues the truth.

*This is the first of two stand-alone adaptations that BritBox will release.

April 30, 2021: Rough Diamond

David Jason (A Touch of Frost) stars as Diamond Geezer Des, a long-serving prison inmate who uses his cheeky charm to carry out grand thefts under several different guises. Trusted by inmates and prison guards alike, Des is a simple soul who wouldn’t hurt a fly. He comes across as a frail old man who is honest and open, and he gains the respect of most of the inmates and prison guards. Little do they know; Des is a master of disguise and being in prison is all part of his ingenious plan. He needs the perfect alibi for the perfect crime – which is to steal valuable diamonds from fellow inmate and notorious bully Benny. He takes petty theft criminal Phil under his wing to hatch the devious and dangerous plan.

Is there anything that looks interesting to you? I have been watching for a little while and there’s a lot of great stuff on BritBox. One I highly recommend is Father Brown, a charming show about a small town minister that solves crimes. Have you tried the service? Do you have a favorite?