From Page to Screen: BritBox to Release Adaptations Based on the Best-Selling Works of Authors Ann Cleeves and Kate London with the Return of Shetland and New Original Series, The Tower, Led by Gemma Whelan
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We may be nearing the end of spooky season, but BritBox, the subscription streaming service from BBC Studios and ITV, offering the biggest and best collection of unmissable streaming British entertainment in North America, still has a few tricks and surprises up its sleeve! On November 9, Shetland, adapted from award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves’ best-selling novels, will make its highly anticipated return. BritBox will exclusively release season 6 of the riveting mystery series with new episodes weekly. But bringing characters from novels to life doesn’t stop there, as BritBox will also be releasing a thrilling Original series, The Tower, starring award-winners Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones, Killing Eve) and Jimmy Akingbola (Ted Lasso, Kate & Koji). In this three-part adaptation based on Kate London’s Metropolitan Police novel, Post Mortem, Whelan plays Detective Sergeant Sarah Collins, who investigates after a veteran beat cop and teenage girl fall to their deaths from a tower block in south-east London, leaving a five-year-old boy and rookie police officer Lizzie Griffiths on the roof only for both to go missing.
On a lighter note, comedy fans will have something to laugh about this November when The Cleaner premieres on BritBox. Starring Greg Davies and top tier guest stars such as BAFTA winner and Emmy nominee Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown) and David Mitchell (Peep Show), the series follows the wacky life of Wicky, a chatty everyman whose profession as a crime scene cleaner brings him into contact with a quirky cast of characters and sometimes even the killers themselves. Ending November on a high note, Call the Midwife returns for a 10th season on the 25th. Based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, follow the nurses, midwives and nuns from Nonnatus House as they face more challenges in 1966 East London.
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
November 1, 2021: Autumnwatch 2021 | North American Premiere, BritBox Exclusive | 4 X 60 | Airs Daily
Autumnwatch returns for a week of live wildlife stories from across the UK. Enjoy the very best of the season in a natural escape that lets nature do the talking, including a woodland symphony composed using the sounds of fungi, nightlife images taken by a thermal camera, and wildlife dramas at Wild Ken Hill. Join Chris Packham (Springwatch, Winterwatch), Michaela Strachan (Springwatch, Winterwatch), Gillian Burke (Springwatch, Winterwatch) and Megan McCubbin (Springwatch, Winterwatch) as they live broadcast the beautiful wildlife throughout autumn.
November 2, 2021: The Cleaner | BritBox Original, North American Premiere, BritBox Exclusive | 6 X 30
Greg Davies (The Inbetweeners) stars as Wicky, a state-certified cleaning technician responsible for the removal of any signs of death from the scenes of ghastly crimes. When the detectives are done, he moves in, armed with his bleach, scrubbing brushes and cleaning rags. He’s a thoroughly decent everyman who always gets the dirty jobs. Those jobs bring him into contact with the strangest people: those who knew the victims, and sometimes even the killers themselves, portrayed by A-List Guest stars like Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown) and David Mitchell (Peep Show). But because he’s a chatty man, Wicky tends to gossip more than he cleans. With every crime scene there’s a new topical theme or moral question to debate – with whoever he finds himself talking to. And occasionally, even a clue the detectives have missed.
November 4, 2021: Mock The Week | North American Premiere, BritBox Exclusive | 7 X 30 | NOW
These days the weekly news might be easier to take with a touch of comedy. Combining the best elements of a panel show, stand-up and improvised games, this punchy panel show returns with Britain’s top comics taking a satirical swipe at the news and current events.
November 9, 2021: Shetland S6 | North American Premiere, BritBox Exclusive | 6 X 60 | Airs Weekly
Based on the best-selling books by award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows Detective Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall, Outlander) and his team as they investigate crime within the close-knit island community. In Season 6, when a young man disappears on the overnight ferry to Shetland, DI Jimmy Perez and the team embark on a challenging case that leads them from the Shetland Islands to Glasgow.
November 23, 2021: Chef White’s | New to BritBox | 6 X 30
Set in the kitchen of a country house hotel and restaurant in rural Wales, the series follows the trials and tribulations of a head chef and his long suffering sous chef. Alan Davies (QI) stars as Roland White, a celebrity chef who has grand ambitions but is a bit past his sell-by-date. When he can be bothered, Roland cooks up a storm, but for much of the time he leaves the kitchen to his sous-chef, Bib (Darren Boyd, Killing Eve). Bib should strike out on his own, but can never quite bring himself to abandon Roland because not only are they quarrelsome best friends – they need one another. And besides, they both enjoy a battle of wills with Caroline, the owner, who puts business before genius.
November 25, 2021: Call the Midwife S10 | SVOD Premiere, BritBox Exclusive | 8 X 60, 1 X 90 |
The wait is over, Call the Midwife is back! Based on the best-selling memoirs of the late Jennifer Worth, this moving series gives a true-to-life look at the colorful stories of midwifery and families in East London in the Fifties and Sixties. Season 10 picks up in 1966 – a testing time for midwives, but not lacking excitement as the women’s rights movement intensifies. With Trixie’s (Helen George, Red Dwarf) help, Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter, Rough Diamond) is determined to steer Nonnatus House out of its financial quandary. Dr. Turner (Stephen McGann, Casualty) deals with an array of difficult cases including a former soldier involved in nuclear test explosions. Meanwhile, Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt, Little Dorrit) experiences a crisis of faith, and Sister Frances (Ella Bruccoleri, All Creatures Great and Small) realizes she needs to be a little less spiritual if she’s to really connect with the local women. There are some interesting challenges ahead, as well as great celebrations when England wins the World Cup.
Coming Soon, 2021: The Tower | BritBox Original, North American Premiere, BritBox Exclusive | 3 X 60
Based on the acclaimed debut novel by Kate London, The Tower follows a former detective who spent eight years in the Metropolitan Police’s homicide squad. The series opens on a veteran cop and teenage girl falling to their death from a tower block in London’s East End. Left behind and alive on the roof are rookie police officer Lizzie Griffiths (Tahirah Sharif, The Haunting of Bly Manor) and a five-year-old boy. Within hours, Lizzie has disappeared. Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones) stars as DSI Sarah Collins as her character sets out to uncover the truth around the grisly deaths and track down Lizzie. Little does she know that the investigation will take her into the dark heart of policing in a complex city and cast a shadow over Sarah and Lizzie’s lives. The Tower will bring this thrilling, intelligent crime story to life on screen with an incredible cast featuring Jimmy Akingbola (Kate & Koji) Emmet Scanlan (The Fall) and Nick Holder (Psychoville).
Coming Soon: In Defence (2000) | New to BritBox, BritBox Exclusive | 4 X 60
Making a formidable team, a sharp, witty barrister (Ross Kemp, EastEnders) with his former lover, a feisty female solicitor (Sophie Okonedo, The Secret Life of Bees) in this gritty legal drama series. The pair take it upon themselves to investigate cases where the police have failed to uncover enough evidence to secure a conviction. It is a constantly shocking and controversial battle within the British legal system.