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Cape Town - The land of crumpets, the Crown and “cor, blimey” also delivers some bloody brilliant telly.
Here are 9 of the most gripping British thrillers, mysteries, crime, horror and fantasy series, all available on internet TV.
James Keziah Delaney is a haunted man, back from Africa as if from the dead, returning to 1800s London to gate-crash his father’s funeral. He finds out he’s the sole heir to his father’s last remaining asset: A piece of land in North America called Nootka Sound, invaluable to both the Empire and the Americans they’re fighting … and to the ruthless East India Company, who want Nootka to enable trade with the East. But James refuses to sell, and immediately makes scores of deadly enemies. Adding literal insult to injury, his beloved half-sister Zilpha wishes he’d just disappear again before exposing their dark, secret past. Produced by Ridley Scott, created by and starring Tom Hardy and directed by Kristoffer Nyholm, who also brought us the Danish original series The Killing, this is a gritty, harrowing period drama that will instantly have you hooked, and Showmax is the only place in Africa you’ll get to see it.
Watch the trailer here:
Only available on Showmax.
Though this fun and frightening series is a spin-off of Dr Who set in contemporary London, you don’t have to be a Whoniverse expert to enjoy it. Four students at the Coal Hill Academy, along with their unusual teacher Miss Quill, must battle alien monsters invading Earth via the weak spot created by the time-travelling Doctor. It’s fantasy set in the world of teenagers, yes, but this isn’t exactly family-friendly fare: The monsters are genuinely creepy, and even the students and teachers aren’t what they seem. Available only on Showmax.
Watch the trailer here:
Only available on Showmax.
Launched on Wednesday on Showmax, this riveting miniseries sees Maya Cobbina, a lawyer who has defended a man on death row for 20 years, returning to the UK to take up the role of the country’s first black Director of Public Prosecutions. She finally sees a way to seek justice for the violent death of her friend Michael, an anti-racism activist, who was killed in police custody 20 years before. But then her househusband partner receives an unwelcome visit and suddenly his secret about how and why he met Maya around the time of her friend’s death threatens to break up their family.
Watch the trailer here:
Now available on Showmax.
The Frankenstein Chronicles: FIRST on Showmax
Sean Bean plays policeman John Marlott, a war vet haunted by the ghosts of his wife and child, who makes a grisly discovery on the banks of the Thames in this bone-chillingly dark and brilliantly acted series. In an attempt to unlock the secrets of the otherworldly force that is targeting London’s children, Marlott enlists the help of author Mary Shelley. Throbbing with violence and laced with pretty graphic blood and gore, it will be gobbled up by connoisseurs of horror looking for a new take on one of the earliest examples of the genre.
Watch the trailer here:
Available first on Showmax.
Don’t miss one of the best police thrillers modern television has to offer, a police drama full of edge, action and brooding suspense. Our hero is Idris Elba (of course), a police detective from London who loves to hunt down serial killers. But there are times when Luther’s controversial methods may not only fall short, but even encourage the killer to go further. Seasons 1 to 4 are available on Showmax, and Season 5 is reportedly in the works for release next year. (Oh, and have you seen this sexy cover shoot of the one and only Idris for Essence magazine?)
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Showmax.
Elisabeth Moss is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors right now in the wake of Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale, and in this chilling mystery miniseries from 2013, she plays a Sydney investigator who returns to her small hometown of Laketop, New Zealand (although set in New Zealand the series is produced by BBC). She is handed a case more disturbing than any she’s dealt with before - a 12-year-old girl from an isolated community reveals that she’s pregnant, but refuses to name her abuser. And then she disappears. This was the first ever miniseries to be screened at the Sundance Film Festival, and the long-awaited Season 2, Top of the Lake: China Girl, was released earlier this year.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Showmax.
In Season 1 of this acclaimed crime series, Olivia Colman (who won the BAFTA for Best Actress for her role) and David Tennant play police detectives who are tasked with investigating the murder of an 11-year-old boy in the close-knit small town of Broadchurch. The boy is the son of the best friend of Colman’s character, Ellie Miller, and she and Detective Alec Hardy, who was given the job she wanted and whose brusque demeanour does him no favours, are led on a series of red-herring trails that leave them suspecting everybody in town of the crime.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Netflix.
The name’s Sherlock Holmes, and he’s a detective with some unsavoury vices. The name of his trusty sidekick is John Watson. And that’s where the similarities between Arthur Conan Doyle’s timeless character and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock ends. Set in modern-day London, this multi-award-winning mystery series sees Holmes consulting to the police when they’re stuck with a crime without any leads, and Watson, played impeccably by Martin Freeman, is an ex-military doctor who has very little time for Holmes’s cleverness or his arrogance … but is intrigued by the thrill of the chase. Seasons 1 to 3 are on Netflix, with Season 4 having aired in the UK earlier this year.
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Netflix.
Another Emmy- and Golden-Globe-winning series starring Olivia Colman, The Night Manager is based on the John le Carre novel and also stars Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston. It’s a white-knuckle thriller about a luxury hotel manager (played by Hiddleston), who also happens to be a former British soldier, recruited by an intelligence operative (Colman) to go undercover and infiltrate the life of arms dealer Richard Roper (Laurie). His goal is to expose the secret dealings between the intelligence community and the illegal arms trade, but Roper’s no fool. (Look out for author Carre’s appearance in episode 4!)
Watch the trailer here:
Available on Amazon Prime.
