Serial killers are in the crosshairs on BritBox this October! Headlining the bonanza of new and exclusive true crime offerings is the second season of gripping police drama Manhunt II: The Night Stalker, starring Martin Clunes, and the limited series Des, with David Tennant delivering a chilling performance. Plus we see the return of Vera, with our intrepid detective solving grisly crimes against the picturesque backdrop of northern England.
Truth can be stranger (and more compelling) than fiction, and true crime lovers are well catered for on BritBox this month, with a feast of intrigue-laden titles and a packed rogues’ gallery to keep viewers perched on the edge of their seats.
New box sets added to the BritBox menu this month include four seasons of The Durrells on Thursday 14 October, based on Gerald Durrell’s books detailing his family’s adventures on the Greek island of Corfu; and eight seasons of Hustle on Thursday 21 October, the acclaimed crime drama series about a group of con artists who shun simple confidence tricks in favour of more lucrative “long cons”.
BritBox is available to stream via the web, on Android and Apple mobile/tablets, FireTV, AppleTV, Samsung Smart TV and LG Smart TV. Enjoy one week’s free trial, sign up at R99,99 per month or R999,99 for 12 months, and register for email updates at www.britbox.com.
Follow BritBox on Twitter and Instagram @BritBox_ZA and on Facebook @BritBoxZA.
New and exclusive to BritBox in October
Thursday 7 October 2021
Manhunt II: The Night Stalker
Martin Clunes (who can also be seen on BritBox in Doc Martin, A Mother’s Son and Vanity Fair) continues to flex his dramatic acting chops in the second season of this true crime series, subtitled The Night Stalker.
A 17-year reign of terror has left thousands of elderly people in south London living in fear of a serial rapist, until Metropolitan Police detective Colin Sutton (Clunes) enters the fray in a last-ditch bid to crack the case. The Met’s Operation Minstead, set up in 1998 to investigate the crimes, remains the largest and most complex rape investigation ever undertaken by the force. Don’t forget: Manhunt II: The Night Stalker is also available on BritBox.
Thursday 7 October 2021
Des Season One
This critically acclaimed limited three-part miniseries is based on the true story of Scottish necrophiliac serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who was arrested in 1983 after human remains were discovered blocking a drain near his home.
David Tennant (Deadwater Fell, Dr Who, Good Omens) stars in a career-defining performance as “monstrous narcissist” Nilsen in this smartly scripted and superbly crafted true crime drama. Des is based on the biography Killing for Company by Brian Masters and offers an unmissable and compelling portrait of pure evil. Incidentally, Tennant also features in Broadchurch alongside Olivia Colman – and you can binge all three seasons of this cracking crime drama on BritBox.
Thursday 28 October 2021
Vera Season Eleven
The intrepid detective chief inspector in her iconic trench coat is back! Hot off their UK television premiere, BritBox brings South African viewers the first two eagerly awaited episodes of Vera Season 11, starring Brenda Blethyn as the dishevelled but brilliant DCI Vera Stanhope.
The first two feature-length episodes see Vera investigating the brutal murders of a beloved and respected local builder and a support worker – and naturally, all is not as it first seems. Why not binge all 10 previous seasons of Vera, based on the books by Ann Cleeves, on BritBox before tucking in to the latest one?
True crime in your home this October
Are your nails ready to be shredded? Can you stomach the suspense? Because in October on BritBox, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to a genre that the British do best – true crime drama!
A case in point is the miniseries Appropriate Adult, tracing the real-life story of serial killers Fred and Rose West, starring Emily Watson and Dominic West. Expect outstanding performances in this two-parter that netted four BAFTAS, including best actress and best actor for Watson and West.
BAFTA-nominated A Confession is another true crime must-see, with Martin Freeman as a detective risking everything as he embarks on the trail of a prolific serial killer. And The Hatton Garden Heist is based on London’s infamous Hatton Garden jewel heist in 2015, when four elderly men ransacked an underground safe deposit facility.
Human depravity is on stark display in The Widower, the true story of Malcom Webster, an unassuming nurse with a penchant for murdering his wives. In a similar vein is See No Evil: The Moors Murders, which homes in on the murders committed in the 1960s by Myra Hindley and Ian Brady and stars Joanne Froggatt and Matthew McNulty.
A real-life mystery that continues to intrigue the world is the disappearance of the Earl of Lucan – dramatised in the two-part drama Lucan, with Rory Kinnear in the title role. Mrs Biggs, based on another notorious crime, saw Sheridan Smith win a BAFTA for her widely praised portrayal of Charmian Biggs, the wife of Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs.
