The BBC confirms it will be making a number of drama boxsets available in Ultra HD, as part of the iPlayer’s Christmas and New Year line-up.
Among the boxsets to land in Ultra HD include A Very British Scandal, starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany as the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, and psychological thriller The Girl Before, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo, about a woman who moves into a strange house designed by an enigmatic architect.
In the new year, mystery thriller The Tourist, starring Jamie Dornan will join the BBC iPlayer UHD section. Technically, Ultra HD over the BBC iPlayer is still part of an ongoing trial, which started in 2016.
Although only a handful will be available in Ultra HD, in total, iPlayer users will be able to choose from over 1,000 boxsets over the festive season. A list of existing Ultra HD content on the iPlayer can be found here.
At the BBC Content Christmas launch in London, Charlotte Moore, BBC chief content officer said:
“For many of us, those precious days over the Christmas break are all about being curled up on the sofa with a box set. And this is a truly outstanding part of the BBC’s festive season. We’ve got over a thousand box sets ready to stream – more than ever before. So always something to watch, whoever you are and whatever you’re into.”
Other boxsets on the BBC iPlayer
(SD/HD unless stated)
Viewers can binge some of 2021’s biggest shows, plus international boxsets during the holiday season:
These include:
- Vigil – submarine thriller, starring Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie (Also UHD)
- Time – prison drama, starring Sean Bean
- Line of Duty – sixth series.
- Superman & Lois – superhero series
- Bump – Australian comedy drama
- Gossip Girl – both the rebooted series and the original episodes
Older boxsets include:
- Peaky Blinders
- Killing Eve
- Luther
- Happy Valley
- I May Destroy You
- Normal People
Films available on iPlayer over Christmas and the New Year
- A Star is Born
- Abominable
- Beauty and the Beast
- Blade Runner 2049
- Brave
- Cinderella
- Coco
- Crazy Rich Asians
- Dolittle
- Finding Dory
- Frozen
- Inside Out
- Judy
- Kick-Ass
- Kick-Ass 2
- Last Christmas
- Late Night
- Mary Poppins Returns
- Moana
- Monsters University
- Paddington
- Paddington 2
- Ready Player One
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- The BFG
- The Jungle Book (live action version)
- Trolls