Streaming service BritBox has confirmed its highlights for one of its last months as a standalone service.
August will see a continuation of BritBox’s ‘Summer of Film’, featuring titles including Highlander featuring Sean Connery, Gosford Park featuring Dame Maggie Smith, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, starring Kiera Knightley, Girl with a Pearl Earring starring Scarlett Johannson and many more.
18th August sees the arrival of The Day of the Triffids and The Likely Lads.
From 25th August, the service will launch additional documentaries, including I Am Greta, Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach, Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, Extinction Rebellion: Last Chance to Save the World? and many more including a selection hosted by Stacey Dooley.
BritBox UK’s content library will become part of the ITVX premium service this autumn, as part of a major overhaul of ITV’s streaming services.
Overview: New on BritBox in August
4th August
Chaplin (1992)
An elderly Charlie Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor, recounting the amazing journey from his poverty-stricken childhood to world-wide success after the ingenious invention of the Little Tramp. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Geraldine Chaplin, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, Milla Jovovich and Dan Aykroyd.
Gosford Park (2001)
Set in the 1930s, this film brings a group of pretentious rich and famous together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect. Starring Maggie Smith, Ryan Phillipe and Michael Gambon.
Highlander (1986)
An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled “Prize”. Starring Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown and Celia Imrie.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbour who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan. Starring Keira Knightley, Steve Carell, Melanie Lynskey, Gillian Jacobs and Connie Britton.
Made in Chelsea S22 (2022)
The latest installment of the hit reality TV show documenting the antics and heartbreaks of a close knit group of twenty-somethings in London’s most exclusive borough, Kensington & Chelsea. S1-21 are already available on BritBox.
The Best of Men (2012)
In 1943, a refugee doctor from Nazi Germany uses new methods to rehabilitate those with spinal injuries in Great Britain. Based on actual events. Starring George MacKay, Eddie Marsan, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Nicholas Jones.
11th August
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
In the 1970s, a young trans woman, Patrick “Kitten” Braden, leaves her Irish town for London, in part to look for her mother and in part because her gender identity is beyond the town’s understanding. Starring Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson and Ruth Negga.
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
A young peasant maid working in the house of painter Johannes Vermeer becomes his talented assistant and the model for one of his most famous works. Starring Scarlett Johannson, Colin Firth, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis and Tom Wilkinson.
Mrs Henderson Presents (2005)
Laura Henderson buys an old London theatre and opens it up as the Windmill, a performance hall which goes down in history for, amongst other things, all-nude revues. Starring Dame Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Kelly Reilly and Will Young.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born with a superior olfactory sense, creates the world’s finest perfume. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he searches for the ultimate scent. Starring Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood and Dustin Hoffman.
Severance (2006)
A weekend in the mountains goes horribly wrong for the sales team of a multinational weapons company when they become the victims of crazed killers who will stop at nothing to see them dead. Starring Danny Dyer, Laura Harris, Toby Stephens and Tim McInnerny.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)
Ex-convicts Vic and Danny abduct Alice, a rich man’s daughter, for a huge ransom. Vic is unaware that Danny is in a relationship with Alice, however, and plans to keep all the money for himself. Starring Gemma Arterton, Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston.
The Ones Below (2015)
A couple expecting their first child discover an unnerving difference between themselves and the couple living in the flat below them, who are also having a baby. Starring Clémence Poésy, Laura Birn and David Morrissey.
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)
Against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence, two brothers fight a guerrilla war against British forces. Directed by Ken Loach and starring Cillian Murphy, Pádraic Delaney and Liam Cunningham.
Collision (2009)
A devastating car crash has far-reaching consequences. In the aftermath of the collision, all those involved – including those investigating the incident – find their lives intertwining and secrets being revealed. Starring Douglas Henshall, Dean Lennox Kelly and Claire Rushbrook.
18th August
King of Thieves (2018)
A true crime film about a crew of retired crooks who pull off a major heist in London’s jewellery district. What starts off as their last criminal hurrah, quickly turns into a brutal nightmare due to greed. Starring Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon and Charlie Cox.
Silver Bears (1978)
Financial wizard “Doc” Fletcher acquires a Swiss bank and a silver mine – alleged to be worth a billion dollars. As rivals close in from all sides, Doc must fight a complex struggle to keep hold of both assets. Starring Michael Caine, Cybill Shepherd and Louis Jourdan.
The First Men in the Moon (2010)
As the Apollo astronauts are set to land on the moon in 1969, an old man tells of how he and a professor were there first in 1909. Starring Mark Gatiss, Rory Kinnear, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith and Katherine Jakeways.
The Likely Lads (1976)
Rodney Bewes and James Bolam star in this classic British comedy. Bob (Bewes) and Terry (Bolam) find their lifelong friendship beginning to change as Terry becomes involved with a new woman and the lads’ weekly drinking sessions stop. Bob is dismayed, but his wife sees the opportunity to get Terry married off and put a wedge between the friends. However, nothing runs smoothly as both relationships are threatened when they all embark on a caravan holiday in Northumberland.
The Lost City of Z (2016)
A true-life drama, centering on British explorer Major Percival Fawcett, who disappeared whilst searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Sienna Miller and Harry Melling.
The Lost World (2001)
Professor Challenger leads a party of explorers from the smog of Edwardian London to South America in search of a mythical plateau rumoured to be inhabited by dinosaurs. Based on the tale by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Starring Bob Hoskins, Peter Falk, Tom Ward and James Fox.
Becoming Bond (2017)
Filmmaker Josh Greenbaum examines the life and career of George Lazenby. He was an actor who played James Bond only once; he took up the role for the first and last time in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Starring Josh Lawson, Jane Seymour, Kassandra Clementi and Landon Ashworth.
Day of the Triffids (1981)
After an accident with a poisonous and carnivorous triffid plant, a hospitalised farmer awakens in a world that has changed overnight in the wake of a meteorite shower. Adaptation from the novel by John Wyndham. Starring Emma Relph, John Duttine and Maurice Colbourne.
Hyperdrive S1-2 (2006)
A sci-fi comedy about the adventures of Her Majesty’s Ship Camden Lock in the year 2151. Its mission: to convince alien governments to relocate their businesses to Britain. Starring Nick Frost, Miranda Hart and Kevin Eldon.
Primeval S3-5 (2009-2011)
When strange anomalies start to appear all over England, Professor Cutter and his team must track down and capture all sorts of dangerous prehistoric creatures from Earth’s distant past and near future. Starring Andrew-Lee Potts, Douglas Henshall, Hannah Spearritt and James Murray. S1-2 are already available on BritBox.
SS-GB (2017)
Sam Riley and Kate Bosworth star in this five-part BBC drama set in an alternate past where Germany won the Second World War and the Nazis occupy Britain. Based on Len Deighton’s novel, the show is set in 1941 and follows widowed Detective Superintendent Douglas Archer (Riley), of London’s Metropolitan Police, as he begins investigating the suspected murder of an antique shop owner, who seems to have ties to the British resistance.
The Aliens (2016)
Comedy drama about a group of human-looking aliens who are forced to live in a segregated community on Earth. Stars Michael Socha, Michaela Coel, Jim Howick, Michael Smiley, Trystan Gravelle and more.
25th August
The Kleptocrats (2018)
After a Malaysian public wealth fund is looted of $3.5 billion, investigative reporters retrace the dirty money, via real estate deals and film financing including a The Wolf of Wall Street, back to the top echelons of the government.
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach (2016)
Documentary on the life and times of Ken Loach, the politics of British TV and Cinema and the chaos he has caused the establishment for 50 years.
Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018)
The first film to encompass the remarkable story of one of the true icons of our time, Vivienne Westwood, as she fights to maintain her brand’s integrity, her principles – and her legacy.
Offshore Incorporated (2013)
Filmmaker Mark Donne explores the rampant tax avoidance schemes found in the United Kingdom and around the world.
I Am Greta (2020)
In August of 2018, Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old student in Sweden starts a school strike for the climate. Her question for adults: if you don’t care about her future on earth, why should she care about her future in school? Within months, her strike evolves into a global movement. Greta, a quiet Swedish girl on the autism spectrum is now a world famous activist. The team behind Greta has been following the young activist from her very first day of school striking.
Dreams of a Life (2011)
A filmmaker sets out to discover the life of Joyce Vincent, who died in her bedsit in North London in 2003. Her body wasn’t discovered for three years, and newspaper reports offered few details of her life – not even a photograph.
Baptiste S2 (2021)
Mercurial retired police detective Julien Baptiste specialises in missing-persons cases – in this series, he finds himself working on a case in Hungary. Starring Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, Ace Bhatti and Dorka Gryllus.
Britain’s Refugee Children (2017)
This documentary follows six refugee children as they adapt to new lives in Britain.
Empire (2005)
Epic four-hour series about the rise of Octavius who succeeded Julius Caesar, tangled with Marc Anthony for control of the Roman empire and finally went on to become the emperor Augustus. Starring Santiago Cabrera, Vincent Regan and Emily Blunt.
Extinction Rebellion: Last Chance to Save the World? (2020)
A huge new global protest movement is changing public attitudes to climate change. Reporter Ben Zand gains access to the most high-profile activist group, Extinction Rebellion.
Rehab: Addicted Lives (2017)
Documentary going behind the doors of Broadway Lodge, a residential rehabilitation centre in Somerset, uncovering what is done to help people beat their addictions.
Panorama: Stacey Dooley and the Lockdown Babies (2020)
Stacey Dooley visits Bradford Royal Infirmary to find out how the pandemic is transforming the way mothers, midwives and doctors deal with pregnancy and birth.
The Escape Artist (2013)
Will Burton’s nickname is `The Escape Artist’ – his speciality is freeing clients from tight legal corners, so much so that he’s never lost a case. Will works by the simple mantra that everyone deserves a defence, even Liam Foyle, a psychological puzzle of a man who is standing trial for a high-profile, gruesome murder. Of course, Will earns Foyle an acquittal, an outcome that produces unexpected and chilling results. Starring David Tennant, Ashley Jensen, Roy Marsden, Tony Gardner and Stephen Wight.
Kidnapped By My Father (2021)
A documentary following the story of Jackie Saleh, has lived through every mother’s worst nightmare. Back in 1986, her world was shattered when her husband abducted her three young daughters from their Cardiff home and took them to Yemen. Her youngest daughter Safia was just a toddler.