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Telly addicts

Would you recommend Britbox?

34 replies

Childrenofthestones · 26/06/2021 10:39

We have Netflix and Amazon for my daughter's but for me, I find hardly anything worth watching on them.
Do you have Britbox and would you recommend it?

OP posts:
Charlotte2020 · 26/06/2021 10:47

I did a free months trial and cancelled. A lot of it was available for free on bbc/itv/4od. Not worth IMO

ThisBear · 26/06/2021 11:01

What sort of shows are you into? There are some classic box sets on Brit Box but I agree, many are already available on freeview. Some of their original series look interesting, but not enough of them yet to justify it for me.

Out of interest, do you have separate Netflix and Amazon profiles set up for yourself and your daughter? I ask because when I see my OH's profile, there are lots of classic and newer British series that I'd not stumbled across on mine. I'd never have known they were on there because my recommendations are different and I hadn't happened to search for those titles since they'd been added.

magicstar1 · 26/06/2021 11:23

No, I got a present of a years subscription and I’ve hardly used it. The only good things I found were Morse and Lewis

Hels20 · 27/06/2021 11:15

I think it’s ok - I recently watched Apple Tree Yard and Fearless which were both good. You can’t always get the older stuff on iPlayer - it comes and goes.

Naggety · 27/06/2021 11:17

I wish it was available in the EU as there are a lot of things I would watch that I can't find elsewhere. I probably wouldn't bother in the UK though.

SinisterBumFacedCat · 27/06/2021 11:23

Yes, they seem to have really pushed up their content now, I got it for bingeing on series I had missed on tv. There’s some great comedies and old films on there too.

LadyEloise · 05/07/2021 15:08

I wish I could get BBC player. I'd happily pay as I don't live in the UK and so don't pay a tv license fee.

Thirtyrock39 · 10/07/2021 15:44

It's the only place that shows 'mum' also we watched '7up' whole series last summer which was brilliant to watch as never seen any of it before (the documentary where it follows a group of kids from the early 60s to now )

debwong · 10/07/2021 15:56

I think Britbox is aimed mostly at people outside the UK.

Pemba · 10/07/2021 16:09

I don't think so though, debwong, as I'm not sure you can get the UK version outside of the UK. There is a different version in North America.

Pemba · 10/07/2021 16:20

I subscribed myself for a year (a bit cheaper that way), just to catch up on some old stuff I missed first time round. But I will cancel after that, maybe have it back a couple of months a year. The content is quite good (although a lot of it is duplicated on BBC IPlayer and All4). It doesn't have a comprehensive enough back catalogue of older BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and 5 programmes as it should IMO, particularly as it doesn't offer much in the way of original to Britbox content (a handful of series).

The app is really clunky too, by far the worst I've seen (I use most of them). Considering Britbox is partly owned by the BBC this is surprising. They should have just copied the IPlayer software.

Floralnomad · 10/07/2021 16:26

We have it and I think it’s worth it but I like watching old detective shows as I find most of what is made nowadays is too dark / violent generally not to my taste .

Fangdango · 10/07/2021 16:28

Is there any way to see what shows they have before signing up?

cariadlet · 10/07/2021 16:37

I like it. Loads of box sets. At the moment, I'm relieving my childhood by bingeing on Blake's 7 and Grange Hill. I've also used it to catch up on things that I meant to watch and never got round to like the David Tennant drama about Dennis Nilson and the original House of Cards.

cariadlet · 10/07/2021 16:40

The only thing that annoys me is that it doesn't work on my smart tv and I prefer watching programmes on the tv to watching on a laptop, tablet or phone.

cariadlet · 10/07/2021 16:44

@Fangdango

Is there any way to see what shows they have before signing up?

You can sign up for a free trial. Just put the date in your phone to remind you to cancel in time if there aren't enough programmes you like.

Floralnomad · 10/07/2021 17:01

@cariadlet it works on our tv

cariadlet · 10/07/2021 17:04

@floralnomad It works on some makes but not others. I've tried casting from my phone but that doesn't work; the sound comes out of the tv but the screen is black.

BIoodyStupidJohnson · 10/07/2021 17:07

Meh

I tried it for a few weeks. Watched the new Spitting Image which was a solid five out of ten. Sometimes.

Then it Britbox stopped working on my TV. They must have done an update or something).

I've cancelled it now. A lot of the things I wanted it for are still on Prime or iPlayer. (Although the iPlayer app is a bit shit too to be honest.)

Scones13 · 10/07/2021 17:10

You should be able to stream it from your phone to a smart tv. Have a look fir screen sharing apps.

cariadlet · 10/07/2021 17:14

@Floralnomad I stand corrected. It isn't one of the apps I can get directly via the tv and when I first subscribed, it wasn't one of the apps on Prime. Because of your post, I've just rechecked Prime and it's now on there (probably has been for ages).

Thanks for posting. I'm looking forward to watching on a proper TV and I think there's more on there that dp will like than there is on netflix.

LightAsTheBreeze · 10/07/2021 22:13

I would try and get a free trial, if you have BT broadband or EE you can get 6 months, I have used that one, then I got offered 3 months for £3 so am on that one now, I watched The beast must die which was good, Cracker and Scott and Bailey.

I watch through Apple TV which works well but the app is only on certain TVs, it may be on some Firestick and Roku now

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 16/07/2021 20:10

I've got it at the moment for £2.99 a month for three months. I'm using it to binge watch Vera and I plan to move on to Unforgotten, Shetland and Broadchurch, as well as other classic UK crime dramas. There's lots of stuff I missed first time around and what's on iplayer and ITV hub is very hit and miss.

LightAsTheBreeze · 16/07/2021 20:19

I have never seen Vera, I think might watch it while I still have the cheap offer, there is a lot of series though...

Freecuthbert · 16/07/2021 20:19

I only got it on offer to binge watch Poirot. I think it was a free trial and then three months for £10 if I recall correctly. I cancelled it after that. Doesn't seem worth the price to me.

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