This October is a lucky month, as it brings 21 new shows and seasons to stateside fans of programs from across the pond and north of the border.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US channels and streaming services throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
Portrait Artist of the Year: Season 3 (UK)
Professional and amateur artists from across the UK compete in this program for the chance to win a £10,000 commission to paint a famous personality and have the work be part of a national gallery’s collection. Presented by British TV personalities Joan Bakewell and Frank Skinner, the competition features several rounds of judging by art historian Kate Bryan, independent curator Kathleen Soriano, and award-winning artist Tai-Shan Schierenberg. Portrait Artist of the Year: Season 3 premieres in the US on Monday, October 1, at 8 AM ET, on Ovation.
QI: Season 16 (P Series) (UK)
P is for panel show, and this is one of the UK’s most popular. Hosted by Sandi Toksvig (The Great British Bake Off) alongside permanent panelist Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek, see below), the new episodes are themed around the letter P and guest panelists include Aisling Bea (Hard Sun), Lee Mack (Not Going Out), and Johnny Vegas (Moone Boy). QI: Season 16 premieres in North America on Monday, October 1, on the BritBox Panel Channel, exclusively on BritBox.
The Graham Norton Show: Season 24 (UK)
One of the most hilarious celebrity talk shows on telly returns with special guest Jodie Whittaker, ahead of her highly-anticipated debut on as the Thirteenth Doctor, as well as Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Ryan Gosling, and Rod Stewart. The Graham Norton Show: Season 24 premieres in the US on Friday, October 5, at 11 PM ET, on BBC America.
Versailles: Season 3 (Final) (Canada/France)
In the final season of this lavish period drama, King Louis XIV (George Blagden, Vikings) aspires to expand his empire and impose his power on all of Europe, but the French are tired of paying taxes to fund his dreams and their resistance is growing. Meanwhile, looming over the king is the shadow of The Man in the Iron Mask. Versailles: Season 3 premieres in the US on Saturday, October 6, at 10 PM ET, on Ovation.
Doctor Who: Season 11 (UK/US)
Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch) marks her first full episode (after her intro in Twice Upon a Time) and makes history as the first female Doctor in “The Woman Who Fell to Earth.” In a South Yorkshire city, the lives of Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole, Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill, Love, Lies and Records), and Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh, Law & Order: UK) change forever when a mysterious woman who doesn’t remember her name falls from the night sky. The global simulcast of the Doctor Who: Season 11 premiere happens Sunday, October 7, at 1:45 PM ET/PT, on BBC America. A special encore presentation airs at 8 PM in Doctor Who‘s new regular time slot on Sunday evenings.
Vintage Roads Great & Small (UK)
Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison, former co-stars in the popular drama All Creatures Great and Small, reunite to go back to the 1930s to relive the Golden Age of Motoring in this travel series. Behind the wheel of the 1936-designed Morgan 4/4, they cruise along some of Britain’s most beautiful vintage roads and experience the thrills of the era when Brits first fell in love with the motor car. Vintage Roads Great & Small premieres in the US on Monday, October 8, on Acorn TV. (Photo courtesy of Acorn TV)
Inside No. 9: Season 4 (UK)
This critically-acclaimed and award-winning dark comedy anthology series returns as comedy duo Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen) offer up new characters, settings, and stories — all of which (as always) are linked by the number 9. With more shock, fun, and mystery than ever, including an episode written entirely in iambic pentameter in tribute to Shakespeare, Inside No. 9: Season 4 premieres in the US on Tuesday, October 9, exclusively on BritBox.
Apostle (UK/US)
Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) stars in this Netflix Global Original horror-thriller film as Thomas Richardson, who travels in 1905 to a remote island to rescue his sister after a mysterious religious cult kidnaps her and demands a ransom for her safe return. The cult will regret the day it baited Thomas, as he digs into the secrets and lies upon which the commune is built. Co-starring Lucy Boynton (Gypsy), Mark Lewis Jones (Keeping Faith), and Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex), Apostle premieres globally on Friday, October 12, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Eugenie’s Royal Wedding Live (UK)
As with the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, BritBox will live-stream in North America ITV’s coverage of the wedding nuptials of Royal Princess Eugenie of York to Jack Brooksbank from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. The ceremony begins at 11 AM BST / 6 AM ET on Friday, October 12, so expect ITV to begin its live coverage at least an hour or more before that time.
Shakespeare Uncovered: Season 3 (Final) (UK/US)
In the final season of this Shakespeare-themed factual series, hosts Helen Hunt (Mad About You), F. Murray Abraham (Homeland), Romola Garai (The Miniaturist), Brian Cox (Nuremberg), Simon Russell Beale (The Hollow Crown), and Antony Sher (Shakespeare in Love) weave their personal passions with history, biography, iconic performances, and new analyses to tell the stories behind the stories of the Bard’s famous works, including Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Julius Caesar, The Winter’s Tale, and Richard III. Shakespeare Uncovered: Season 3 premieres in the US on Friday, October 12, at 9 PM ET, on PBS. (Check your local listings)
Bang (UK-Wales)
Nominated for five BAFTA Cymru Awards, this Welsh crime drama set in the steel town of Port Talbot revolves around Sam (Jacob Ifan, Cuffs) and his sister Gina (Catrin Stewart, Stella). He’s a loner whose life is transformed when he comes into possession of a gun and starts to break the law; she’s a cop trying to find the weapon’s owner. The family saga plays out against an inquiry into the shooting of a local businessman that raises questions for Sam and Gina about their father’s murder when they were young children. Bang premieres in the US and Canada on Monday, October 15, exclusively on Acorn TV.
The Last Leg: Season 15 (UK)
This current events panel show returns for another season with comedians Adam Hills, Josh Widdicome, and Alex Brooker, along with celebrity guests, lampooning the news, complaining about Brexit, and touching upon all of our general gripes and weekly whinges. The Last Leg: Season 15 premieres in North America on Tuesday, October 16, on the BritBox Panel Channel, exclusively on BritBox.
Autumnwatch – New England (UK/US)
In this three-part live production, viewers will travel to the colorful landscapes of New England, meet a cast of unforgettable wildlife characters, and experience some of the best that autumn has to offer. For further details, read this article. Autumnwatch – New England premieres in the US on Wednesday, October 17, at 8 PM ET, on PBS. (Check your local listings) (Photo courtesy of DenisTangneyJr./Getty Images & PBS)
Derren Brown: Sacrifice
Illusionist Derren Brown returns to telly with his first full-fledged Netflix Original series. In this one he concocts a psychological experiment in which he tries to manipulate an ordinary person into taking a bullet and laying down their life for a complete stranger. Derren Brown: Sacrifice premieres globally on Friday, October 19, exclusively on Netflix. (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
Wanderlust (UK)
Oscar® nominee and Emmy® winner Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, United States of Tara) stars in this drama as Joy, a therapist trying to keep her spark alive with her husband Alan (Steven Mackintosh, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man) after a cycling accident puts their sex life on hold and causes them to reassess their relationship. Suddenly Joy and Alan find themselves drawn to new people, and both are tempted to make the ultimate indiscretion. Wanderlust, a Netflix Global Original series (outside the UK and Ireland), premieres in the US on Friday, October 19, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
The Woman in White (UK)
Adapted from what is widely regarded as Wilke Collins’ best novel, this miniseries stars Ben Hardy (EastEnders) as Walter Hartright, a young man who encounters a ghostly woman dressed all in white and is subsequently drawn into a web of intrigue that will transform his life forever. Co-starring Olivia Vinall (Apple Tree Yard) and Jessie Buckley (Taboo), The Woman in White premieres in the US on Sunday, October 21, at 10 PM ET, on PBS. (Check your local listings)
Young, Gifted & Classical (UK)
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason made history when he became the first black winner of the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016. He is at the heart of the story in this documentary, which follows Sheku and his six musically-gifted siblings and explores their amazing talents, issues of diversity in classical music, and what it means to be a young, black, classical musician in today’s society. Young, Gifted & Classical premieres in the US on Monday, October 22, exclusively on Acorn TV. (Video is from BBC Stories)
Bodyguard (UK)
This ratings juggernaut of a thriller from Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty) stars Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) as David Budd, a PTSD-suffering war veteran and policeman whose promotion within the Met has him protecting Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes, The Durrells in Corfu). For further details, read this article. Bodyguard, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Wednesday, October 24, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Our Girl: Season 3 – Nepal Tour (Part 1) (UK)
In the first part of this military drama’s new season, British Army medic Corporal Georgie Lane (Michelle Keegan, Coronation Street) is dispatched alongside 2-Section on a humanitarian mission to Nepal following an earthquake. But after discovering a Taliban-linked children-trafficking group, 2-Section goes on a covert mission in Afghanistan. Our Girl: Season 3 – Nepal Tour (Part 1) premieres in the US on Wednesday, October 24, exclusively on BritBox.
Been So Long (UK)
BAFTA winner Michaela Coel (Chewing Gum) stars in this Netflix Global Original romance musical film as Simone, a dedicated single mum who, on a rare night out in Camden Town, London’s hotbed of music, is charmed by a handsome yet troubled stranger named Raymond (Arinzé Kene, Crazyhead), igniting old and new feelings. Been So Long premieres in the US on Friday, October 26, exclusively on Netflix. (Photo © Rob Baker Ashton, courtesy of Netflix)
Inside No. 9: Deadline (Live) (UK)
Following its debut of the show’s fourth season earlier in October, BritBox will go back “inside” No. 9 for a brand new, 30-minute Halloween special, brought to you by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton LIVE from London! Inside No. 9: Deadline premieres live in North America on Sunday, October 28 (time TBA), exclusively on BritBox.
LOCAL/REGIONAL PREMIERES
Elizabeth I (aka Elizabeth I & Her Enemies) (UK)
Presented by historians Suzannah Lipscomb (Hidden Killers) and Dan Jones (Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty), and starring Lily Cole (Doctor Who), this three-part documentary chronicles the life of England’s greatest queen. For details, read this article. Elizabeth I debuts locally on the public TV stations listed below on or after October 1. Debut dates and times vary by market, so contact the station that serves your area for broadcast details. To request the program, contact American Public Television.
| STATE | CITY | STATION |
|---|---|---|
| ARIZONA | Tucson |  |
| CALIFORNIA | Monterey, Salinas, San Francisco, San Jose, Watsonville |  |
| CALIFORNIA | San Diego |  |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | Washington, DC |  |
| FLORIDA | Gainesville |  |
| FLORIDA | Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-West Palm Beach |  |
| FLORIDA | West Palm Beach |  |
| KENTUCKY | Ashland, Bowling Green, Concinnati/Covington, Elizabethtown, Hazard, Lexington, Louisville, Madisonville, Morehead, Murray, Owensboro, Owenton, Paducah, Pikeville, Somerset |  |
| MASSACHUSETTS | Boston |  |
| MICHIGAN | Alpena, Cadillac, Flint, Manistee, Mt. Pleasant |  |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | Durham, Keene, Littleton |  |
| NEW YORK | Albany, Schenectady, Troy |  |
| NEW YORK | Rochester |  |
| OHIO | Cleveland |  |
| OHIO | Toledo |  |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | Aberdeen, Eagle Butte, Lowry, Martin, Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Vermillion |  |
| TEXAS | Austin |  |
| WASHINGTON | Seattle, Yakima |  |
| WISCONSIN | Green Bay-Appleton, La Crosse-Eau Claire, Madison, Menomonie, Park Falls, Wausau-Rhinelander |  |
| WISCONSIN | Milwaukee |  |
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS ADDED TO PROGRAMMING SCHEDULES
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Acorn TV and the Acorn TV channel on Amazon. (Photos courtesy of Acorn TV)
The Camomile Lawn (UK)
Adapted from Mary Wesley’s novel of the same name, this miniseries tells a tale of life and love among the leisured class around the time of World War II. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Felicity Kendal (Rosemary & Thyme), Tara Fitzgerald (Games of Thrones), and Toby Stephens (Black Sails), The Camomile Lawn begins streaming Monday, October 1.
Wire in the Blood: Series 3-5 (UK)
Based on characters created by Scottish novelist Val McDermid, this popular crime drama stars Robson Green (Touching Evil) as Tony Hill, a clinical psychologist who gets inside of the minds of both killers and victims to help police solve gruesome serial killings in Northern England. Series 3, the final one to co-star Hermione Norris (Cold Feet) as DCI Carol Jordan, begins streaming Monday, October 1. In Series 4 and Series 5, which begin streaming October 15 and 29, Simone Lahbib (The Loch) co-stars DI Alex Fielding.
Sword of Honour (UK)
Daniel Craig (still James Bond!) stars in the accalimed 2001 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s WWII literary classic, the Sword of Honor trilogy. Craig plays Guy Crouchback, an English gentleman who joins the war searching for moral redemption after a divorce. But his quest dissolves in the face of blunders, failed missions, and warped characters that he meets. Sword of Honour begins streaming Monday, October 8.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and the BritBox channel on Amazon. (Photos © BBC, courtesy of BritBox)
Jonathan Creek: Season 1 (UK)
Once the first season of this popular mystery series arrives on BritBox, the SVOD service will have every episode (minus the 2001 Christmas special). Starring Alan Davies (Whites) and Caroline Quentin (Blue Murder), Season 1 finds magician’s consultant Jonathan Creek using his puzzle-solving skills and true-crime writer Maddy Magellan applying her constant curiosity to uncover the truth behind near-impossible cases. Jonathan Creek: Season 1 begins streaming Saturday, October 6.
The Gil Mayo Mysteries (UK)
Adapted from the “Gil Mayo Mysteries” novels written by Marjorie Eccles, this comedic mystery-crime drama stars Alistair McGowan (Bleak House) as DI Gil Mayo, a brilliant and wise-cracking copper whose newest team member is none other than his ex-girlfriend and first love, DS Alex Jones (Jessica Oyelowo, Helen West). (Awkward!) Co-starring Huw Rhys (The Palace) and Louise Brealey (Sherlock), The Gil Mayo Mysteries begins streaming Saturday, October 13.
ExtermiNITE!: Night of the Killing Daleks (UK)
Exterminate! The Daleks are invading BritBox for Halloween, when subscribers gain access to a plethora of content from the Classic Doctor Who era that features the iconic franchise villains. Among the new additions are Day of the Daleks, Planet of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks, Resurrection of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks, and The Five Doctors — many of which will be available for the first time in years. ExtermiNITE! Night of the Killing Daleks begins streaming Wednesday, October 31.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Netflix.
Schitt’s Creek: Season 4 (Canada)
Johhny (Eugene Levy, America Pie) and Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara, Beetlejuice) and their children David (Dan Levy (Stage Fright) and Alexis (Annie Murphy, The Plateaus) get up to more comical misadventures in the eponymous town that the family owns. Schitt’s Creek: Season 4 begins streaming Thursday, October 11.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Prime Video. The titles and schedules are subject to change without prior notice.
Paradox (UK)
This sci-fi police drama centers on a team of detectives, played by Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders), Mark Bonnar (Shetland), and Chiké Okonkwo (New Tricks), who investigate images that (1) are broadcast to the lab of an astrophysicist (Emun Elliott, Trust Me) and (2) seem to show catastrophic events in the future. Paradox begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Monday, October 1.
Silent Witness: Seasons 1-21 (UK)
This, the longest-running procedural crime drama series in the UK, is also one of the most popular series in the world. It stars Emilia Fox (Delicious) as Dr. Nikki Alexander, a forensic pathologist who works to uncover the underlying truths behind murders. Co-starring David Caves (Jackie), Liz Carr (Le Accelerator), and Richard Lintern (Spies of Warsaw), Silent Witness: Seasons 1-21 begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Monday, October 1.
Spaced: Seasons 1-2 (Complete) (UK)
This BAFTA-nominated sitcom follows the surreal and hilarious exploits of Daisy and Tim, two twenty-something strangers who pose as a couple to get a cheap flat in London. Playing them are the series’ award-winning creators and writers, Jessica Hynes (W1A) and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead). Spaced: Seasons 1-2 begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Monday, October 1.
The Thick of It: Seasons 1-4 (Complete) (UK)
Before he was The Doctor, Peter Capaldi was Malcolm Tucker, the profanity-spewing, in-your-face bully of a communications director for the UK government in this multiple award-winning political satire comedy. Featuring a who’s who of Brit TV talent, including Joanna Scanlan (No Offence), Rebecca Front (Inspector Lewis), and Roger Allam (Endeavour), The Thick of It: Seasons 1-4 begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Monday, October 1.
Trust (UK)
Amazon didn’t specify which series named Trust will be on Prime Video next month, but since the others are BBC titles, I’ll say this one is, too. A legal drama, it stars Robson Green (Grantchester) as the maverick partner of a corporate law firm who, with his team, works on takeovers, mergers, and more for clients. Co-starring Sarah Parish (Bancroft), Neil Stuke (Silk), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), and Ian McShane (American Gods), Trust begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Monday, October 1.
Titles in this section air on the dates shown below on Ovation.
The Bletchley Circle: Season 1 (UK)
This hit period mystery drama series stars The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco‘s Rachael Stirling and Julie Graham, along with Sophie Rundle (Bodyguard) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland), as former WWII codebreakers who use their wartime skills in early 1950s London to solve a series of murders. The Bletchley Circle: Season 1 airs Friday, October 5, from 9 AM-12 PM ET.
The Bletchley Circle: Season 2 (UK)
Hattie Morahan (My Mother and Other Strangers) plays an ex-codebreaker about to hang for murder, a fact that prompts her old colleagues Jean (Julie Graham), Millie (Rachael Stirling), Susan (Anna Maxwell Martin), and Lucy (Sophie Rundle) to put their skills to use again to find the actual killer in the first of two stories. The Bletchley Circle: Season 2 airs Friday, October 12, from 9 AM-12 PM ET, and concludes on Friday, October 19, at 9 AM.
The Halcyon (UK)
Set during World War II, this eight-episode period drama stars Steven Mackintosh (Wanderlust) as the general manager of the eponymous five-star London hotel. For details, read this article. The Halcyon airs weekdays at 8 AM ET from October 15-24.
Midsomer Murders: Season 1 (UK)
This hugely-popular and long-running mystery series set in the deadliest (fictional) county in England has a new home on cable TV, and the first season begins airing in its regular timeslot of 9 AM ET on Thursday, October 18.
Thorne: Sleepyhead (UK)
David Morrissey (Britannia) stars in this mystery-crime drama miniseries as DI Tom Thorne, whose investigation into a serial killer leads him to the fourth victim — a young woman who survived but is unable to move or communicate. Thorne: Sleepyhead airs Friday, October 26, from 9 AM-12 PM ET.
Fake or Fortune? Season 4 (UK)
Hosted by journalist Fiona Bruce and art dealer and historian Philip Mould, this popular factual series finds them and a team of scientists investigating a new batch of potential fine art forgeries, including pieces that might or might not be the works of LS Lowry, Renoir, Munnings, and even Sir Winston Churchill. Fake or Fortune? Season 4 begins airing weekdays at 8 AM ET on Monday, October 29.
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Did you miss any of the new shows from previous months? Check the British TV Viewing Guide 2018 Archives to find out.
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For details about the October premieres of shows from Australia and New Zealand, visit The Down Under TV Place. For those about the debuts of original-language, English-subtitled programs from Europe, visit The Euro TV Place.
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