As worldwide fans of Monty Python’s Flying Circus celebrate the iconic series’ 50th anniversary in September, stateside British TV fans also can watch the premieres of thirteen new and returning national series, as well as two brand new series in local markets.
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.
Dates are subject to change without prior notice.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
Doc Martin: Series 9 (UK)
After a two-year wait, one of the most popular British TV series across the globe returns with eight new episodes. BAFTA winner Martin Clunes (Manhunt) reprises his role as the blood-phobic, grouch of a GP in the charming seaside town of Portwenn. Also returning is Caroline Catz (Murder in Suburbia) as the doc’s wife Louisa, as well as the rest of the regular cast. The launch date for Doc Martin: Series 9 hasn’t been announced yet, but it will be in September and will debut in the US and Canada on Thursday, September 26 — one day after its UK debut — exclusively on Acorn TV, where a new episode will premiere weekly the day after its transmission on ITV. (Photo © Neil Genower, courtesy of Acorn TV)
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (UK)
Held annually as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an iconic and striking performance of music and dance rooted in Scottish tradition, including the Massed Pipes and Drums, Massed Military Bands, cultural troupes, singers, and the poignant refrain of the Lone Piper against the stunning backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle. The 2019 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo premieres in North America on Sunday, September 1, exclusively on BritBox as a “Now” title. (Video is from 2013)
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father: Season 3 (UK)
The new season of this funny travelogue series finds British comedian and actor Jack Whitehall (Good Omens, Fresh Meat) living and working in Los Angeles and hoping to convince his reluctant dad, Michael, to move to the US by showing him what the American West has to offer. Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father: Season 3, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, September 6, exclusively on Netflix. (Video is for Season 2)
QI: Season Q (UK)
One of the UK’s most popular panel programs returns with a new season filled with episodes themed around the letter Q. Every week host Sandi Toksvig (The Great British Baking Show) rewards permanent panelist Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) and guests panelists, including comedians Jason Manford and Sarah Millican, for the “Quirky” episode, for having answers that are correct or deemed “quite interesting.” QI: Season Q premieres in North America on Friday, September 6, exclusively on BritBox as a “Now” title. (Video is from 2018)
The Victim (UK/Scotland)
In this four-part drama, Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) plays Anna Dean, a still-grieving woman who believes the man now known as Craig Myers (James Harkness, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) murdered her young son fourteen years ago. To get justice for her child, she posts Myers’ details online, resulting in him being savagely beaten. This leads to Dean going on trial for attempted murder, to Myers trying to salvage his reputation, and to the story culminating in the question of who is the real victim. Costarring John Hannah (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), The Victim, a BritBox Original series, premieres in the US with its first episode on Tuesday, September 10, exclusively on BritBox. The remaining episodes will debut weekly on successive Tuesdays.
Top Boy (UK)
The highly-anticipated reboot of this RTS Award winner for Best Drama Serial finds Dushane (Ashley Walters, Cuffs) and Sully (Kane Robinson, Tower Block) — drug dealers, partners, friends, and sometimes rivals — returning to London. But Jamie (newcomer Michael Ward), a young, hungry, and ruthless gang leader, is the new top boy in this highly lucrative drug market now, leaving no place for Dushane or Sully. Top Boy, a Netflix Original series, premieres globally on Friday, September 13, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Taken Down: Series 1 (Ireland)
Set in Dublin, this six-part mystery-crime drama opens with a young Nigerian girl found dead at a bus stop. The investigation into her death leads Inspector Jen Rooney (Lynn Rafferty, Love/Hate) and her team of detectives to a Direct Provision center for asylum-seekers, from which another girl disappears. As the police work to find the dead girl’s killer and to rescue the missing girl before she suffers a horrific fate, they must enter a murky underworld of slumlords and traffickers. Costarring Brian Gleeson (Rebellion), Taken Down premieres in the US and Canada on Monday, September 16, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Harbour Cops (UK/Wales)
Dyfed Powys police may be the smallest force in the UK, but it’s full of big characters and covers the largest land area — taking in national parks and a spectacular coastline. This observational documentary series follows the cops from their base in the busy seaside town of Tenby as they handle crimes in the countryside as well as more serious issues in urban areas. The six-episode series also tracks the force’s rapid response, seaborne anti-smuggling teams as they monitor ships arriving at the largest energy port in the UK. Harbour Cops premieres in North America on Tuesday, September 17, exclusively on BritBox.
Criminal (UK, France, Spain, Germany)
This format-bending police procedural comprises twelve stories set in four countries — France, Spain, Germany, and the UK — with each story taking place exclusively within the confines of a police interview suite. The stripped down, cat-and-mouse drama focuses on the intense mental conflict between detectives and suspects. The UK-set episodes star David Tennant (Good Omens), Hayley Atwell (Avengers), Youssef Kerkour (Marcella), and Clare-Hope Ashitey (Suspects). The regular cast includes Lee Ingleby (The A Word), Katherine Kelly (Cheat), Nicholas Pinnock (Marcella), Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Shubham Saraf (Bodyguard), and Mark Stanley (Broken). Criminal, a Netflix Original series, premieres globally on Friday, September 20, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Ripping Yarns: Seasons 1-2 (Complete) (UK)
Written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, this comedy anthology series features parodies based on pre-war stories and different aspects of the British culture, which include a different setting and characters in each episode. Ripping Yarns: Seasons 1-2 has its SVOD premiere in the US on Tuesday, September 24, on BritBox.
The Durrells in Corfu: Season 4 (Final) (UK)
Based on Gerald Durrell‘s autobiographical “Corfu Trilogy” books, the fourth and final season of this hit period comedy-drama opens with Louisa (Keeley Hawes, Bodyguard) converting the villa into a boarding house, Larry (Josh O’Connor, The Crown) getting two Australian girl guests as roommates, Margo (Daisy Waterstone, Cyberbully) starting a new career as a hairdresser, Gerry (Milo Parker, Mr. Holmes) acquiring a new pet owl, and Leslie (Callum Woodhouse, Cold Feet) picking up his firearms hobby, all while Louisa’s cousin Basil (Miles Jupp, Rev.) becomes the most persnickety guest ever. The Durrells in Corfu: Season 4 premieres in the US on Sunday, September 29, at 8 PM ET, on PBS.
Poldark: Season 5 (Final) (UK)
The other PBS series coming to a close this year is this period drama based on Winston Graham‘s series of “Poldark” historical novels. The final season opens with Ross (Aidan Turner, “The Hobbit” trilogy) going to London to help an old Army friend (Vincent Regan, The Royals), leaving Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson, The White Queen) to manage the estate in Cornwall on her own. Meanwhile, a grieving George Warleggan (Jack Farthing, The ABC Murders) partners up with a slave trader (Peter Sullivan, Cuffs). Poldark: Season 5 premieres in the US on Sunday, September 29, at 9 PM ET, on PBS.
Hold the Sunset: Season 2 (UK)
John Cleese and Alison Steadman return for the new season of this warmhearted rom-com about Phil and Edith, two golden-agers who have their blissful retirement plans go awry when Edith’s middle-aged son Roger (Jason Watkins, The Crown) moves back home after leaving his job, wife, and kids. Season 2 finds Edith convincing Phil to sell his home; however, old habits die hard and the simple plan snowballs into mayhem. Hold the Sunset: Season 2, a BritBox Original series, premieres in the US on Monday, September 30, exclusively on BritBox. (Video is from Season 1)
LOCAL/REGIONAL PREMIERES
American Public Television (APT) is releasing the two British TV programs below in September. As always, check your local listings or contact the station that serves your area for air dates and times. To request either show, contact your station’s Viewer Services department or APT.
Farther and Sun: A Dyslexic Road Trip (UK)
This hour-long program follows documentary filmmaker Richard Macer (Tales from the National Parks) and his dyslexic son Arthur on a road trip as they set out to learn more about the disorder and meet famous dyslexics, including British business magnate Sir Richard Branson and comedian and actor Eddie Izzard (Castles in the Sky). Along the way, Richard himself gets tested for dyslexia, as he seeks closure on a lifetime of feeling different. Farther and Sun: A Dyslexic Road Trip is confirmed for airing on the public TV stations listed below on or after Sunday, September 1. (Photo: Arthur and Richard Macer — courtesy of APT)
| STATE | CITY | STATION |
|---|---|---|
| COLORADO | Denver |  |
| IDAHO | Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Moscow, Pocatello, Twin Falls |  |
| MARYLAND | Annapolis, Baltimore, Frederick, Hagerstown, Oakland, Salisbury |  |
| MONTANA | Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Missoula |  |
| NEW YORK | Rochester |  |
| PENNSYLVANIA | Altoona, Clearfield, Johnstown |  |
Pilgrimage: Season 1 (UK)
In the first season of this travelogue series, seven celebrities are stripped of their everyday comforts and live as modern day pilgrims as they trek the famous medieval pilgrimage route known as the Camino de Santiago (aka the Way of St. James) from France to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Pilgrimage: Season 1 is confirmed for airing on the public TV stations listed below on or after Sunday, September 1. (Pictured L-R: Debbie McGee, Heather Small, JJ Chalmers, Kate Bottley, Ed Byrne, Neil Morrissey, and Raphael Rowe — Photo courtesy of APT)
| STATE | CITY | STATION |
|---|---|---|
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | Washington, DC |  |
| GEORGIA | Albany, Athens, Augusta, Chatsworth, Cochran, Columbus, Dawson, Macon, Pelham, Savannah, Waycross, Wrens |  |
| IDAHO | Boise, Coeur d’Alene, Moscow, Pocatello, Twin Falls | |
| MONTANA | Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell, Missoula | |
| OHIO | Dayton, Oxford, Portsmouth |  |
| OKLAHOMA | Tulsa |  |
| PENNSYLVANIA | Harrisburg |  |
| VIRGINIA | Albemarle, Charlottesville, Front Royal, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Staunton, Winchester |  |
| VIRGINIA | Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Richmond |  |
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NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS BEING ADDED TO STREAMING SERVICES
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Acorn TV and its digital channels, including the Acorn TV channel on Amazon. All images courtesy of Acorn TV.
Wreckers (UK)
In this feature film, Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) and Claire Foy (The Girl in the Spider’s Web) star as a married couple who move back to the husband’s childhood village to start a family, but a surprise visit from his brother (Shaun Evans, Endeavour) ignites sibling rivalry and exposes lies embedded in the couple’s relationship. Wreckers begins streaming Monday, September 2.
Digging for Britain: Series 1 (UK)
This four-part documentary series features Professor Alice Roberts visiting archaeological excavations around the UK over the course of a year, and linking together the results of digs and investigations of the country’s history. The astonishing — and occasionally disturbing — stories explored include a fabulous Roman coin hoard found in Somerset, finds excavated at Shakespeare’s first theater in London’s Shoreditch, and the mystery of 97 babies murdered by the Thames. Digging for Britain: Series 1 begins streaming Monday, September 9.
The Lilac Bus (UK-Ireland)
Interrelated stories in The Lilac Bus, written by the late, great Irish author Maeve Binchy, make up this drama about six people — five from the village of Rathdoon, each of whom reaches a crossroad in their life, and the driver of the lilac-colored bus, who drives them from Dublin to and from their hometown every Friday and Sunday evening. Starring in the film are Con O’Neill (Criminal Justice), Stephanie Beacham (The Colbys), Beatie Edney (Poldark), Rynagh O’Grady (Father Ted), Dervla Kirwan (Ballykissangel), and Brendan Conroy (Dominion Creek). The Lilac Bus begins streaming Monday, September 30 23. (Photo courtesy of Acorn TV)
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and its digital channels, including the BritBox channel on Amazon.
Shetland: Season 3 (UK)
The migration to BritBox of this hit Scottish mystery-crime drama series continues with the arrival of Season 3, a six-part original story inspired by the characters in award-winning author Ann Cleeves’ bestselling “Shetland Island Mysteries” novels. After a young man disappears on the overnight ferry to Shetland, DI Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall, Primeval) and his team launch an investigation that lead them to Glasgow. Guest starring Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Saskia Reeves (Wolf Hall), Sara Vickers (Endeavour), and Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Shetland: Season 3 begins streaming Sunday, September 1.
The Royal: Seasons 6-8 (UK)
In this spinoff of the popular British show Heartbeat, a dedicated staff of doctors and nurses cares for patients at the fictional St. Aidan’s Royal Free Hospital in the seaside town of Elsinby. Robert Daws (Coronation Street) stars as Dr. Gordon Ormerod, who with his team navigates medical issues and the moral dilemmas that arise. The Royal: Seasons 6-8 begins streaming Friday, September 20. (Video is from Season 5)
The Taming of the Shrew (UK)
John Cleese stars in this BBC TV movie of one of Shakespeare‘s best-loved comedies as Petruchio, opposite Sarah Badel (Midsomer Murders)’s Katherine. In their comic battle of the sexes, Petruchio is intent on molding the shrewish Katherine into a suitable wife — for her dowry and for the challenge — while she maintains her bad behaviour… until she begins to realize her ways and becomes an obedient, bet-winning wife. The Taming of the Shrew begins streaming Tuesday, September 24.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Netflix.
Serial Killer with Piers Morgan (UK)
In this factual series, Piers Morgan interviews convicted serial killers in prison and learns about their motives. His subjects include Mark Riebe, who confessed to killing 13 women, then recanted; Lorenzo Gilyard, known as the Kansas City Strangler; Alex Henriquez, a businessman sentenced to 75 years in prison but who maintains his innocence; and Bernard Giles, who admits to his multiple murders. Serial Killer with Piers Morgan begins streaming Sunday, September 1.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Prime Video.
Victoria: Season 3 (UK)
The third season of this hit historical drama opens in 1848. Revolution is breaking out across Europe, while in Britain the fearless monarch, Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman, Doctor Who), stands between order and chaos and faces a crisis that threatens to end her reign. Costarring Tom Hughes (The Game) as Prince Albert, Victoria: Season 3 begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Tuesday, September 3.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Sundance Now and its digital channels, including the Sundance Now channel on Amazon.
Black Work (UK)
Sheridan Smith leads the cast of this mystery-crime drama in which she plays PC Jo Gillespie, whose policeman husband is killed in the line of duty. Adding to her grief is the surprise news that he was working undercover and had another identity. As the murder investigation raises more questions than answers, she conducts one of her own and discovers secrets her late husband had kept from her, leading to the realization that neither he nor their marriage were what she had thought. Black Work begins streaming Thursday, September 12.
Unspeakable (Canada)
Based on first-person experiences and the nonfiction books Bad Blood by Vic Parsons and The Gift of Death by Andre Picard, this eight-part historical drama chronicles the emergence of HIV and Hepatitis C in Canada in the early 1980s and the tragedy that resulted after thousands of people were infected by tainted blood. Starring Sarah Wayne Callies (Colony), Unspeakable begins streaming Friday, September 27.
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Did you miss any of the new shows from previous days, weeks, or months? Check out the British TV Viewing Guide 2019 Archives to find out.
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For details about the September 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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