Twenty-one new series, specials, and films from the UK, Ireland, and Canada make their national US premieres in April, along with five titles that debut in local markets.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US linear TV and streaming channels throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
Programs and dates are subject to change without prior notice.
Videos below may contain content that is not suitable for everyone.
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NATIONAL PREMIERES
The Great Pottery Throw Down: Season 4 (UK)
The latest season of this competition series returns to the US with eight new episodes, one new host, and twelve new contestants who put their pottery skills to the test in their quest to be named Britain’s best home potter. For further details, read this article. The Great Pottery Throw Down: Season 4, a Max Original, premieres in the US on Thursday, April 1, exclusively on HBO Max.
Murdoch Mysteries: Season 14 (Canada)
Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and his crack team are back to solve a new set of gruesome murders using radical forensic techniques and other investigative innovations in late 19th/early 20th century Toronto in this hit whodunit’s latest season. Murdoch Mysteries: Season 14 has its US streaming premiere on Friday, April 2, on Acorn TV — launching with six episodes, then continuing weekly for the remaining five episodes on Mondays from April 5 through May 3. (Video is from Season 13)
The Serpent (UK)
Inspired by real events, this true-crime drama tells the story of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim, The Last Panthers) and the attempts to bring him to justice. With his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman, Victoria), Sobhraj targeted and murdered Western tourists in Southeast Asia during the 1970s. For further details, read this article. The Serpent, a Netflix Original, premieres globally outside of the UK on Friday, April 2, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Easter From King’s 2021 (UK)
This Easter celebration tradition at the Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge features readings and seasonal hymns, the latter performed by the world-famous choir. Easter From King’s 2021 premieres in North America on Saturday, April 3, exclusively on BritBox. (Video is from 2020)
Gangs of London (UK)
Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders) and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Humans), this action-packed crime drama tells the story of the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control modern-day London and the sudden power vacuum that is created when the head of the city’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. For further details, read this article. Gangs of London premieres on US linear TV with its first episode (of 10) on Sunday, April 4, at 10 PM ET, on AMC. New episodes will debut weekly.
My Grandparents’ War (UK)
This history-genealogy docuseries reveals the bravery and the sacrifices made during WWII by the grandparents of Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown), Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall), Kristin Scott Thomas (Darkest Hour), and Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman). For further details, read this article. My Grandparents’ War premieres in the US with its first episode (of 4) on Sunday, April 4, at 8 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings), PBS.org, and via the PBS app. New episodes will debut weekly.
Death in Paradise: Season 10 (UK)
The tenth anniversary season of this hugely-popular mystery series, set on the (fictional) Caribbean island of Saint Marie, consists of eight new episodes full of baffling murders and intriguing puzzles — and the shocking return of a familiar face. Featuring guest stars galore and the return of fan-favorite former cast members, Death in Paradise: Season 10 has its North American streaming premiere on Tuesday, April 6, exclusively on BritBox. New episodes will debut weekly.
The Power (UK)
Set in 1974, this horror movie stars Rose Williams (Sanditon) as Val, a trainee nurse at the crumbling East London Royal Infirmary. With most of the patients and staff moved to another hospital, Val must work the night shift in the dark, near-empty building — and is forced to face her traumatic past and deepest fears in order to confront the evil force intent on destroying everything around her. The Power premieres in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on Thursday, April 8, exclusively on Shudder.
Question Time 2021 (UK)
Returning for a new season is this 40-year-old BBC institution, which gives the general public from around the world a voice and a chance to have their questions answered by the panelists, usually political figures, journalists and trade union leaders, and more recently celebrities. Presented by Fiona Bruce, Question Time 2021 premieres in North America on Thursday, April 8, as a “Now” title exclusively on BritBox. (Video is from 2020)
The Nevers (US-UK)
Victorian London is rocked by a supernatural event that gives certain people, mostly women, abnormal abilities. No matter their particular “turns,” all who belong to this new underclass are in grave danger, and it falls to mysterious widow Amalia True (Laura Donnelly, Outlander) and brilliant inventor Penance Adair (Ann Skelly, Red Rock) to protect them. To do so, they will have to face the brutal forces determined to annihilate their kind. For further details. read this article. The Nevers premieres Sunday, April 11, at 9 PM ET/PT, on HBO.
Keeping Faith: Series 3 (UK/Wales)
In the final season of this thriller, lawyer Faith Howells (Eve Myles, Torchwood) attempts to navigate the disillusion of her marriage while taking on a case involving a gravely-ill young boy. Then her mother, Rose Fairchild (Celia Imrie, Kingdom), shows up from out of the blue, uncovering secrets in Faith’s background. Keeping Faith: Series 3, an Acorn TV Original, premieres in the US with its first two episodes (of 6) on Monday, April 12, exclusively on Acorn TV. New episodes will debut weekly. (Video is from Series 1)
Kate & Koji (UK)
Brenda Blethyn (Vera) and Jimmy Akingbola (In the Long Run) star in this comedy series, which follows the unlikely friendship between Kate, a working-class woman who runs an old-fashioned seaside café in South Essex, and Koji, an African doctor and asylum seeker. For further details, read this article. Kate & Koji premieres in North America on Tuesday, April 13, exclusively on BritBox
The Banishing (UK)
Set in the 1930s, this horror thriller tells the true story of the most haunted house in England. After clergyman Malachi (John Lynch, The Fall), his wife Marianne (Jessica Brown Findlay, Downton Abbey), and their daughter Adelaide (Anya McKenna-Bruce, Cleaning Up) move into a new home, a malevolent spirit haunts the girl, forcing her parents to seek help from a black magic-practicing occultist to save her. The Banishing, a Shudder Original film, premieres in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on Thursday, April 15, exclusively on Shudder.
Frank Of Ireland (UK)
Brian Gleeson (Resistance, Rebellion) stars in this new comedy series as Frank, a 33-year-old misanthropic fantasist in arrested development. With a tenuous hold on reality, a room in his mother’s home, an ex he can’t get over, and a loyal best friend in Doofus (Domhnall Gleeson, Run), the hapless Frank searches for respect. Costarring Pom Boyd (Vanity Fair) and Sarah Greene (Dublin Murders), Frank Of Ireland, an Amazon Original, premieres in the US, Canada, and Australia on Friday, April 16, exclusively on Prime Video.
One Wild Day (UK)
This three-part natural history series embarks on a 24-hour journey with some of the most extraordinary animals on our planet, as they thrive at different moments during the day in order to survive in some of the toughest landscapes on Earth — including the deserts of Arizona, the open plains of South Africa, and the jungles of Costa Rica. For some animals, 24 hours is the blink of an eye; for others, it’s an entire lifetime. One Wild Day premieres in the US on Saturday, April 17, at 8 PM ET, on BBC America. New episodes will debut weekly.
Boys from County Hell (UK-Ireland)
In this comedy horror movie, prankster Eugene Moffat (Jack Rowan, Noughts + Crosses) is forced to work with his father (Nigel O’Neill, Derry Girls) on a road crew in the sleepy Irish town of Six Mile Hill. But after they tear down a famous cairn believed to be the final resting place of legendary Irish vampire Abhartach, they come under attack from a sinister force. Boys from County Hell premieres in the US and Canada on Thursday, April 22, exclusively on Shudder.
Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World (UK)
This three-part docuseries follows teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg (pictured) as she seeks to raise awareness of the accelerating climate change. Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World premieres in the US in its entirety on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, from 8-11 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings). Encore airings of the episodes will be on Wednesdays, April 28-May 12, from 8-9 PM. (Photo courtesy of Jon Sayers © BBC Studios)
Life in Color with David Attenborough (UK)
In this stunning new three-part series, David Attenborough travels the world — from the rain forests of Costa Rica, to the snowy Scottish Highlands — to reveal the extraordinary and never-before-seen ways that animals use color. Using revolutionary camera technology created specifically for this series, it lets viewers experience how colors invisible to the human eye play a vital role in animal interactions. Life in Color with David Attenborough, a Netflix Documentary, premieres globally on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Romeo and Juliet (UK)
Set in modern-day Italy, this National Theatre adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy stars Josh O’Connor (The Crown) and Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl) as the young lovers who defy their feuding families and risk everything to be together. Romeo and Juliet premieres in the US on Friday, April 23, at 8 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings). It will also be available for streaming via the PBS app.
Top Gear: Season 30 (UK-US)
In their fourth season at the wheel of this popular motoring show, hosts Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris, and Paddy McGuinness tackle “mid-life crisis” cars, participate in a punishing off-road adventure in the Scottish Highlands, celebrate and drive some of the most iconic cars from the “James Bond” films, and take a nostalgic trip down memory lane as they drive their dads’ old cars. Top Gear: Season 30 premieres in the US on Sunday, April 25, at 8 PM ET, on BBC America and the AMC+ streaming bundle.
Grace (UK)
Based on Peter James’s best-selling “Roy Grace” crime novels, and written by Russell Lewis (Endeavour), this crime thriller stars John Simm (Life on Mars) as Brighton-based Det. Supt. Roy Grace. In “Dead Simple,” Grace has been reassigned to work cold cases until his colleague, Det. Sgt. Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell, Small Axe), asks for his help on a strange missing person case. For further details, read this article. Grace, a BritBox Original, premieres in North America on Tuesday, April 27, exclusively on BritBox.
LOCAL/REGIONAL PREMIERES
Select public TV stations and regional networks will begin airing the programs below on or after April 1. Check you local listings or contact the station that serves your area, as applicable, for air dates and times. To request the shows, contact your public TV station or American Public Television.
Great Australian Railway Journeys (UK)
Michael Portillo is back, but not in Europe this time. In this six-episode travelogue, he travels the length and breadth of Australia by train, steered in his journey to Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, and other breathtaking locales by his 1913 Bradshaw handbook. Great Australian Railway Journeys is confirmed for airing on Idaho Public Television, KBTC, KTCA, KUEN, WLVT, WMVS, WNED, WPTO, WQPT, WSBE, and WVIZ.
How the Victorians Built Britain: Season 2 (UK)
In the second season of this popular docuseries, host Michel Buerk travels across Britain to discover more about how the Victorians built much of what we see today. The eight-episode series uncovers incredible and surprising stories behind iconic landmarks, revealing the hidden heroes behind the epic constructions. How the Victorians Built Britain: Season 2 is confirmed for airing on Idaho Public Television, KQEH, KRMA, KUAT, KUEN, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WBGU, WETA, WLVT, WNED, WPTD, and WSBE.
Secrets of the Royal Palaces: Season 2 (UK)
The second season of this docuseries unlocks the secrets of the eight most famous royal palaces: Buckingham, Kensington, Windsor, Sandringham, Balmoral, Highgrove, Holyrood, and St James’s Palace. Historian Kate Williams (A Tale of Two Sisters) tells scandalous and shocking stories of ancient and recent Palace history. Secrets of the Royal Palaces: Season 2 is confirmed for airing on Idaho Public Television, Kentucky Educational Television, KERA, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, New Hampshire PBS, WFYI, WGBH, WLVT, WMVS, WNED, WOSU, WPBT, WSBE, and WVIZ.
Warwick Davis and the Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz (UK)
This documentary follows actor Warwick Davis (Willow) as he undertakes a fascinating and self-reflective journey of inquiry into the miraculous story of the survival of the Ovitz family, particularly the dwarf children, in the infamous Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. Warwick Davis and the Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz is confirmed for airing on Idaho Public Television, KPBS, KTWU, KUEN, Maryland Public Television, WBGU, WGBY, WITF, WLIW, and WNET.
WWII & Cinema (UK)
This three-part docuseries explores the film industry during and after the Second World War. As movies were used as a propaganda tool and gave citizens an escape from the realities of war, cinema attendance actually rose during these years. After the war, filmmakers continued to return to the subject, bringing stories of the battles, horrors, and heroism of the global conflict to the big screen. WWII & Cinema is confirmed for airing on KUEN, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WLRN, WPBS, and WSBE.
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 Acorn TV on Amazon.
Only Foals and Horses (UK/Wales)
This docuseries follows a year in the lives of friends and horse vets Lisa Durham and Philippa Hughes, who head up an all-female team tackling all kinds of medical dilemmas around the clock and in all weather at their clinic in Wales. Only Foals and Horses begins streaming Monday, April 5.
The Norman Conquests (UK)
This Emmy®-nominated miniseries presents a trilogy of stories adapted from Alan Ayckbourn’s hit plays, which center on the same six characters over the same weekend in a different part of the decaying country house of their bedridden mother. Starring Penelope Keith (To the Manor Born), Richard Briers (Good Neighbors), Tom Conti (Shirley Valentine), Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey), David Troughton (The Café), and Fiona Walker (Doctor Who), The Norman Conquests begins streaming Monday, April 5.
In Deep: Series 3 (UK)
Nick Berry (EastEnders) and Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks) star in this mystery-crime drama series as Liam Ketman and Garth O’ Hanlon — undercover detectives who lead complicated double lives and make daily sacrifices for their job that impact immensely on their personal lives. In Deep: Series 3 begins streaming Monday, April 12.
Off The Beaten Track: Series 2 (UK)
This docuseries’ second season follows host Kate Humble, accompanied by her Welsh sheepdog Teg, as she explores the Welsh countryside, seeking to understand how the rugged, rural landscapes of Wales are being shaped and how they are shaping the people who live, work, and play on it. Off The Beaten Track: Series 2 begins streaming Monday, April 19.
Belonging (UK)
Based on Stevie Davies’s novel Web of Belonging, this award-winning TV movie stars Brenda Blethyn (Vera) as Jess Copplestone, a former librarian who now cares for the elderly relatives of her husband Jacob (Kevin Whately, Inspector Lewis). When Jacob disappears and Jess later learns he’s left her for a younger woman, she struggles to quell her self-doubts, contain her rage, maintain her dignity, and regain her balance. Belonging begins streaming Monday, April 26.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and its digital channels, including BritBox on Amazon.
Ambassadors (UK)
Starring celebrated comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb (The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff, Peep Show), this miniseries is a sharply-written comedy-drama that follows the lives of employees at the (fictional) Tazbekistan embassy. Ambassadors begins streaming Thursday, April 1, exclusively on BritBox.
Hi-de-Hi!: Seasons 1-9 (UK)
Set in the late 50s/early 60s, this BAFTA-winning comedy by Jimmy Perry (Dad’s Army) and David Croft (‘Allo ‘Allo!) follows the goings-on amongst the staff and guests at the (fictional) Maplins Holiday Camp in Essex. The complete series of Hi-de-Hi! begins streaming Thursday, April 1, exclusively on BritBox.
The Brittas Empire: Seasons 1-6 (UK)
Chris Barrie (Red Dwarf) stars in this classic Britcom as Gordon Brittas, the ambitious and well-intended but largely incompetent Gordon Brittas, the manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Despite his good intentions, he frequently upsets his staff, his wife Helen, and the public as he repeatedly brings chaos into their lives. The Brittas Empire: Seasons 1-6 begins streaming Thursday, April 1, exclusively on BritBox.
This Time with Alan Partridge: Season 1 (UK)
Steve Coogan (The Trip) returns as the inimitable inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in this comedic spoof of current affairs programs, which sees Partridge become the stand-in presenter of This Time when the regular co-host falls ill. This Time with Alan Partridge: Season 1 begins streaming Thursday, April 1.
Antiques Roadshow: Season 40 (UK)
This fan-favorite series celebrates its 40th anniversary in style with an episode based at the magnificent Castle Howard in Yorkshire. Other episodes feature the show’s signature grand locations and intriguing antiques, including a possible Renoir sketch, a rare letter written by Charles Darwin, and precious diamond drop earrings very nearly lost in the mail. Antiques Roadshow: Season 40 begins streaming Tuesday, April 20.
Rough Diamond (2005) (UK)
David Jason (A Touch of Frost) stars in this crime drama as Diamond Geezer Des, a long-serving prison inmate who uses his cheeky charm to carry out grand thefts under different disguises. Trusted by inmates and prison guards alike, Des is in prison as part of his ingenious plan to steal valuable diamonds from fellow inmate and notorious bully Benny (Gary Whelan, Ballykissangel). Costarring Stephen Wight (Bluestone 42), Rough Diamond begins streaming Friday, April 30.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Netflix.
Diana: The Interview that Shook the World (UK)
This feature-length documentary looks at the origins and impact of the infamous Princess Diana interview on the November 20, 1995, edition of the BBC’s Panorama program, in which she opened up to host Martin Bashir about her marriage to Prince Charles and her life as a member of the royal family. Diana: The Interview that Shook the World begins streaming Sunday, April 11.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Prime Video.
Keeping Faith: Season 1 (UK/Wales)
Eve Myles (Torchwood) stars in this Wales-set thriller as Faith Howells — a lawyer, wife, and mother who fights to find the truth behind the sudden disappearance of her husband. During the ordeal, she discovers he has been leading a double life, learns that her idyllic hometown harbors dark secrets, and transforms from a carefree mother into a risk-taking sleuth who finds a new inner strength. Keeping Faith: Season 1 will be available for streaming as a no-additional charge title for Amazon Prime members on Prime Video from Thursday, April 1, through the end of the month.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Sundance Now and its digital channels, including Sundance Now on Amazon.
Bang: Season 2 (UK/Wales)
In the second season of this BAFTA Cymru award-winning Welsh crime drama, Port Talbot police officers Gina Jenkins (Catrin Stewart, Stella) and Luke Lloyd (Jack Parry-Jones, Our Girl) hunt for a serial killer targeting the men named in a rape case 10 years ago, while Gina’s brother Sam (Jacob Ifan, Cuffs), just out of prison, finds his life turned upside down by violent crime once again. Bang: Season 2 begins streaming Thursday, April 8.
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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 and Archives to find out.
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For details about the April 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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