In Spotlight: Daniel Mays’ 12 best TV show and film roles
Nov 29 | 4 min readThe BritBox UK Hot List: Films, drama and comedy to watch on BritBox in October
Cult chillers, the best of Hammer Horror and - for those of a nervous disposition - sitcom box sets and period drama are among the new arrivals on BritBox this month.
October means Halloween, and this month BritBox has pulled out all the stops to give its viewers the scariest schedule ever.
BritBox is celebrating the spooky season with a collection of cult thrillers, spine-tingling chillers and some of the best British horror films ever made.
The Wicker Man, Don't Look Now The Falling and The Hole all arrive on the streaming service this month, along with a bumper collection of Hammer Horror films including Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde, Dr Terror's House of Horrors , Frankenstein Created Woman and The Nanny.
If your nerves can't take any more, there's also classic comedy in the form of The High Life, Chef! and The Job Lot, and acclaimed drama in Criminal Justice and Guilt.
Plus, don’t miss what’s on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, NOW and Sky Cinema this month.
Guilt
BBC
Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives star as brothers Max and Jake in this darkly comic Scottish thriller.
While returning from a wedding, they accidentally run over and kill an elderly man, but decide to cover up their crime. The longer the cover-up goes on, the harder they find it to hide the truth and the more cracks start to appear in their relationship. Meanwhile other characters are brought into the story, all linked by a common theme of guilt.
Compared with the likes of Hitchcock, Irvine Welsh and the Coen Brothers when first broadcast, season 2 joins the first season of Guilt on BritBox this month. BBC confirmed in May 2022 that a third and final series is in the pipeline.
Watch Guilt series 2 on BritBox from 13 October. Series 1 is already on BritBox
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The Wicker Man
Often imitated but never bettered, almost 50 years after it was first released, The Wicker Man is held up as one of the best British horror films of all time.
The Wicker Man follows policeman - and devout Christian - Neil Howie to the remote island of Summerisle where he is to investigate the disappearance of a young girl.
The islanders, who Howie is horrified to find indulging in pagan rituals, frequently sabotage his investigations. Although island leader Lord Summerisle appears sympathetic to the policeman, the truth about his role - and the real reason for Howie's presence on the island - is revealed in an unforgettably chilling final reel.
Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee star in a film once described as "the Citizen Kane of horror movies".
Watch The Wicker Man on BritBox from 6 October.
More films new to BritBox this month
Ralph Bates and Martine Beswick in Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde (27 October)
1 October
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
The Falling (2014)
The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
The Sonata (2018)
6 October
Before I Go To Sleep (2014)
Don't Look Now (1973)
The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957)
Frankenstein and The Monster From Hell (1974)
Haunted (1995)
Link (1986)
Silence (2016)
The Awakening (2011)
The Descent (2005)
The Descent: Part 2 (2009)
The Ghost Writer (2010)
The Look of Love (2013)
The Wicker Man (1973)
13 October
James And The Giant Peach (1996)
Lolita (1997)
Looking for Eric (2009)
Once (2007)
Oranges and Sunshine (2010)
Ratcatcher (1999)
Sliding Doors (1998)
Swimming Pool (2003)
The Abduction Club (2002)
The Hole (2001)
20 October
A Shock to the System (1990)
Bullet to Beijing (1995)
Homebound (2021) - Exclusive
The Jigsaw Man (1983)
Midnight in St Petersburg (1996)
27 October
Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), above
Dr Terror's House of Horrors (1965)
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
The Nanny (1965)
Rasputin, The Mad Monk (1966)
The Reptile (1966)
Scars of Dracula (1970)
The Witches (1967)
To The Devil a Daughter (1976)
The High Life
BBC
Written by and starring Forbes Masson and Alan Cumming, Scottish skybound sitcom The High Life only aired for seven episodes but almost 30 years on boasts a cult following.
Masson and Cumming play Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight, two air stewards for Air Scotia. Dreaming of exotic long-haul layovers, the pair are stuck on short-haul flights alongside domineering boss and 'Hitler in tights' Shona (Siobhan Redmond) and deranged pilot Captain Duff.
Packed to the cargo hold with surreallist comedy, groansome jokes and song and dance numbers, The High Life was grounded after just one series as Cumming found film fame in Hollywood, but you can now enjoy it in all its outrageous glory on BritBox.
Watch The High Life on BritBox from 13 October.
New series coming to BritBox in October
BBC
1 October
Versailles series 1-3 - A young King Louis XIV decides to build the greatest palace the world has ever seen - but will its grandeur bring his restless nobles into line?
6 October
Chef! series 1-3 - Celebrity chef Gareth Blackstock struggles to divide his time between his restaurant and wife Janice. Sitcom starring Lenny Henry and Caroline Lee-Johnson.
13 October
Brave New World - A utopian society which has found peace through strict rules comes under threat from an outsider. Science fiction drama based on Aldous Huxley's novel.
Guilt series 2 - Two brothers with opposite temperaments unwittingly run over and kill an old man. But their attempts to cover up the crime only stir up more trouble.
The High Life - Surreal Scottish sitcom chronicling the eccentric passengers and crew of a fictional airline. Stars Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson and Siobhan Redmond.
The Job Lot series 1-3 - Neurotic job centre manager Trish and her staff navigate problem clients and complex personal lives. Sitcom starring Sarah Hadland.
20 October
Criminal Justice series 1 & 2 - Legal drama following two people as they face trial in the UK justice system. Season 1 stars Ben Whishaw and season 2 stars Maxine Peake.
27 October
Born to Kill - A haunting exploration of the mind of Sam, a teenager on the verge of acting out hidden psychopathic desires. Stars Jack Rowan, Daniel Mays and Lara Peake.
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