While ITV have yet to reveal how much this paid subscription will cost, it does pose the question: what will motivate UK viewers to cough up for yet another streaming service? Together, BritBox and ITV Hub+ (ITV’s current paid subscription) currently have around 5 million subscribers compared to Netflix’s 17 million UK users, and with Prime, NOW and others we’re starting to spend a small fortune keeping up with all the new TV every month. This surely isn’t sustainable long-term, so ITVX will have a fight on its hands to compete with more established names.
New ITVX Dramas Coming Soon
With a spy thriller, a period murder mystery and modern fact-based dramas such as Litvinenko, it certainly looks as though the new streamer is taking original drama seriously and aiming for prestige. Here’s a look at the ITVX exclusive drama series which will be launching on the service in December and early 2023:
A Spy Among Friends (December 8th)
A six-part Cold War spy drama based on the true story featured in Ben Macintyre’s bestelling novel, with a star-studded line-up including Damien Lewis (Homeland), Line of Duty’s Anna Maxwell Martin, and Guy Pearce (Memento, Mare of Easttown).
The Confessions of Frannie Langton (December 8th)
This powerful period drama is a four-part murder mystery based on the Sara Collins novel of the same name, in which enslaved woman Frannie Langton is sent from a Jamaican plantation to be a maid in Georgian London, only to be blamed tragedy strikes the family for which she works.
Litvinenko (December 15th)
David Tennant (Des, Doctor Who) stars in this four-part true crime drama about the murder of former Russian KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, whose death from Polonium poisoning made headlines back in 2006, when he spent his final days helping the Met Police with their investigation.
Riches (December 22nd)
This glamorous, high-stakes family drama focuses on the exploits of the super-wealthy Richards family. The impressive cast includes Hugh Quarshie (Holby City), Ted Lasso’s Sarah Niles, Cold Feet’s Hermione Norris and Downton Abbey’s Brendan Coyle.
