Our Top Pick: The Other Bennet Sister – The Romance to Start With
A BritBox romance series is a drama available on BritBox that focuses on emotionally driven love stories, often with British settings, character-rich plots, and a tone that emphasizes relationships, longing, and personal growth over high-concept action or spectacle, making them ideal for viewers who want a British drama binge centred on romance rather than thrills. The number one romance you should start with is The Other Bennet Sister. This BritBox original expands Jane Austen’s world by giving overlooked Mary Bennet her own ten-episode Regency love story in London, including two suitors vying for her heart. It’s the best first pick because it blends familiar Pride and Prejudice comforts with fresh character work, delivering exactly what period romance streaming fans crave: classic literary roots, forbidden attraction, and cozy, witty domestic drama. If you want lush costumes, bookish yearning, and a heroine who grows into her own desires, begin your BritBox romance journey here.
North and South – For Sweeping Period Romance and Social Drama
If you’re craving a more intense, industrial backdrop to your period romance streaming, North and South is your next stop. This four-part drama, drawn from Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1855 novel, follows Margaret Hale as she leaves the gentler rural south for a gritty northern mill town, where her clashes with cotton-mill owner John Thornton slowly ignite into mutual attraction. Alongside that enemies-to-lovers pull, the series digs into class tension and social divides, giving your British drama binge more weight without losing any swoony energy. The atmosphere—Victorian streets, factories, and parlours—feels expansive and lived-in, and the supporting cast deepens every conflict. Choose North and South if you love slow burn romances where ideology and pride are as much obstacles as circumstance, and you want your love story intertwined with labour disputes, moral questions, and stark contrasts between wealth and hardship.
Last Tango in Halifax – Second Chance Love Stories in the Present Day
For contemporary romance with the emotional heft of a long life lived, pick Last Tango in Halifax. This five-season dramedy centres on Alan and Celia, widowed septuagenarians who reconnect after 60 years apart and rekindle a passionate relationship, thanks to meddling grandsons and social media. It’s the standout BritBox choice if you want second chance love stories instead of youthful first crushes: the show treats age as nothing more than a number where love is concerned, balancing humour with deep feeling. According to critical consensus, it is “a moving comedy-drama that delights as it touches hearts of all ages, boasting marvellous performances by its leading actors” and holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Choose Last Tango in Halifax when you want grounded, modern romance, complicated families, and proof that connection can spark again after decades apart.
Cooper & Fry and the BritBox Premier Binge Advantage
While not a pure romance, Cooper & Fry belongs on your BritBox list if you like your British drama binge with strong emotional undercurrents and potential for slow-burn chemistry. Set in the Peak District, it pairs rural DC Ben Cooper with outsider DC Diane Fry, whose clashing approaches to policing soften as they work grisly countryside cases together and begin to understand one another. The interesting twist for subscribers is BritBox Premier: everything that lands there is an early-release binge, with all episodes arriving weeks ahead of the standard premiere. Cooper & Fry Season 1 is one of those early-release binges, with its full run debuting for Premier users before regular subscribers see weekly drops. If you enjoy character-driven partnerships that may evolve into something more, and you like watching entire seasons early, Premier makes this series a fresh option.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the The Other Bennet Sister if you want a BritBox romance series that blends Austen nostalgia with a fresh, character-driven twist on Mary Bennet’s love life.
- Skip the The Other Bennet Sister if you dislike Regency settings, classic literary adaptations, or any form of period romance streaming.
- Buy the North and South if you want a British drama binge that mixes enemies-to-lovers tension with Victorian class conflict and industrial atmosphere.
- Skip the North and South if social issues and heavier historical context distract you from enjoying a straightforward love story.
- Buy the Last Tango in Halifax if you’re searching for second chance love stories with mature leads, contemporary settings, and emotionally realistic family dynamics.
- Skip the Last Tango in Halifax if multi-season dramedies and modern domestic complications are not appealing to you.
- Buy the Cooper & Fry if you like relationship-driven detective drama and want to use BritBox Premier’s early-release binge access for a fresh series.
- Skip the Cooper & Fry if you only want pure romance and have no interest in crime plots or paying for Premier early access.
