The Best World War II Movies and TV Shows on BritBox
Finding a good World War II movie and TV show to watch can be hard, so we've ranked the best ones and included where to watch them. Check out our list of the best World War II movies and TV shows of all time streaming on BritBox.
1. Blackadder
What it's about: Through four series and a few specials, Edmund Blackadder and his greasy sidekick Baldrick conjure up cunning plans as Edmund tries to take advantage of desperate times. These situation tragedies had obvious parallels from the Dark Ages to Elizabethan times, the rule of mad George III, and The Great War.
Where to Watch: 24 episodes (96%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, Hulu & BritBox). 24 episodes (96%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 4 services (iTunes, Prime Video & 2 others).
2. Brideshead Revisited
What it's about: In this acclaimed eleven-hours British television miniseries, Charles Ryder, an agnostic man, becomes involved with members of the Flytes, a Catholic family of aristocrats, over the course of several years between the two world wars.
Where to Watch: 11 episodes (100%) are available to watch free online (Tubi). 11 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox). 10 episodes (91%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 2 services (Google Play & YouTube).
3. The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco
What it's about: During the thrilling social change of the mid-1950s, four remarkable women who previously served secretly during WWII as code-breakers, turn their skills to solving murders overlooked by police. In the process they are plunged into fascinating corners of the city, forge powerful relationships, and rediscover their own powers and potential.
Where to Watch: 9 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox). 8 episodes (89%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 3 services (Google Play, Vudu & YouTube).
4. Small Island
What it's about: Follow three intricately connected stories of Jamaicans and Londoners involved in World War Two. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as we trace the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.
Where to Watch: 2 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox & Hoopla).
5. Dad's Army
What it's about: Introducing the Walmington-On-Sea home guard. During WW2, in a fictional British seaside town, a ragtag group of Home Guard local defense volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion.
Where to Watch: 77 episodes (89%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
6. The Passing Bells
What it's about: At the outbreak of World War I, two teenage boys - one German and one British - defy their parents to sign up. An epic historical drama spanning the five years of the First World War, as seen through the eyes of two ordinary young soldiers.
Where to Watch: 5 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Prime Video, BritBox & Hoopla).
7. Our World War
What it's about: Our World War is a gripping factual drama series offering viewers first-hand experience of the extraordinary bravery of young soldiers fighting 100 years ago. Drawing on real stories of World War One soldiers it uses the visual techniques and imagery familiar from modern warfare – POV helmet camera footage, surveillance images and night vision – to immerse the BBC Three audience in life on the Western Front. Each episode is closely based on first-hand testimony, interviews and memoirs that reveal often hidden and sometimes disturbing aspects of the combat experience.
Where to Watch: 3 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
8. The BBC at War
What it's about: An enthralling series exploring how the BBC fought not only Hitler but also the British government to become the institution it is today.
Where to Watch: 2 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
9. My Boy Jack
What it's about: Author Rudyard Kipling and his wife search for their 17-year-old son after he goes missing during WWI.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).
10. Christopher and His Kind
What it's about: In 1931 budding author Christopher Isherwood goes to Berlin at the invitation of his friend W. H. Auden for the gay sex that abounds in the city. Whilst working as an English teacher his housemates include bewigged old queen Gerald Hamilton and would-be actress Jean Ross, who sings tunelessly in a seedy cabaret club. They and others he meets get put into his stories. After a fling with sexy rent boy Caspar he falls for street sweeper Heinz, paying medical bills for the boy's sickly mother, to the disapproval of her other son, Nazi Gerhardt. With Fascism rapidly rising Christopher returns to London with Heinz but is unable to prevent his return to Germany when his visa expires. Years later Christopher, now a successful writer, returns to Berlin for a final meeting with Heinz, now married with children.
Where to Watch: Available to stream on a subscription service (BritBox).