BBC UKTV to Go HD

Fans of British panel shows and whodunits will be able to watch them back-to-back in HD on Sky’s BBC UKTV channel from December 4.

Sky has confirmed the service will be upgraded from SD the same day as sister channel BBC Earth.

Regular viewers of BBC UKTV will have noticed evolving programming strategies over recent years, with the classic comedies that used to dominate its schedule now a fixture of Jones!.

Today’s BBC UKTV features far more up-to-date content, most of which have been shot in HD.

Many of these series already have screened on the free-to-air networks, like QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, The Graham Norton Show, Midsomer Murders and Death in Paradise.

But the channel does have a slew of exclusives, including London Kills (which premiered Monday), Peaky Blinders, The Jonathan Ross Show, EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Would I Lie to You?, as well as later seasons of series like Inspector George Gently that FTA channels dropped.

BBC UKTV will never be a premium drama platform, with most of the BBC’s best destined for the SoHo channels and even a superior whodunit like Vera, which is being showcased this week on a pop-up channel, winding up on Vibe.

But it’s still a valuable outlet for the likes of Peaky Blinders, The A Word and other series that the FTAs deem too obscure, niche or idiosyncratically British for primetime.