The best TV Box Sets to banish the winter blues

You don’t have to be doing Dry January to feel like it’s not the best time of year to venture out. It’s cold, it’s probably wet, and most of us are still feeling bloated and/or broke from Christmas anyway. Much, much better to stay in, save those pennies and sink into the loving embrace of your sofa while getting stuck into a brilliant Box Set on Virgin TV. 

The past year has brought some acclaimed new shows like The Day Of The Jackal and Rivals, and we’ve also had new episodes of superb established series including Yellowstone, Black Sands and All Creatures Great And Small. Whether you’re looking for something different, catching up on your favourite programmes or want a meaty series to get your teeth into, scroll down to find the perfect Box Set for your needs this January… 

Find series 1 in Sky Showcase on demand 

Number of episodes: 10 

Get ready to see Eddie Redmayne as you’ve never seen him before in this critically acclaimed political thriller. A modern screen adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s classic suspense novel, it stars Redmayne as an elite assassin known as “the Jackal” whose deadly operations have attracted the attention of tenacious British intelligence officer Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch, No Time To Die). What ensues is a high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, as Pullman attempts to stop the Jackal once and for all. 

Find series 1 in Apps > Disney+ 

Number of episodes: 8 

The Disney+ eight-part blockbuster Rivals is based on the iconic novel by Dame Jilly Cooper, which is part of her Rutshire Chronicles series packed full of romantic entanglements, dastardly deals, sex and wit. Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986. David Tennant (Good Omens), Aidan Turner (Poldark), Katherine Parkinson (Away We Go) and Danny Dyer (Mr Bigstuff) star. 

Find seasons 1-5 on Paramount+ 

Number of episodes: 53 

Over five seasons, Yellowstone has chronicled the story of the Dutton family, who control the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. We’ve seen them deal with everything from shifting alliances and familial rivalries to assassination attempts and border conflicts – and then the midseason 5 finale left us on with quite the cliffhanger, meaning viewers were chomping at the bit for the final batch of new episodes in November 2024. The complete series is now available to indulge in, and fans will be delighted to know that there are new spin-offs on their way. 

Find season 1 in Apps > Prime Video 

Number of episodes: 8 

James Patterson’s best-selling Alex Cross book series has long been a favourite holiday read. After Prime Video nailed its Jack Reacher adaption with Reacher, we had high hopes for this latest book-to-screen show from the streamer – and we weren’t disappointed. Aldis Hodge (Leverage) plays Cross, a decorated homicide detective and forensic psychologist tasked with facing down a sadistic serial killer who has left a string of bodies strewn around Washington DC. 

Find series 1-5 in Channel 5 on demand 

Number of episodes: 35 

The 2020s revival of this series based on James Herriot’s books about Yorkshire vets has proved hugely popular, and with good reason – it’s just the sort of heartwarming drama we love to luxuriate in. Watching stories of love, rivalries, farming and loveable eccentrics in the Dales is just the ticket for the cold, grey midwinter, and there are now five series of this charming show – plus extra-delightful Christmas specials – to dive into for your fix of gentle 1930s rural tales. Samuel West, Nicholas Ralph and Rachel Shenton star.  

Find seasons 1-6 in U&Alibi on demand 

Number of episodes: 81 

Matt Bomer (Magic Mike) is Neal Caffrey – a renowned con artist, forger and thief who has found himself behind bars after a three-year stand-off with the FBI. However, when Caffrey is offered early release from prison in exchange for helping the FBI catch dangerous white-collar criminals, it’s an offer that proves too good to refuse. Don’t miss a minute of the action as Caffrey takes to the mean streets of New York City. 

Find series 1-2 in U&Alibi on demand  

Number of episodes: 16 

If you believe all the TV dramas that the Nordic countries export to us, the whole region is basically as deadly as the fictional county of Midsomer – only more picturesque and with more natty knitwear. In this excellent Icelandic thriller, a troubled police officer is forced back to her hometown where the discovery of a body changes everything. Soon, she’s forced to search for a dangerous serial killer while battling her own demons. 

Find it in U&W on demand  

Number of episodes: 8 

This TV adaptation of Fatal Attraction reimagines the 1980s movie thriller and its timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through today’s world and attitudes toward strong women, personality disorders and coercive control. Joshua Jackson (Fringe) and Lizzy Caplan (Masters Of Sex) make a compelling double act in the lead roles and it’s as raunchy as you’d expect given the source material, featuring plenty of twists even fans of the original won’t expect. 

Find seasons 1-2 in Discovery on demand  

Number of episodes: 21 

Where the original Naked And Afraid left a pair of unclad competitors to survive in the wilderness, this spin-off ups the ante by putting together a larger group of skilled survivalists and setting them multiple challenges to find out who will be, well, the last one standing. Want another twist? They don’t even get the single tool that the contestants on the parent show got. It’s fascinating to see both the in-group dynamics and the expertise they display to endure the hardships – but it’s well worth it, with a $100,000 prize for the winner.