'Doctor Who', 'Sherlock', Other BBC Programs Coming to Hulu Plus

Credit: Ray Burmiston/BBC

Hulu Plus has finally caught the British TV bug.

The premium subscription service will now carry Doctor Who, Top Gear, Sherlock, Luther, and other top BBC programs will this fall, reports Entertainment Weekly.

In addition, classic programs such as Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, Upstairs, Downstairs and Wallander will be available on the service, with more shows being added throughout the fall. It is expected that there will be over 2,000 episodes of BBC Worldwide titles on Hulu Plus by the end of the year.

The site also announced that select episodes of these shows will be made available for free.

“Hulu has enjoyed a strong collaboration with BBC Worldwide North America, from international co-productions to breakthrough exclusive shows that have been embraced in the U.S. by extremely passionate audiences,” said Andy Forssell, the acting CEO and Senior Vice President of Content for Hulu. “By adding this expansive collection of premium BBC Worldwide programming, Hulu Plus solidifies its role as a top streaming platform for the best British programming available in the U.S.”

While this is a huge gain for Hulu, it is not an exclusive deal, as Netflix currently offers Doctor Who, Sherlock and Luther on their streaming subscription service. However, the BBC deal will allow Hulu to become more competitive with Netflix, which has grown considerably over the years, particularly after venturing into original programming. The subscription streaming giant has earned 14 Emmy nominations, a first for a digital-only network. Time will tell if Hulu follows suit.