BritBox's Gripping 2-Part British Crime Thriller Is the Perfect One-Night Binge

Published Sep 26, 2026, 5:57 AM EDT

Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.

A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.

Over the past few years, English TV shows have entered the spotlight more than ever before. From Baby Reindeer and Adolescence to Saturday Night Live UK, shows hailing from across the pond have received a newfound love and appreciation. But while these shows are indeed all worthwhile watches, a few older British TV shows are certainly worth visiting, or even binging over the weekend.

Among them is A Mother's Son, a quick two-episode series that was first released on ITV on September 3, 2012. The series, which is now available to stream on BritBox and Prime Video, is a captivating family drama that is built on a unique and multi-layered dilemma. It follows a mom in an almost impossible situation, and it leaves viewers at the edge of their seats to see how one mom will cope and ultimately resolve the issue at hand.

What Is 'A Mother's Son' About?

Image via ITV

A Mother's Son centers around Rosie, a divorced mother living in a quiet coastal town in Suffolk with her teenage children. Newly married to her partner Ben (Martin Clunes), their world quickly turns upside down when a teenage schoolgirl, Lorraine Mullary, is found murdered. After the incident, Rosie becomes increasingly convinced that her teenage son, Jamie (Alexander Arnold), could somehow be involved in what happened. She discovers a pair of bloody trainers hidden in his bedroom, and signs point to Jamie spending time with Sean Christie, an older dropout with a rocky history. At first, Rosie keeps her suspicions from Ben and instead turns to Jamie's father, David (Paul McGann), for help figuring out what happened. But as more evidence emerges, including Lorraine's missing phone being found in Jamie's room, the question becomes whether Jamie actually committed the murder, helped cover it up, or simply knows more than he's letting on.

Throughout the series, there's a constant dilemma presented to Rosie. If she believes her son may have committed a terrible crime, does she turn a blind eye and protect him or do the "morally correct thing" and turn him over to the police? As she copes with the pressure of the decision, her suspicions begin to tear apart both her relationship with Ben and her newly blended family, while the police investigation (led by Nicola Walker's character) continues in the background.

'A Mother's Son' Is a Quick and Compelling Must-Watch

Image via ITV

From the synopsis alone, it's clear to see why A Mother's Son is a must-watch series. After all, not only does the premise entice viewers by exploring a murder mystery that is slowly unraveled as the story goes on, but it sets its main character up to create an impossible and morally ambiguous situation. "It's very good – tense, absorbing, thrilling," The Guardian wrote in their review. Per the outlet, the series will be especially resonant for moms, those who might watch the series and inherently reflect on what they would do, or the lengths they would go to protect their child. "To any mother of a son, it may deliver a chilly shudder – even if he is only six months old," the publication wrote.

With all that said, while A Mother's Son has been out for over a decade now, the series, which runs just slightly over an hour and a half in its two episodes, is a thrilling, easy-to-follow binge perfect for the weekend. For fans of Adolescence, or even Gillian McAllister's 2022 novel Wrong Place Wrong Time, A Mother's Son would be the perfect next watch.

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  Hermione Norris

  Rosie

• Martin Clunes

  Ben

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  Paul McGann

  David

• Alexander Arnold

  Jamie