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As temperatures drop, our screens are heating up. This winter’s slate of book-to-screen adaptations is unapologetically sensual, filled with smouldering glances, slow-burn tension and the kind of on-screen chemistry that warms you faster than a radiator.
So whether you’re craving a seductive thriller or a romance that unravels with delicious inevitability, here are our favourite new TV series and films guaranteed to set your pulses racing during the coldest months of the year…
The Forsytes
This lavish new take on Galsworthy’s saga turns emotional repression into slow-burn seduction. Beneath the starched collars and glittering soirées, forbidden glances smoulder and marriages crack under the weight of unspoken desire. Every encounter feels charged and every touch a potential scandal – making this the most tantalisingly intimate Forsyte adaptation yet.
Stream on Channel 5
Frankenstein
Forget the dusty Gothic classroom text – this Frankenstein sizzles. Oscar Isaac brings dark, dangerous allure to Victor but it’s Jacob Elordi’s Creature who may surprise viewers most: soulful, magnetic and unnervingly sensual. As creator and creation become entangled in a feverish dance of obsession, the story pulses with a seductive tension no one saw coming.
Stream on Netflix
Hedda
This is Hedda at its hottest. The film’s notorious house party becomes a pressure cooker of flirtation, temptation and beautifully messy desires. Every conversation hums with innuendo and every stolen moment feels like a dare. According to The New York Times, it’s the steamiest Hedda yet…
Stream on Prime Video
The Housemaid
A glossy, wicked and irresistibly provocative thriller, The Housemaid draws viewers into a world where attraction becomes a weapon and no one is as innocent as they appear. Paul Feig’s adaptation starring Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar is drenched in glamour, secrets and illicit thrills – a sexy rollercoaster designed to make the audience gasp, grin and squirm in the best possible way.
In cinemas on December 26, 2025
The Night Manager
Years after vanishing into a new identity, Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) is pulled back into the shadows by a chance encounter that stirs up old desires and older dangers. Under a new name and in a new city, he’s forced into a world of arms deals, double agents and sultry alliances. As he edges deeper into the operation, the line between seduction and betrayal blurs until he can barely tell one from the other.
Stream on BBC iPlayer from January 1, 2026
His & Hers
In the sweltering heat of Atlanta, Anna (Tessa Thompson) – a once-famous news anchor turned recluse – is jolted back to life when whispers of a murder in her hometown resurface. She plunges headfirst into the investigation, dragging her estranged husband Jack (Jon Bernthal) – a troubled detective – into a web of suspicion, attraction and secrets. As lies pile up and loyalties blur, every glance, every whispered confession crackles with tension and possibility.
Stream on Netflix from January 8, 2026
People We Meet on Vacation
Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth), two long-time opposites, reunite for a holiday that was never meant to feel quite this charged. As sun-drenched days melt into lingering nights, their easy banter slips into something more electric. Every stolen look pushes them closer to the truth they’ve been avoiding for years – that the spark between them might finally be ready to catch fire.
Stream on Netflix from January 9, 2026
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao’s adaptation leans into the charged emotional intimacy between Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal – helped along by the actors partaking in a tantric workshop that built what Buckley calls ‘kinetic trust.’ The result is a relationship that radiates raw connection and barely contained desire, wrapped in Zhao’s signature lyrical beauty. It’s sensual in spirit and tender in execution.
In cinemas on January 9, 2026
Bridgerton (Season 4)
Bridgerton is back this January and Shonda Rhimes promises this is the sexiest season yet. Expect lush ballrooms, breath-catching romances and that trademark Regency heat that turns longing into an art form. With a fan-favourite couple finally at the centre, the series blends passion, wit and slow-burn seduction with irresistible finesse.
Stream on Netflix from January 29, 2026
Wuthering Heights
Emerald Fennell’s adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi may not be the wall-to-wall raunch-fest some expect – but it’s undeniably sensuous. The film leans into storm-soaked yearning and fierce magnetic intimacy rather than shock value. Expect a haunting, passionate love story where every touch feels momentous and every emotion burns just beneath the skin.
In cinemas on February 23, 2026