There's nothing quite like British entertainment, whether to showcase its ability to create gritty TV shows and movies, or to show humanity at its worst with its generous helping of reality TV. While Brits are well-served by the UK's free-to-air channels, though, all their on-demand platforms, like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, and All4, are geo-locked.
That means, if you're a Brit abroad or are wanting to stream content from overseas, you're fresh out of luck. However, with the help of a VPN, you can watch UK TV no matter where you are - and we're here to tell you how.
So whether you're wanting to watch Peaky Blinders for its final season on BBC, don't want to miss a moment of the Premier League action, or need your fix of Vitamin D and binge last year's Love Island on the ITV Hub, utilizing a VPN will get you access to the 100% free catch-up platforms, as well as being able to unlock those services you pay for including Sky Go, Now TV, and BT TV. Keep reading as we explain exactly how.
How can I watch UK TV abroad?
When you're in the UK, while you may need a valid TV licence for certain broadcasters, watching on-demand services is as easy as visiting its website, registering a free account and hitting play. However, when you're on outside of the country for whatever reason, it's a different story.
For instance, if you try to watch something on BBC iPlayer, you'll be presented with the following message: BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues.
In order to bypass these geo-restrictions, you'll need to trick your device into thinking it's within the UK, which can be done with the use of a BBC iPlayer VPN.
Simply hop onto a UK server and the VPN will alter your IP address and encrypt your outgoing internet data. Sounds complicated, but in layman's terms, this means it will spoof both your device and the platform itself into thinking you're in the country, opening the doors to a whole host of UK TV you can watch abroad.
But which VPN is up for the job? We've put providers through rigorous testing and this is the one that comes out on top...
Which VPN can I use to watch UK TV abroad?
How to use a VPN to watch UK TV abroad
While the innerworkings of a VPN may sound complicated, the process of using a VPN to watch UK TV abroad really isn't.
All you need to do is sign up and install your VPN on your chosen device. This takes a matter of minutes, especially if you go for ExpressVPN as recommended above.
Once it's installed on your device, you simply need to select and connect to a server based in the UK. We recommend connecting to it before visiting the streaming platform's website or launching its app to avoid any slight chance of the site detecting you're using a VPN. While unlikely with ExpressVPN, this has been an issue for other VPNs in the past.
You'll need to login or create an account, but this is free to do so, and, of course, you won't be asked to provide any payment details. While you will have to enter in a postcode, if you're not happy to use your own, you can always look one up online, which will more than suffice.
From there, pick what you want to watch, hit play, and enjoy watching UK TV no matter where you are in the world.
Is watching UK TV abroad legal?
In the UK, Brits will need to be in possession of a valid TV licence in order to watch the UK's free-to-air channels live. The same goes for when you're abroad and wanting to watch any live broadcasts from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, or just about any other Freeview channel.
That said, while you will need a TV licence to also watch anything on BBC iPlayer, other on-demand platforms don't require one for streaming catch-up content.
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