How I watch UK TV Abroad

I have lived abroad ( France, Bermuda, Miami ) and travelled to soooooooo many places. I have always missed ( or not missed as I will tell you here ) UK TV. Old cliche that we make the best TV in the world but if you are an ExPat like me you will surely agree that when you can't get it......!!!.

So how do I do it.

It can be a 1 fix solution, but I have always found myself using different methods to find and suit what I want to watch, some are free others cost a little, others cost a lot, so I will list below what I use.

1. You Tube! No it is not just kids falling off skateboards, there is a load of great stuff on there. If you have used before and didn't like because every programme is split into 10 minute sections. Well that has changed. At some point You Tube changed it's upload policy so now there are hundreds of great British shows in full length. My favs are QI, Porridge and I have just watched "The Cold War" ( a bit like "World at War" ) all totally free and available in most countries just by going to You Tube and searching!

There are still many programs that are split up in the old 10 minute segments, if you sign into You Tube with a Google account, you can add them to a Play list and if you can cope with a couple of second pause every 10 mins or so they will play right the way through......I just watched the film "A Bridge to Far" this way.

There are also hundreds of UK programs on You Tube if you are on the UK You Tube site ( to do this you need a VPN, see below)

2. On my iPhone and iPad. If you are a fan of Dave and Top Gear ( usually the same thing ) then this one is for you and totally for free!! There is an app out there called "Film on Plus" If you go to their website and use online it charges a monthly fee and to use the TV section it runs a free trial that stops after 5 mins or so. But with the App it works fine for a host of channels including; BBC, ITV etc

3. The VPN ( I mentioned earlier ) I use Lamnia VPN It is pretty cheap for a VPN depending on package approx £7 a month. For that you get a connection to their server network ( I know sounds a bit Techie but setup is only a minute or 2 and they have video tutorials and live support so really is easy)

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network, so it doesn't just give you free UK TV but it makes your surfing anonymous, so no tracking of what you look at to bombard you with advertising.

With my Lamnia VPN I can choose to be in UK, USA and Canada ( never used Canada!) and I can use and watch all websites like BBC iPlayer, ITV, Channel 4 and 5, also Sky, See Saw and connect to UK You Tube.

It works on IPad, iPhone all computers and if you setup on router with a Wii, XBox etc.

I could not do without my VPN , it is just brilliant.

4. SlingBox....Now we start to get into the few quid catergory. I bought mine from PC World for about a £100 and have setup at my parents house. It give me full access over the internet of their SKY+ It is well worth the money if where you have setup has decent upload speed...if not forget it, go with the VPN.

There is also a service where a company can host the Slingbox for you and guarantee those upload speeds. However these prices can be from £50 a month a a ONE THOUSAND POUND a year charge ( sorry didn't mean to shout but it is a bit pricey for me)

5. FreeSAT or Basic SKY through a dish.......If you can pick up the Astra satelitte ( most of Europe ) then a standard size dish and an old SKY box ( and a lot of patience ) will give you Basic SKY, BBC, ITV etc to your TV. I bought my box from eBay and use a dish I bought for €60 from a DIY store. Worth doing if you can.

 

To sum up, everyone likes the something for nothing, but I would recommend a dish and box and a VPN.