ExpressVPN and BBC iPlayer – a good combination? Can I watch BBC abroad with ExpressVPN?

BBC iPlayer has got to be one of the best places on earth for fantastic TV series like His Dark Materials, Cuckoo, Killing Eve, and hundreds of other TV shows. But, that is also why it feels like a tragedy when you see all sorts of error messages as you try to stream BBC iPlayer abroad. But, maybe you have heard rumors about using a VPN as a solution that might give you access to BBC iPlayer abroad. Is that really so? Can I use ExpressVPN to watch BBC outside the UK?

Can you imagine yourself (you probably can) being in Barcelona. It might be hard during COVID-19, but hopefully, it will soon turn into something we can easily identify with. You have just heard about the last season of His Dark Materials that sounds so good, and you would really love to watch it. Knowing that the series is a BBC production, you go to BBC iPlayer in order to find the show. But, what greets you as you look for the content on BBC?

BBC iPlayer only works in the UK - Error message as you try to stream BBC abroad.
BBC iPlayer only works in the UK – Error message as you try to stream BBC abroad.

Now, that is an error message probably all of you coming to read this article have seen already. Yeah, it is annoying, and it is a fact – BBC iPlayer only works if you are located in the UK.

I have heard that a VPN might help me stream BBC abroad?!

Maybe you have heard the rumors about VPN providers being able to help you stream BBC abroad? Is that really so? There is much true about the statement, but it isn’t entirely true at the same time. What do I mean?

  • Some VPN providers are able to let you stream BBC abroad.
  • Most VPN services are blocked by BBC.

So, what is the truth about ExpressVPN, a VPN known to be among the best in the world, one of the fastest, and at the top when it comes to unblocking all sorts of websites and streaming services.?

BBC iPlayer and ExpressVPN

In order to try this, you need to have an ExpressVPN subscription. If you haven’t got one yet, click the button below to get a big discount offering you three months for free as you purchase a 12-months plan.

ExpressVPN

If you try ExpressVPN but do not like it, don’t worry! They have a 30-day money back guarantee coming with all their packages!

After you have installed ExpressVPN on your device, run the application and connect to a server in the United Kingdom. They have a couple of servers available, so just connect to any of them! This gives you a UK IP address which is crucial to have if you are to stream BBC abroad.

But, that isn’t always enough!

What happens now?

After connecting to a UK server with ExpressVPN, I visit the BBC iPlayer website again (it is smart to close your browser and open it again). Depending a bit on which server I used, there were two possible outcomes.

  • Outcome 1 – No trouble at all
    I could log in with my BBC iPlayer account and stream all the content I wanted at once (with no errors at all).
  • Outcome 2 – Incognito mode
    With the second outcome, I had to take ny browser and open a new window in incogntio mode/private mode for this to work. For some reasons, cookies and cache in my browser still revealed my whereabouts, and I had to use a brand new browser window with no cache stored (that is, incognito/privacy mode) for this to work.

In both situations, I was able to watch BBC iPlayer with the ExpressVPN servers in the UK. So, all their servers are working, but it might be that you need to use the privacy or incognito mode if it doesn’t work at once.

Ready to give it a try? Click the button below to visit the ExpressVPN website.

ExpressVPN

Take advantage of the big discount available as you visit the website by clicking the button above!

What else to do with ExpressVPN?

This is the brilliant thing. If you are connected to an ExpressVPN server in the UK, you can actually visit Netflix and watch all the content on UK Netflix as well. If you feel tired with that, connect to a server in the USA and stream all the content on American Netflix. You can also stream content on Dutch, Canadian, Japanese, German, French, and Italian Netflix with ExpressVPN.

But, if you remain connected to the server in the UK, why not enjoy some Premier League football on NOW TV, or maybe stream X-Factor on ITV? Yes, ExpressVPN works with NOW TV abroad, with ITV abroad, and lots of other TV networks and streaming services in the UK and elsewhere in the world.


I hope this article has given you the answers you were looking for. If you have further questions, or and comments, use the comment field below! I wish you a perfect day and enjoy streaming your favorite TV shows on BBC iPlayer. And that reminds me, it is time to stream the second season of His Dark materials (haven’t started yet)!

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