# UK TV channels in BC



## themaninblack (Jan 7, 2014)

In a few months time I shall be moving to Vancouver. As well as missing my friends & family I shall also miss my favourite UK shows such as the UK versions of Dragons' Den, Top Gear and Come Dine With Me. 

How can I go about watching UK based TV channels in British Columbia that doesn't involve watching via the internet? Are there any cable/satillite companies that provide UK based TV channels? Thanks.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

There is a BBC CANADA cable channel which carries some UK programmes but usually they're not current. Other UK TV channels need to be accessed via Internet.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

I would add that some UK programmes are shown on the US channel PBS which is available in Canada. Again most of them are quite dated, not too current.


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## sillywilly (Apr 7, 2014)

BBC is available with Shaw Cable, but its part of a package that you pay extra for. My 84 yr old mom is originally from England, she would love to get the BBC, but her Shaw cable bill is already $75 a month for about 115 channels, but that does not include BBC, as she can't justify the extra cost. She does watch a lot of shows from England on the American PBS stations and some are also on the BC Knowledge Network. She watches new (2013) episodes of Doc Martin on PBS. She also watches BBC news on one of the channels, but I think its only on an hour a day.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

sillywilly said:


> BBC is available with Shaw Cable, but its part of a package that you pay extra for. My 84 yr old mom is originally from England, she would love to get the BBC, but her Shaw cable bill is already $75 a month for about 115 channels, but that does not include BBC, as she can't justify the extra cost. She does watch a lot of shows from England on the American PBS stations and some are also on the BC Knowledge Network. She watches new (2013) episodes of Doc Martin on PBS. She also watches BBC news on one of the channels, but I think its only on an hour a day.


This is not completely correct. As I described, what you get is BBC CANADA which in no way resembles the BBC iPlayer which I stream via the Internet. To get this you must create a VPN through a supplier which costs money. The selection of UK TV shows in Canada is quite limited and most shows are quite dated.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Auld Yin said:


> This is not completely correct. As I described, what you get is BBC CANADA which in no way resembles the BBC iPlayer which I stream via the Internet. To get this you must create a VPN through a supplier which costs money. The selection of UK TV shows in Canada is quite limited and most shows are quite dated.




It is easy enough to mask your IP address for free and doing so enables you to watch iPlayer (and similar services from other networks). There are also plenty of websites that provide links to TV shows and do not require the IP address to be masked. On those websites shows normally appear within a few hours of being broadcast.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

It is easy enough to mask your IP address for free and doing so enables you to watch iPlayer (and similar services from other networks). 

I don't supposed you feel inclined to advise the OP how to do this?


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Auld Yin said:


> It is easy enough to mask your IP address for free and doing so enables you to watch iPlayer (and similar services from other networks).
> 
> I don't supposed you feel inclined to advise the OP how to do this?




I had considered doing so but they said they didn't want to watch online so I didn't bother.

Any of the links at this Google search will help:

https://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0#complete=0&q=free+masked+ip


The Tor browser also hides one's IP address but it can sometimes be a bit slower than other methods. And I haven't checked in a while but I know there used to be add-ons/plug-ins for Firefox that allowed one to hide their IP address (these can be accessed and downloaded directly through Firefox or similar browsers).


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## JimJams (Jan 11, 2010)

Forget TV, you'll be in Vancouver BC, you have everything you need outdoors! 

As a few have already said, you can use a VPN service to stream stuff, or Proxy/Smart DNS services. Up until a few months ago I had been using Tunlr for free, unfortunately they have closed. I was using Blockless trial for 2 months (just keep signing up for the 7 day trial using different emails or a disposable email)

So there are ways around the Geo restriction, but more than likely the easiest solution is to use your computer which will give you access to iplayer, 4OD, ITV player etc. If you connect your laptop to a TV then the experience will be much better.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

JimJams said:


> Forget TV, you'll be in Vancouver BC, you have everything you need outdoors!
> 
> As a few have already said, you can use a VPN service to stream stuff, or Proxy/Smart DNS services. Up until a few months ago I had been using Tunlr for free, unfortunately they have closed. I was using Blockless trial for 2 months (just keep signing up for the 7 day trial using different emails or a disposable email)
> 
> So there are ways around the Geo restriction, but more than likely the easiest solution is to use your computer which will give you access to iplayer, 4OD, ITV player etc. If you connect your laptop to a TV then the experience will be much better.


So, pray tell us all how you manage to access UK TV from your computer without using/creating a VPN? There's been many "free" services but almost without exception they soon go out of business or to continue you're required to pay a subscription. I pay a small monthly fee and get good quality streaming.


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## JimJams (Jan 11, 2010)

Auld Yin said:


> So, pray tell us all how you manage to access UK TV from your computer without using/creating a VPN? There's been many "free" services but almost without exception they soon go out of business or to continue you're required to pay a subscription. I pay a small monthly fee and get good quality streaming.


Yes, I agree, VPN is the way to go. I *had been* using Tunlr for almost 18 months and that worked really well, unfortunately that closed and so did the next thing I used. Blockless gives you 7 day trials (and like i said, just keep re-registering with a different email address) but it was only for my last 2 months there (I only used it to stream Formula 1 since I like the BBC commentary).

As you say, it's cheap enough to pay a subscription. My point was that if you use a computer to stream (via VPN) then you get access to much more online content than just the BBC if you used cable/satellite.


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