How to watch The English anywhere
David
David has been watching TV outside of his home country for over 12 years. In addition to his streaming expertise, he has a wealth of experience in watching sports and documentaries, having spent many years following these genres. He is an avid fan of The Detectorists and Blue Planet, and also has a keen interest in English football.
The English looks set to be one of the TV events of the Autumn.
It is a western drama, made by the BBC, filmed in Spain, and starring a mostly British cast.
But what a cast it is, and with plotlines and scripts that look set to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, this promises to be a series not to be missed.
Unfortunately, while British TV viewers will be able to watch the whole thing live on the BBC or stream it at their leisure on BBC iPlayer, viewers outside the UK will not be so lucky.
But don’t despair because this guide will show you how to unblock the BBC iPlayer where you are so you can enjoy The English from anywhere in the world.
Where is The English being shown?
The English is being broadcast on BBC Two in the UK and will also be available to watch live and on-demand on the BBC iPlayer streaming service.
It is a co-production between the BBC and Amazon Studios which means that if you are in the USA and a subscriber to Amazon Prime Video, you will be able to catch it there too.
But what if you’re travelling outside the UK on a quick holiday or you’ve got a work meeting abroad? For this you’ll need some help so you don’t miss out and below I’ll explain all.
How do I watch The English where I am?
It is possible to watch The English on the BBC iPlayer outside the UK if you use an app known as a VPN.
A VPN is an online security and privacy tool that works by redirecting your data through an external server. This server hides your original location, so if it is based in the UK, it will make it appear to the BBC iPlayer as if you are in the UK too.
VPNs offer servers all around the world, but the BBC iPlayer does try to stop people from using them this way.
They have not been 100% successful, however, and there are still several prominent premium VPNs that can unblock the BBC iPlayer and so let you enjoy The English and other BBC content from anywhere.
Where to get a VPN?
There are no shortage of VPNs available, but as we have said, not all will work with the BBC iPlayer.
The best VPN to use is ExpressVPN. It has plenty of UK-based servers to choose from and offers super-fast connection speeds ideal for online streaming.
There are ExpressVPN apps for all your favourite streaming devices, and it even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you loads of time to try before you commit any money.
If you don’t fancy ExpressVPN (and we can’t think why you wouldn’t), two alternative VPNs to look at are NordVPN and Surfshark VPN.
They offer everything that ExpressVPN does and also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee too. But for our money, ExpressVPN is still the best.
The final decision is entirely yours though!
30-day money back guarantee
How to stream The English in any country
Once you have chosen your VPN, setting everything up to watch The English is simple.
All you need to do is follow this simple step-by-step we have created using ExpressVPN as an example.
Step 1
Go to the ExpressVPN website and sign up for your preferred subscription package. We usually recommend their 12-month deal, which saves you 49% and gives you an extra three months for free.
Step 2
Download the ExpressVPN app. Be sure to always do this from either the ExpressVPN website or your device’s official app store for security reasons.
Step 3
Open the ExpressVPN app and log in to your new account using the details given to you in step 1.
Step 4
Connect to a server located in the UK by clicking Selected Location and then choosing the United Kingdom. Press the Connect button and then wait a few seconds for ExpressVPN to establish a connection.
Stream the show anywhere with ExpressVPN.
Step 5
Open the BBC iPlayer app or webpage, log into your account or create one, search for The English, sit back, and enjoy the show.
30-day money back guarantee
What is The English all about?
Unusually for a BBC series, The English is a western drama. Westerns tend to be American, and while this is a co-production with Amazon, the largely English cast and creative team mean that this promises to be a uniquely British take on a genre that has drifted out of the public imagination a little in recent times.
The series tells the tale of an Englishwoman, Cornelia Locke, arriving in the American Mid-West in 1890.
Locke is seeking revenge on the man she considers to be responsible for the untimely death of her son. While searching for him, she meets an ex-cavalry scout who is, by birth, a member of the indigenous Pawnee Nation.
They team up, and he helps her to survive, but as the drama progresses, it becomes clear that there is a possible shared history between the two.
Details beyond that are thin on the ground at the time of writing, but one thing is for sure, The English promises to be a TV drama on an epic scale. The Telegraph has already described it as a “thrilling TV drama of frontier violence.”
It is a six-part series written by Hugo Blick, whose acclaimed back catalogue includes The Honourable Woman, Black Earth Rising and The Shadow Line.
Who stars in The English?
The English stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada, Mary Poppins Returns) as Cornelia Locke and Chaske Spencer (Banshee, The Twilight franchise) as Eli Whipp.
The rest of the cast reads like a who’s who of British acting talent with roles for Rafe Spall (Men in Black: International; Pete vs Life), Tom Hughes (Cemetary Junction, Red Joan), Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Crying Game), and Toby Jones (The Detectorists, Don’t Forget the Driver).
There are also roles for Ciaran Hinds (Rome, Shetland), Malcolm Storry (The Princess Bride, Doc Martin), and Nicola McAuliffe (Surgical Spirit, Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death) among many others.
Summary
The English looks set to be one of the televisual events of the run-in to Christmas and could well give a new lease of life to the entire Western genre.
If you are in the UK, you can catch the whole six-part series live and on-demand on the BBC iPlayer. But if you are anywhere else, you will need to use a VPN if you want to tune in for free.
ExpressVPN is the one to go for. Just sign up, download the app, log in, connect to a UK-based server, and then log into BBC iPlayer to watch as usual. You definitely won’t regret it.
✔ Beginner-friendly
✔ Quick to set up
✔ Money back guarantee
30-day money back guarantee
