How to watch QI 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.
Did you know that QI stands for ‘Quite Interesting’?
That’s quite an interesting fact in itself. But the show QI is far more than that. It is fascinating and hilarious in equal measure, and over its 19 series (and counting) has developed a loyal and passionate fanbase that never misses an episode.
That can be a problem when you have to travel abroad either for business or pleasure as QI is a quintessentially British programme and, therefore, not widely available overseas.
The good news is that there is a simple way to watch QI from overseas, no matter where you happen to be, and that is what this article is all about.
Where is QI being shown?
QI’s home is on BBC 2, but it is also streamed both live and on-demand on the BBC iPlayer streaming service.
This service is, however, geo-blocked, so only viewers going online from the UK can watch.
The good news is that there is a way around this that will let you watch QI from absolutely anywhere.
So if you’re out of the UK for a couple of weeks, you don’t need to miss out!
How do I watch QI where I am?
If you want to watch QI outside the UK on the BBC iPlayer, you will first need to connect to a VPN app.
A VPN, or virtual private network to give it its full name, is an online security and privacy tool. It works by sending all your internet data through another location, such as another country.
This is the clever part because if you connect to the UK, the BBC iPlayer will only see a UK location and assume that’s where you are connecting from. It is, therefore, possible to use the BBC iPlayer from overseas when connected to a VPN.
Where to get a VPN?
With lots of VPNs out there, and most claiming to be the best, it can feel like a scary job to choose the right one. That’s where we can help.
Not all VPNs work with the BBC iPlayer, and not all have the features you need to be good at streaming.
ExpressVPN is the best in the business right now and works brilliantly with the BBC iPlayer. It has lightning-fast connection speeds, which are ideal for streaming. It also has lots of UK-based servers and apps for all the devices you could possibly want to stream on.
If that isn’t enough, there is also a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you lots of time to try before you buy.
If ExpressVPN doesn’t feel like a good fit for you, two alternative VPNs to consider are NordVPN and CyberGhost VPN. They have all the same features and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee too.
The final choice is yours, but if you want our expert opinion, ExpressVPN is still the best.
The final decision is entirely yours though!
30-day money back guarantee
How to stream QI outside the UK
Choosing the VPN is the hard part. Setting things up to watch is the General Ignorance round at the end.
In fact, it’s even easier than that. Just follow these simple steps (and no, we haven’t placed any traps in there to catch you out!):
Step 1
Go to the ExpressVPN website and sign up. The 12-month deal is the best one to go for, as it saves you 49% and gets you an extra three months for free.
Step 2
Download the ExpressVPN app being sure to do this from either your device’s official app store or the ExpressVPN website for security reasons.
Step 3
Open the ExpressVPN app and log in to your account using your new log in name and password.
Step 4
Connect to a server located in the UK.
To do this, simply click Selected Location and then choose a server in the United Kingdom. Lastly, press the Connect button and then wait a few seconds for your VPN to establish a connection.
Stream the show anywhere with ExpressVPN.
Step 5
Open the BBC iPlayer either on the app or through the webpage, log into your free account, search for QI, and prepare to be amazed and intrigued.
30-day money back guarantee
What is QI all about?
QI is a celebrity show, a comedy, a panel show, and a quiz show all rolled into one.
The format has a series of panellists attempting to answer obscure questions about a series of curated yet random topics about which they are likely to know little or nothing.
Points are awarded not just for correct answers but also for interesting answers even if they are wrong. Meanwhile, answers that are both wrong and obvious can see points deducted. It is quite common for some, or even all contestants, to end up with a negative points total.
The show is themed on a different topic each week, and, sometimes, panellists are chosen to reflect the topic. Each series is based around a new letter of the alphabet, with the show having progressed from the letter A to S (at the time of writing).
One critic summed QI up neatly by saying it is “still rather more than quite interesting” and is “one of the last truly popular programmes on mainstream television where comedians are allowed to be clever”.
Spot on, and no bad thing. QI is truly the antidote to today’s modern dumbed-down comedy output.
Who stars in QI?
For the first thirteen series of the show (Letters A-M), QI was hosted by the national treasure that is Stephen Fry (Blackadder, The Hobbit). When he stood down, he was replaced by Sandi Toksvig (The News Quiz, The Great British Bake Off).
The one regular panellist who has appeared in every episode of QI so far is Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek).
Alongside him is a rotating panel of three guest panellists per episode.
Regular participants in the show include Phill Jupitus (Never Mind the Buzzcocks), Bill Bailey (Strictly Come Dancing), Jimmy Carr (8 out of 10 Cats), Jo Brand (Getting On), David Mitchell (Peep Show, Upstart Crow), Ross Noble (Stitches), Rich Hall (Saturday Night Live), and the late Sean Lock (15 Storeys High).
Summary
QI fans know how unmissable this show is, and none of them likes to skip an episode. But if you are overseas for work or pleasure, this can be a problem.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be, as you can easily watch QI on the BBC iPlayer wherever you are in the world if you use a VPN.
ExpressVPN is the best one to choose. Just sign up, download the app, log in, connect to a UK-based server, and then log into BBC iPlayer as usual.
There’ll be no klaxon sound if you do this. It’s not the most common answer to how to watch QI anywhere, but it is definitely the right one.
✔ Beginner-friendly
✔ Quick to set up
✔ Money back guarantee
30-day money back guarantee
