How Can You Watch the BBC iPlayer in Thailand

A lot of VPNs have stopped working with British TV channels in 2024 but all the technical information below is still accurate. Although Identity Cloaker is extremely reliable with accessing channels like the BBC on a PC or laptop it’s not so great on other devices.  If you want something with apps for phones and other mobile devices, then NordVPN is a better option.

BBC iPlayer in Thailand

Thailand like many countries which has experienced a military coup in recent times, has always been high on the list of governments who impose high levels of censorship, filtering and monitoring of the internet.    The other dead giveaway is when you see antiquated laws combined with state control of the major telecoms companies.  To be fair, the high levels of internet filtering were started some years ago by the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who pursued some of the most aggressive internet censorship policies in the world.  Perhaps there’s a lesson for all would be dictators that see control of the internet as way of staying in power, that Shinawatra was deposed by a military coup in 2006.

Like any country which heavily censors the internet, the use of VPN services is widespread simply to stay safe and access resources which are blocked by the Thai government.  However, this post is regarding another use, perhaps one more relevant to the everyday life of an expat or holidaymaker in Thailand – How to Watch UK TV online in Thailand.

English TV Channels in Thailand

For anyone who has logged in to their computer or laptop in Thailand and navigated to the BBC website hoping to watch the news or take in some drama or comedy then this is for you.   So what happens when you try and access the BBC web site from Thailand?  Well, the first thing you’ll experience is some background redirection – diverting you silently to the ‘International’ version of the BBC.  This is quite a good site, with a more worldwide view than the domestic site but there are some important differences.

The big ones are that there is no option to watch live TV, so you can’t access any of the live channels which you can do on the domestic site.  The second is there is no link to the wonderful BBC iPlayer site where you can access archives of all the shows for the last few weeks or so. In reality the international version of the BBC site is missing all the online content.  The decision is made from the IP address you present when you try and access the site.  If it’s registered in the UK then you go to the main BBC site, if it’s registered anywhere else then you get the international version.

If you’re in Thailand, then the IP address you get assigned whether from an ISP, an internet cafe or Wifi hotspot somewhere is going to be a Thai one.  So in order to bypass the BBC’s own filter then you need to change it to a British IP address somehow.

How to Watch UK TV Online in Thailand

Now unfortunately unless you own a telecoms company or an ISP then there’s no simple way to change your IP address. You could work with someone with server or fast connection in the UK, but for the majority of us the simplest and cheapest way to access UK television like the BBC from Thailand is to use something called a virtual private network (VPN).   The easiest way to illustrate how this work is by watching so here’s a video illustrating the process –

As you can see, if you connect a VPN server based in the UK then you can access the full BBC website and indeed all British TV online. Instead of seeing a Thai IP address, you’ll effectively have a British address whilst the VPN connection is up enabling you to proxy access all sorts of UK sites and watch British TV without restriction.

Not all the VPN services work with the BBC as back in 2017 many were blocked but there are plenty of services like Identity Cloaker which still work fine. Remember the VPN has an important security aspect too beyond being simply an Expat TV application, it keeps your identity, connection and data secure wherever you are connecting from. It’s especially useful in places like Thailand where you’ll encounter many online filters and blocks of popular international sites too.

A VPN service will bypass all these, plus allow you access to all the major UK TV channels which are available online. However, it doesn’t stop there, you aren’t limited to just UK channels simply pick one of the other countries for access too. Certainly, it’s worth occasionally clicking on a US server, to enjoy the best version of Netflix and enjoy American TV in Thailand too!

Here’s our recommendation for a reliable, fast and secure VPN service which will allow you to bypass all blocks and watch UK TV online in Thailand in 2022 plus much more. It’s called –

Identity Cloaker Trial

Try the 10-day trial for the cost of a sandwich, to see how easily it works.