How to watch Big Brother UK online from anywhere

Big Brother UK 2024 officially starts on Sunday, October 6 at 21:00 BST (22:00 CEST / 13:00 PT / 16:00 EDT). It’ll air every night for around six weeks, and unlike in previous years, the premier will be entirely live. Can’t get enough of the action? No problem: a live stream will allow you to keep watching the housemates long after each episode ends. Look below to learn how to stream Big Brother UK season 21 from anywhere in the world.

This post will only recommend official sources. Big Brother may be available on shady streaming sites but we’d recommend giving these a wide berth. Even putting the legal issues aside, these tend to provide low-quality video and frequently have their content taken down for copyright infringement. Luckily, you can stream the entire season for free anyway, so third-party sites are pretty much pointless.

Big Brother UK will only be shown on a single region-locked streaming platform. As such, if you go abroad, you’ll need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep watching.

How to watch Big Brother UK abroad

VPNs help protect your privacy by encrypting your internet traffic, but they’re often also used to access location-specific services while traveling. Don’t worry, this is much simpler than you might think! Just follow these steps and you’ll be watching Big Brother in no time.

Here’s how to stream Big Brother UK while on vacation abroad:

1. Your first task is to sign up for a fast, security-conscious VPN with good streaming ability. We recommend NordVPN although Surfshark and IPVanish, are great options as well.
2. Download and install the VPN app onto any device you use for streaming regularly. When you’re ready, log in using the account details you created during registration.
3. Open up your VPN’s location selection menu and pick a server in the UK. This will get you a British IP address, which will make ITVX think that you’re in the UK, regardless of your actual location.
4. Click the connect button. After a few seconds, the screen should change (usually by turning the button green) to let you know that everything has worked as expected.
5. Visit ITVX, log in, and try watching something. Most of the time, videos should play without any errors or performance issues. If not, clear your cookies and refresh the page. If problems persist, contact your VPN’s support team for one-on-one assistance. All of the VPNs mentioned above offer free, 24/7 help via live chat.

Big Brother will air live. That’s why we suggest testing your VPN with ITVX ahead of time. This way, if there are any problems, you’ll know in advance and can rectify them before the premiere. After all, nobody wants to miss out due to unexpected technical issues.

How to watch Big Brother for free on UK TV

Last year, Big Brother officially jumped from Channel 5 to ITV. No surprises this time, though: season 21 will be broadcast exclusively on ITV and STV (if you’re in Scotland). You can stream every episode free of charge using either ITVX or STV Player. You have to create an account beforehand, but it only takes a minute.

Additionally, due to British law, you’ll need a TV license to watch episodes live. However, you do not need one if you only plan to stream them on-demand. On that note, there’s plenty to keep you occupied between episodes, with the entire last season, Celebrity Big Brother, and both versions of Late & Live available.

ITVX and STV are only available in the UK. If you try to access these British services from abroad, you’ll see an error reading, “Sorry, this show isn’t available right now.” However, once you’ve connected to a British VPN server and obtained a UK IP address, you should be able to watch as normal. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try it risk-free and claim a refund if unsatisfied.

Is Big Brother UK being shown in any other countries?

Unfortunately, there isn’t currently any information about international Big Brother UK broadcasters. There were rumors about the previous season coming to Netflix USA, but at the time of writing, this hasn’t happened.

You can, however, stream the international versions if you’d like. Here’s a quick rundown of where to watch the regional spinoffs while you wait for more news.

• Big Brother USA: All 26 seasons available on CBS and Paramount+. Sign in to CBS with your cable provider details or pay $7.99 USD per month for Paramount.
• Big Brother Australia: Seasons 12 through 15 (and Big Brother VIP) available free of charge on 7plus.
• Big Brother Canada: Seasons 8 to 12 available for free on Bigbrothercanada.ca. No login needed.

Who’s hosting Big Brother season 21?

AJ Odudu and Will Best are returning to host the latest season of Big Brother UK. Although the new series is about to begin, we still don’t have any information about this year’s housemates. Tune in for yourself on October 6 to find out who they are!