Since I moved here two years ago I’ve successfully accesed iPlayer via VPN Express. There have been odd days when it’s realised that I’m not in the UK, but this has been very speedily remedied by the VPN Epress helpdesk. However, for the last two months the iPlayer app has amlost continually blocked access via this particular service. The realise the problem and are working on it, but don’t seem to be getting very far.
In every other respect Express VPN are excellent. Can anyone recommend a provider who don’t have this problem with iPlayer that I can use until it’s sorted out, if it ever is?
There have been a few threads on this subject over time but this one from @james started 2 years ago might offer some ideas…
I think that the bottom line is that, if you use a VPN, at some point it will get blocked and you will need to shop around because the BBC (and others) actively search out the IP blocks that their servers use and identify them as “non UK”.
The only way I can think of which is not likely to run into this problem would be to rent a UK dedicated cloud server with its own, UK, IP address and run your own VPN. Unfortunately prices start around £30-50 per month and there is no guarantee that the IP address won’t be in a block that the BBC don’t like.
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My browser responds to your link with a fatal error message. Is it a naughty link? (my spell checker has twice turned that to nightly kink) 
Aha… it’s the link to privatevpn provided by @james that fails (not the thread link).
@Peter_Goble try this one instead…
Well spotted, I’ve fixed the broken link
Here it is https://privatevpn.com/rt/syI
I still use them btw, very happy with the service
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As has been said, no VPN is safe from being blocked by the ‘Territorial Rights Squad’. It’s only a matter of time before the one you use is blocked and you have to go elsewhere. The process will be repeated ad inf - make that ad naus.
VPNs blocked in the past may work again because they have installed new servers. I found this with Tunnel Bear, for example.
Depending on your location, a large dish may serve. There are other, more techie ways to do it - having a router dedicated to … pointing at … loaded with Tomato … I never did understand it so I just watch YT instead.
Anyone into jazz, the performance of Hiromi Uehara at the Vienne Festival is stupifying. Like the young lad, Justin Lee Schults, she arrived ‘fully equipped.’ One day she may realise she doesn’t have to play absolutely everything she knows in 10 minutes, at 1000mph. Meanwhile, ‘tour de force’ doesn’t get near it.
We use Liberty Shield, and haven’t had any problems as there are about half a dozen servers (?) active at any one time.
The issue isn’t the VPN company being blocked, it the IP address of their servers being blocked, I use NordVPN and just keep changing server until I get one the BBC hasn’t twigged yet.
BTW, I’m not sure the BBC blocking VPN servers is legal. For enhanced security and privacy there’s no reason why a UK based, license paying end user couldn’t use a VPN. To assume that people using a VPN server with a specific IP address are all freeloading foreigners or expats is wrong.
BTW, none of these servers have to real physical servers of course. They are just virtual servers and take two minutes to set up with their own IP address.
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Are you guys using free vpn ore do you pay for them
Paid.
Paid for
The free ones are very slow, the paid ones such as PureVPN are cheap.
Normally I’d agree with you. Unfortunately though, with Express VPN it seems to be different. Up until now I’d have simply changed servers, and wouldn’t have a problem. However, you can’t get BBC on any of their servers. My experience of them has been very good, and normally they’d have done something like you suggest and set up another server. However, this seems to be impossible at present. They keep on saying that they are working on it, and I’m sure they are, but it’s been going on for about six weeks, so I’m not sure when or if ever they’re going to come up with an answer
I think I’m going to try NordVPN. Most people seem to think that it’s reliable. Thanks for the suggestion.
I can’t help thinking that the whole rights issue is, to a certain extent, a load of baloney. There’s nothing to stop people who use Freesat in European countries recording programmes live. what’s the diffference between than and streaming, or using iPlayer?
British intransigence 
Perhaps when they get their own satellites funded by HMG they can become even more just little Englanders 
I should warn you Tim that it can take a few goes to find a Nordvpn server that works with iPlayer. But as recently al last night I download half a dozen programmes to keep me going.
https://www.howtogeek.com/221929/how-to-choose-the-best-vpn-service-for-your-needs/
and in an earlier thread some time ago from (I think) the illustrious Simon Armstrong: smartdnsproxy
and then this thread:
SmartDNS is still a VPN, but will redirect just the TV services, not your whole internet traffic.
M.O. : Paid. Free one are slow and I think some have ads.
A long term deal with one of the major VPN can be as little as US$3 p.m. This is great if privacy is your principle requirement. It’s a bit of a naus if the VPN can’t access iPlayer after a few weeks/months successful connection.
JS: I appreciate your first point but there are only so many servers based in UK.
I spose UK VPN users aren’t watching territorial rights restricted telly via a VPN. They don’t need to. They won’t be getting the dreaded, ‘This content is not available in your location. It is a rights issue’. If they were, there’d be an almight stink and we’d hear about it.
It would be interesting to hear from anyone based in UK who watches territorial rights restricted telly via a VPN and whether they ever get blocked or not.
PF: I investigated Smart DNS [the comapany] some while ago. At that time it had some problem that made it defective in some way and didn’t work. I tried PureVPN, touted as one of the top performers. It was a disaster - badly unstable, connection to iPlayer constantly dropped out then didn’t work at all. Their c/s told me that they were setting up their own ‘smartDNS’ on their servers as part of the package but it never came across in the time I was with them.
I’m with Surfshark a.t.mo and just accessed iPlayer chop-chop. Trouble is, I don’t like watching TV on my computer monitor, albeit it’s 27".
I now i use paid ones last was Nordvpn I now is not that simple anymore sites like Netflix are coming up with new ways to block people from access different country’s