If you're travelling overseas and want to stream shows from BBC iPlayer — you'll need to be equipped with a VPN. Without one of these clever apps, you won't be able to watch anything on BBC iPlayer except the frustrating error message: "BBC iPlayer isn't available in your region".

iPlayer is geo-restricted because it's funded by UK households who pay the TV licence fee, which costs £174.50 a year or £14.54 a month. The restrictions also enable the BBC to strike licensing agreements for the UK, so shows and films that would otherwise appear on streaming services in other regions can be streamed on iPlayer.

On paper, that all makes sense. However, if you're a licence fee payer and you're halfway through a brilliant boxset when you travel abroad — it severely limits your options. You can download episodes for offline viewing before you leave the UK, but that only works if all episodes have aired. If the show is still currently airing... you've got no choice but to wait until you're back on British soil.

Unless you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Sign-up to an annual plan with ExpressVPN and . ExpressVPN has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Fire TV, Apple TV, routers, and even gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. It offers 24/7 customer support and a 30-day money-back guarantee, which serves like a free trial when signing-up to a longer contract to