The Great British Sewing Bee is the UK's best amatuer sewing competition but it's currently unavailable to watch outside of the UK. Luckily for international fans of the show, there are a few ways to get around this regional barrier.

The easiest way to watch The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC iPlayer in the US and Canada is to:

1.) Download a free VPN

2.) Record it using FilmOn

3.) Install the Beebs Chrome extension

Download a Free VPN

A Virtual Private Network, commonly known as a VPN, allows you to create a secure and private connection between your device (PC, mobile phone, tablet, etc.) and the internet by encrypting your internet traffic and disguising your identity. Using a VPN disguises your location too, which means they are one of the best ways to access geo-restricted content, such as streaming BBC iPlayer from the US and Canada.

Free VPN by Windscribe

Windscribe are among one of the best providers of free VPNs. If you don’t believe us, see what TechRadar and Tom’s Guide have to say about it. Windscribe has a 10GB monthly bandwidth limit, which will let you stream at least 3 episodes per month. Installing Windscribe for Google Chrome is super easy:

1.) Visit Windscribe’s Download page. Scroll down to the section “Windscribe for Your Browser” and click “Google Chrome”

2.) Click “Add to Chrome” and then “Add extension”

3.)  Make a Windscribe account. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

4.) Windscribe will send you a confirmation email. You need to click “Confirm Email” to get the free 10GB monthly bandwidth limit

5.) On Google Chrome, click on the Extensions shortcut (jigsaw shaped button next to the URL bar) and click on “Windscribe”. Sign in to your account

6.) You will now have a little window where you can toggle the Windscribe free VPN on and off. Turn it on

7.) Change your location to “United Kingdom - London Crumpets”

Now you will be able to watch BBC iPlayer from the US and Canada. Make sure to turn it off when you’re not using BBC iPlayer, otherwise you will use up your free bandwidth without meaning to.

Record It Using FilmOn

FilmOn is an online streaming service that allows you to watch live TV but what’s really impressive is how FilmOn lets you record up to 1 hour of TV for free! To take advantage of this amazing tool, follow the instructions below:

1.)  Create a FilmOn account. If you already have an account, simply log in

2.) Visit the BBC One channel programme guide

3.) Scroll down until you find The Great British Sewing Bee

4.) Hover over the show's name until you see “Record Now”. Click “Record Now” and it will change to “Accepted”

5.) Once The Great British Sewing Bee has aired, go to Recordings to find the episode. From here, hover over the recording and click “Play Video”

6.) FilmOn only gives you 1 hour of free recording time, so delete the episode once you have watched it in order to record the next episode. If you want to record more than one episode, you can increase your recording allowance by subscribing to one of the paid tiers

Install the Beebs Chrome Extension

The Beebs Chrome extension is a free downloadable BBC iPlayer plugin that you install on your Google Chrome web browser. It’s essentially the same as using a VPN, except all the heavy lifting has been done for you. To install Beebs follow the instructions below:

1.) Open the Chrome web browser

2.) Visit the Beebs extension page in the Google Chrome Web Store

3.) Click “Add to Chrome” and then “Add extension”A new tab for BBC iPlayer will automatically open. Beebs will require you to log in, so click on “Connect Now”

4.) In the next pop-up prompt, click “Continue”. You will be automatically directed to the Beebs paid tier page

5.) Close the tab and wait about an hour. Beebs will email you a code to activate a one-month free trial.

If you do not receive an email you will need to pay for at least two months, in which case you might want to use a different method instead.

Disclaimer

TV Licence

To use BBC iPlayer it is necessary for UK citizens to pay the TV licence. It is currently impossible for viewers outside of the UK to pay the TV licence as BBC services are only intended for UK citizens. We strongly recommend doing some research before deciding how to proceed.

Recurring Billing

Although it is possible to use Windscribe, FilmOn and Beebs completely free, they all have paid tiers for customers to upgrade to. If you provide your bank details to unlock any trial features, it is likely you will be automatically enrolled into recurred billing. We strongly recommend disabling recurring billing before the trial period ends. You may have to contact customer services to do this.

Conclusion

Using a free VPN (or trialling a paid VPN), demoing the Beebs Chrome extension, and recording live TV once a week using FilmOn are the best ways to watch The Great British Sewing Bee in the US and Canada. By combining these three methods, you should have no problem watching the entirety of The Great British Sewing Bee for free!

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