BBC iplayer tips, tricks and features

New to BBC iplayer, or a regular user who wants to know more about its shortcuts and hidden features? You’re in luck, as we’ve compiled a list of our favourite tips, tricks and features...

Sign up for a BBC ID account

The service requires all viewers to sign up and log in to watch any videos. It’s still free, and signing up gives you plenty of perks such as tailored recommendations, synced favourites lists and seamless playback across all your devices.

Pay your licence fee

You didn’t have to if you watched only ondemand, not live content on iplayer. But now a valid TV licence is legally required to watch anything on iplayer, live or on-demand.

Language and location

Scroll to the end of the page (or go to the app’s settings), to find an option to change your location to any of the UK regions. You can also change the language from English to Welsh, Irish Gaelic or Scottish Gaelic. Streaming outside the UK You can only stream content from iplayer (live or on-demand) if you’re in the UK, so download shows before you head off on holiday. You can listen to BBC Radio from anywhere in the world, though. Programme information Right under the playback screen, you’ll see plenty of useful information - episode blurb, the duration of the programme, when it first aired, how many days longer it’s available on iplayer - and icons for downloading, adding, buying and sharing the current show.

How long are shows available for? The expiry date for anything on iplayer is 30 days. Most shows are available for streaming and downloading 30 days after airing. Once you’ve downloaded a show onto your device, you have 30 days to watch it. There are exceptions though. Question Time episodes are available for a whole year, for example, while Match of the Day is available only for a much shorter time because of various broadcasting rights issues.

SD or HD? All shows will automatically download in standard definition - it’s quicker and won’t take up as much space. But if you want your shows in HD (720p), go to the app’s settings and turn on ‘Higher Quality Downloads’.

Series record You can record whole series of your favourite programmes on the desktop app. The next available episode will automatically download (provided there’s an internet connection).