How to Watch Big Brother UK Abroad in 2026 (ITVX Guide)

Big Brother is back on ITV2 and ITVX for its longest series of the ITV era, but if you’re outside the UK you’ll hit a wall the moment you try to press play. ITVX is only available in the UK, so holidaymakers and expats are blocked from every episode.

The fix is simple: connect to a UK server with a VPN, sign in to ITVX and watch as normal. In this guide we’ll show you exactly how to do it in five steps, which VPNs we’ve tested with ITVX, what time Big Brother is on wherever you are, and what to do if ITVX spots your VPN.

New to all this? Our guide to what a VPN is and how it works explains the basics in plain English.

Big Brother 2026 at a glance

Why Big Brother is blocked outside the UK

If you remember watching Big Brother on Channel 5, that era is long gone. Since 2023 the show has lived on ITV, with the main series going out on ITV2 and streaming on ITVX, ITV’s free streaming service.

The catch is that ITVX checks your IP address, and if it doesn’t belong to a UK connection, you’re blocked. It doesn’t matter that you’re British, that you already have an ITVX account or that you pay for a TV licence back home.

Try to watch from Spain, Dubai or Australia and you’ll get an error message instead of the Diary Room.

A VPN solves this by routing your connection through a server in the UK, so ITVX sees a UK IP address and lets you watch as normal. The same trick works for everything else on the service, and our full guide on how to watch ITVX abroad covers it in more detail.

Best VPNs for watching Big Brother abroad

Not every VPN gets past ITVX’s blocks. We’ve tested the providers below with ITVX and all four unblocked it, including Big Brother episodes. For our wider testing, see our list of the best VPNs for ITVX.

ExpressVPN is our top pick because it’s the easiest to use, it worked with ITVX first time in our testing, and it has apps for practically every device you’ll want to watch on.

Prices start at £3.49 a month, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if it isn’t right for you. You can read more in our full reviews of ExpressVPN, NordVPN, CyberGhost and Surfshark.

We’d steer clear of free VPNs for this. Most are blocked by ITVX, many cap your data, and a nightly hour-long episode will burn through a free allowance in days.

How to watch Big Brother abroad: step by step

We’re using ExpressVPN here, but the steps are almost identical with NordVPN, CyberGhost and Surfshark.

What time is Big Brother on where you are?

Big Brother airs at 9pm UK time. UK clocks go back on Sunday 25th October, so the local start time shifts by an hour in some countries partway through the series.

Live eviction nights can run a little longer, and The Group Chat starts straight after the main show. Everything is on ITVX on demand shortly after it airs, so there’s no need to stay up in Dubai or Bangkok.

If you’re living abroad rather than on holiday, our country guides go further. We cover watching British TV in Spain and watching British TV in Australia, and our pick of the best VPNs for British expats.

Big Brother: The Group Chat, and is there a live stream?

Big Brother: Late & Live has gone, replaced this year by Big Brother: The Group Chat. It’s hosted by 2002 winner Kate Lawler and podcaster GK Barry, and goes out Sunday to Thursday straight after the main show on ITV2 and ITVX.

Expect interviews with evicted housemates, celebrity fans and plenty of debate about the day’s drama.

Here’s the good news if you’re abroad: The Group Chat is also published on YouTube, and we’ve checked that it plays outside the UK without a VPN. It’s a handy way to keep up with the gossip on your phone.

It isn’t a substitute for the main show, though. The nightly episodes, tasks and live evictions are only on ITV2 and ITVX, and those still need a VPN with a UK server.

If you’re hoping to watch the 24/7 live feed, there isn’t one this series. ITV has dropped the late-night live stream, so the nightly highlights show and The Group Chat are your lot.

Watching on your TV, Fire Stick, phone or tablet abroad

A laptop is the quickest way to get started, because all you need is the VPN app and a web browser. If you’d rather watch on the big screen, ITVX has apps for smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and more.

The easiest route is to run the VPN on a Fire Stick or set one up on your router. We walk through both in our guides to setting up a VPN on a smart TV and using an Amazon Fire TV Stick abroad.

On a phone or tablet bought in the UK, just download the ITVX app from your usual app store. The problem comes if your device or account is registered to another country, as the ITVX app won’t appear in a non-UK store.

Android users can get around this by following our guide to downloading Android apps from another country. On iPhone and iPad, you’ll need to switch your App Store region, which we explain in how to install Apple apps that aren’t available in your country.

ITVX not working with your VPN? Try these fixes

ITVX actively looks for VPN connections, so now and again you might see an error even with a provider that normally works. These are the fixes we’d try, in order:

• Switch UK server. If one server has been flagged, a different UK location usually works straight away.
• Clear your cookies and cache, or open ITVX in a private browsing window. ITVX can remember your real location from an earlier visit.
• Sign out of ITVX and back in once the VPN is connected, not before.
• Change protocol in your VPN app’s settings. If the live ITV2 channel won’t load but on-demand episodes will, a different protocol or server often sorts it.
• Check the VPN is actually connected. Our guide on how to test your VPN is working takes a minute and rules out leaks.
• Ask support. ExpressVPN’s 24/7 live chat can point you to the UK server working best with ITVX right now.

Can you vote on Big Brother from abroad?

This is where we have to be straight with you. A VPN will let you watch every episode, but it isn’t a reliable way to vote.

Big Brother voting takes place online at itv.com/vote, and the first time you vote you have to verify a UK mobile number.

ITV’s voting terms say the vote is open to viewers in the UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands, and that ITV can discount votes it suspects have come from outside the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland.

So even if your vote appears to go through, there’s no guarantee it counts. If saving your favourite housemate matters, ask a friend or family member back home to vote for you.

Meet the Big Brother 2026 housemates

Sixteen housemates entered on launch night, including streamer Tays, who went in as Big Brother’s secret mole. Two more, Catrin and Twinks, arrived after Johanne’s eviction. Here’s the original line-up plus Catrin. Check ITVX for the latest evictions, as the house changes every week.

What to watch after Big Brother ends

The Big Brother final is expected on Thursday 5th November, but the reality TV doesn’t stop there. I’m a Celebrity usually lands on ITV in November, and our guide to watching I’m a Celeb abroad uses the same ITVX method as above.

Big Brother host Will Best is also competing on Strictly this year, so you can follow him with our guide to watching Strictly Come Dancing abroad. And when summer comes round, here’s how to watch Love Island overseas.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion: how to watch Big Brother abroad

Watching Big Brother abroad comes down to three things: a VPN, a UK server and your ITVX account. ExpressVPN is our top pick because it unblocked ITVX in our testing and is simple enough for anyone to set up in minutes.

The same setup works for the rest of ITVX and plenty more besides, and our guide to watching UK TV abroad covers the lot.

Looking for more guides like this? Try these:

• How to watch Made in Chelsea abroad
• How to watch TOWIE outside the UK
• How to watch BBC iPlayer abroad
• How to watch The Great British Bake Off abroad