VPN: What is a virtual private network and how to use it to watch UK comedy?

Using a virtual private network (VPN) has many benefits, and one of them directly relates to helping those who are looking to watch British comedies from outside of the UK.

A primary reason to use a VPN is to protect your online privacy and keep your information safe from cybercriminals, internet service providers, and prying eyes. Data breaches are serious digital crimes that can lead to a variety of negative scenarios, one of which is the breach of email passwords. So what exactly is a virtual private network? How do you use it? And how might it help you as a British comedy fan? Get more info by reading on...

Aside from its privacy and security benefits, VPN can provide a way for you to make it appear as if you're connecting from a different country than you're actually in. This can be particularly handy if you're looking to 'fool' a streaming service like ITVX that you're in the UK and thus allowed to watch the programmes it is offering up.

So what actually is a VPN? It's a service that helps to protect users' data and privacy when they use the internet. To do so, it creates an encrypted tunnel that makes it easier to maintain anonymity and hide the IP address - the numerical representation of the internet point where a device is connected - from the server or service being connected to.

The origins of virtual private networks date back to 1996 when they were developed by Microsoft to enable its remote workers to securely access the company's internal network. Today, they have become a widespread security and privacy tool at both the enterprise and user levels.

In the home, a virtual private network adds an additional layer of protection. It also, as alluded to above, allows you to appear to be in a different country than you actually are.

So, for example, if you wanted to watch the latest Gavin & Stacey special on BBC iPlayer but are currently abroad (remember: you do need to buy a TV license to watch BBC content!) you could set your VPN to appear as a UK connection... iPlayer should then recognise you as a UK-based citizen and allow you to press play.

The same principle can apply to other services. For example, if you're in America but want to access the UK catalogue of Netflix instead of being shown the USA selection, you could turn on a VPN.

A VPN can be setup by just installing a piece of software on your computer - this controls your connection for you. There are plenty of VPN services available: have a search around on the internet to locate a well-priced one.

When picking a service, make sure you go for an established trusted provider so you can know your connection and data is reliable and safe with them. If you're planning on streaming comedy content, it is important to look out for a service that guarantees a high-speed connection and unlimited bandwidth. You wouldn't want it to cut out right in the middle of a character delivering a joke!

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