Last Updated on March 19, 2024

Where to Watch Gardeners’ World Online

What is Gardeners’ World From the BBC?

Gardeners’ World is a very long-running Television programme from the BBC unsurprisingly all about gardening! It was first broadcast on 5 January 1968 and is still being produced as of the Winter of 2023. The very first series was presented by Ken Burras and was broadcast from the Oxford Botanical Gardens. There is now also a hugely popular magazine called BBC Gardeners’ World which is a tie-in to the programme. The TV format changed in spring 2020 when it became 60 minutes long. From now on it’s expected that all episodes will follow this format.

Surprisingly despite how popular gardening is as a pastime, there’s not as many gardening programmes on the TV as you would think. Of course there’s plenty of channels on YouTube but many of those obviously lack the production values and content of a mainstream TV show.

The best is probably Gardeners’ World from the BBC which is without doubt the most popular one –

What are the different ways to watch Gardeners World online?

Gardeners World started as a TV show and has been broadcast on one of the BBC TV channels in the UK for over 50 years. Of course in the modern technological age there are now some different options to enjoy all the programme has to offer. There are clips available on YouTube, a magazine which expands on many of the subjects.

The BBC broadcasts every show live on it’s online platform – BBC iPlayer as well as keeping lots of previous shows in it’s archive. Currently you can watch over 35 previous episodes online on demand. It’s nice to watch the live shows though as they match the programme to the current seasons. Although this can obviously be completely different if you’re trying to watch in Cape Town or Texas!

At the moment online options include the following –

• BBC iPlayer – live broadcasts and archive.
• YouTube – clips and promotional trailers. Sometimes full episodes but they get taken down regularly.
• BritBox – the UK streaming service which has lots of older episodes.

Depending where you live though you may not be able to watch all of these options (although read on and you’ll see how you can change this !). BBC iPlayer both live and the archive is only available to people based in the UK. The YouTube channel is available to pretty much everyone. BritBox is available in the UK, USA, Australia and Canada currently but is being rolled out to other countries.

How to access the latest Episodes of Gardeners World?

The very latest episodes are only available online through the BBC iPlayer website. Older seasons are released through BritBox. To watch on BBC iPlayer you’ll need a BBC account (free) and be based in the UK. Unfortunately even if you’re on holiday in somewhere like Spain or Greece it still won’t work.  Check the rest of this article if you want to watch Gardeners’ World from anywhere else in the world.

Why Gardening is Important for your Health and Happiness

We, as humans, need to interact with nature in order to live healthy lives. The more we can be exposed to the outdoors and nature, the better our health will be. This is because there are so many benefits to being close to nature.

The most obvious benefit is that it provides us with exercise. We can walk through the garden and pick up any of the plants, flowers, and fruits that grow there. This means that we are getting exercise, as well as enjoying the beauty of nature.

Gardening remains one of the most enjoyable and pleasurable themes for people who actively do it or watch professionals as well. Monthly, gardening channels are always on top in cable or network TV with a few specials like spring with early combinations of new plants and often ground breaking flower shows. For some, gardening has become an obsession and way to calm the soul, while others find it helps them relax.

Who has Presented Gardeners’ World

Over the years, many famous gardeners have presented this show.  Here’s a summary of some the most recent presenters –

How to How to Watch Gardeners’ World Outside the UK

So without doubt the best (and cheapest way) to watch Gardeners’ World is on the BBC iPlayer site. You can watch live and enjoy around 30 older episodes whenever you like. Plus there’s loads of other gardening and environmental shows to enjoy too on the BBC’s 11 live streaming channels. However as you probably know there is an issue, BBC iPlayer is not available outside the United Kingdom. If you try and watch from somewhere else you’ll get a little message explaining it’s not available.

The BBC website like many others checks your location when you connect by looking at your IP address. This is the unique network number which every device connected to the internet needs. Unfortunately it’s also used to track, monitor and filter people when they use the internet too ! Basically your location is detected based on your IP address and if it’s not in the UK then BBC iPlayer won’t work.

There is a solution though which can let you watch all of BBC iPlayer plus the other UK Television stations online. Plus it can also allow you to watch other sites which are restricted based on their location too -fancy Australian, Canadian or US TV online – here’s how it’s done using a service called NordVPN.

That’s all there is to it, basically you use something called a VPN to keep yourself hidden online. By connecting to the right country then you can bypass all of these stupid country restrictions (geo-blocking) and enjoy whatever you want online. By picking a UK server then you can watch the sublime Gardener’s World every week plus the rest of the BBC iPlayer for free.  Don’t forget also you can download complete shows from the BBC too when using a VPN, which you can watch later without an internet connection.

Using a VPN to Watch BBC iPlayer

A VPN is a virtual private network which allows you to stream and watch BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world. It’s a great solution for those who want to watch BBC iPlayer from abroad or outside the UK. there’s a couple of things you should know though before you join the millions of us who enjoy BBC iPlayer through a VPN.

• You’ll need a BBC account – don’t worry they’re free though and it’s easy to create one when you have your VPN connected. You will be asked for a UK Postcode though (like a US Zip code), pick anyone though as long as it’s valid it will work. There are no other checks, you can also find some UK postcodes for the BBC here.
• Asked if you have a UK TV Licence – you’ll get a pop up message asking if you have a UK TV licence. You have to say yes to this or nothing will work. Don’t worry there’s no other checks and they don’t ask for proof.
• Some VPNs don’t work anymore – the BBC has blocked a lot of these VPNs from working so you need to check before subscribing. The one most of us ex-pats use is called NordVPN who have servers specially configured for access. See below for the list of NordVPN UK servers you should use for accessing the BBC.

NordVPN BBC iPlayer Servers

Lots of VPNs are now blocked from accessing BBC iPlayer, indeed you’ll find some people saying that they all are. Fortunately a few companies still maintain access to BBC iPlayer although it does take them some effort. NordVPN are probably the biggest VPN provider who enable access to all the main UK TV stations, although they don’t openly advertise this functionality.

In order to use BBC through NordVPN then you should use the servers they ensure always work. Instead of allowing the NordVPN auto-connect feature to work when you want to watch any UK television site then pick one of the following servers –

UK# 1840-1847, 1850-1863, 1865, 1869, 1873, 1875-1878, 1880-1881, 1900-1901, 1903-1904, 1911, 1913, 1917, 1919-1920.

Select from the search bar and save to favourites if you want to stream BBC iPlayer

Update on Gardeners’ World Episodes on BBC iPlayer in 2024

The BBC iPlayer will normally store an episode for 12 months after it has been broadcast on the BBC.  So there’s normally a large selection of episodes in the archive at any one point.  Currently as of  March 2024 there are 34 episodes available, however this is subject to change.  However it represents a huge represents a significant proportion of the flagship gardening series over the last year.

The current selection also includes the three ‘Winter Specials which were broadcast over the Christmas holidays.   They are highly recommended and will be available until the beginning of  2025.  Don’t worry though there’s usually a new selection of holiday specials recorded every year.  If you want all the other episodes (and there are literally many hundreds) then your best bet is Britbox which has a huge archive of old BBC shows including Gardeners’ World to enjoy.

How to Watch Old Episodes of Gardeners’ World

Gardener’s World has been around for decades, what’s a huge shame is that many of the older programmes are no longer accessible.  The timeless wonder of Percy Thrower will be lost for most newer generations and it’s difficult to find them online too.  The reality is that the only decent source of old episodes is BBC iPlayer.  Here you’ll find all the latest episodes and usually a selection of ‘specials’ on BBC iPlayer.

How Hard is it to get Gardeners’ World Streaming on a Computer?

It’s very easy indeed.  If you’re in the UK you just need to go to the BBC iPlayer site, create a user account (they’re free), login and search for Gardener’s World.  You’ll find hundreds of episodes there which you can stream directly to your computer.  If you’re outside the UK, you’ll need to use a VPN to hide your real location but it’s easy to do and requires no technical knowledge.  Just watch the video on this page and you’ll be watching BBC  iPlayer Gardeners World episodes in no time.