How to Watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland [2024]

The Great British Sewing Bee is a reality TV show on BBC iPlayer which premiered on BBC Two in 2013. The series showcases ten amateur sewers every season, and the weakest contestant is eliminated at the end of each episode. 

In each episode, there are three challenges. The first challenge is the Pattern Challenge, the second is the Transformation Challenge, and the last is the Made-to-measure Challenge.

You can watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland on BBC iPlayer and Sky Go, but unfortunately, BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK. Still, you can access it in Ireland with the help of a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN.

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How to Watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland

The reality TV show is a BBC original. You can watch all its episodes and download BBC videos iPlayer in Ireland with the app. However, you need an account to access all of the free content on BBC iPlayer.

Since it is restricted to the UK audience only, follow the steps to watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland:

Step 1: Subscribe to a reliable VPN service (We recommend ExpressVPN)

Step 2: Download the ExpressVPN app and install it on your device

Step 3: Open the app and connect to a UK server (i.e., London)

Step 4: Open your web browser and visit the BBC iPlayer website. 

Step 5: Sign into your account or click on Register Now to signup

Step 6: Select your age group

Step 7: Enter your Date of Birth

Step 8: Add your email address and password

Step 9: After the account is created, you will be redirected to the home screen

Step 10: Click on search to find Great British Sewing Bee 

Step 11: Type the title to search for it

Step 12: Choose the season and episode to stream

Step 13:  Click on the play button and enjoy free streaming.

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2 Ways to Stream Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland 

Here are two ways to stream The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland; one is free, while the other needs a subscription plan. 

1. BBC iPlayer (Free)

You can watch The Great British Sewing Bee and other TV shows such as Angels of North and The Mock with BBC iPlayer. It is home to a wide range of documentaries, reality shows, talk shows, movies and TV series.

The VOD streaming service is available for various devices, including mobile phones, tablets, PCs, Smart TVs, and gaming consoles. 

It is restricted to UK-based viewers, so it is unavailable in Ireland. The best way to access BBC iPlayer in Ireland would be with a VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN since it is safe and reliable.

Read More: How to Watch BBC iPlayer in Ireland

2. Sky Go (Premium)

The premium method to stream The Great British Sewing Bee is Sky Go. It is a UK-based free and on-demand streaming service that has all the seasons.

It can also be accessed for free if you have a Sky TV cable connection. But if you are new to Sky Go, you must subscribe to the service for £15 per month. 

However, it is restricted outside the UK, so you must use a VPN (such as ExpressVPN) to bypass the geo-restrictions.

Read More: How to Watch Sky Go in Ireland

What is The Great British Sewing Bee about?

The Great British Sewing Bee is a competition where contestants go through complex sewing challenges. They get a budget to buy the fabric needed for the challenge, and the garments are returned to the contestants after filming.

The Sewing Bee contestants are not paid, but they must commit to 20 days of filming for over four months when they apply to participate in the reality show. The winners of the show get bragging rights and a trophy. There is no cash prize involved in this show.

All the previous episodes of the BBC One TV show, The Great British Sewing Bee are now available on BBC iPlayer. This way, you can watch all the past eight seasons you have missed.

How to Watch Great British Sewing Bee on SmartPhone

You can get BBC iPlayer’s official app for various streaming devices, including Android phones. However, since the service is geo-restricted outside the UK, the app is only available to download from Google Play Store in the UK. 

Therefore, to watch BBC iPlayer in Ireland on Android phones, we recommend downloading the APK version of the app and installing it on your device. 

Follow the steps below to watch Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland on Smartphones:

Step 1: Subscribe to any reliable VPN. ExpressVPN is our recommended choice

Step 2: Connect to a UK server (Recommended Server: London or Docklands)

Step 3: Download the BBC iPlayer APK

Step 4: After the file has been downloaded, Click on Install

Step 5: Once the installation process has finished, click on Open to proceed

Step 6: Sign in to your account if you already have one.

Step 7: Enter your email address and password

Step 8:  Once you are on the home page, search for Great British Sewing Bee 

Step 9: Choose an episode and click on Watch Now

Step 10: Stream and enjoy!

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Other Competition TV Shows You Can Watch in Ireland

We have recommended some of the top TV shows for you to watch. Have a look.

Watch Survivor in Ireland

Survivor is a competitive reality TV show where a bunch of contestants have to survive different competitions, and the one who wins gets huge prize money. 

Watch America’s Got Talent in Ireland

America’s Got Talent is the most popular talent show where people all across the globe come to show off their talents in hopes of impressing the judges and audience and securing a position in the show. 

Watch British Bake Off in Ireland

British Bake Off is a baking show where contestants, including celebrities, show off their baking skills to become the best baker at the end of the season.

Watch MasterChef US in Ireland

MasterChef US is a cooking competition show where contestants show off their cooking skills, and the one who wins gets $250,000, a MasterChef trophy, and the title of MasterChef. 

Some more shows you can binge, include Unbreakable, Britain’s Got Talent, The Traitors and The Great British Menu.

FAQs – Great British Sewing Bee

Will the Great British Sewing Bee return in 2023?

Yes, The Great British Sewing Bee is set to return for series nine this year. It is expected to return in May. You can watch the show live and on-demand with BBC iPlayer.

What happened to Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One?

On Wednesday, 29th of June, the show Great British Sewing Bee was switched to BBC Two instead of BBC One. This was because BBC One decided to air the Wimbledon, which left many viewers sad about missing out on the last episode of Great British Sewing Bee.

Who was the winner of the first sewing bee contest?

The first Great British Sewing Bee series aired on 2nd April 2012, Claudia Winkelman hosted it, and the judges were WI tutor May Marlin and Patrik Grant. The first winner of The Great British Sewing Bee was Ann, with Sandra Lauren as the runner-up.

Can I watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland with a free VPN?

Although you can watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland with the help of a VPN, we do not recommend it. A free VPN is unsafe to stream since it lacks security and has few servers.

Conclusion

The inspiring show on BBC One, The Great British Sewing Bee, has made us all take up sewing for ourselves. It has the perfect mix of contestants from different backgrounds, incredible ideas, encouraging judges, and exquisite dresses.

After eight successful seasons, the show is set to return in late May 2023, but the date still needs to be confirmed. You can watch The Great British Sewing Bee in Ireland on BBC iPlayer online and the Sky Go app. 

You will need to use a VPN to access content on both streaming services. Our top recommendation is ExpressVPN to bypass any geo-restrictions.