Where to watch TV shows and movies online in the UK

With the wide spread introduction of broadband Internet technology across the UK many households and businesses now have access to online multimedia and streaming services. These sites generate a huge amount of traffic on a daily basis with people tuning in to watch TV shows, mini clips and even movies direct from there computer.

This hub is aimed at directing you to the best free and legal websites for you to watch movies in crystal clear quality. This list does not include any dodgy sites that offer low resolution streams of the latest releases and I will not list them either. If you want to watch the latest mainstream releases then I suggest that you go to the cinema like the rest of us!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

The BBC finally launched iPlayer in December 2007 after countless set backs. The wait was worth it and still is today as the service and player are both top quality. I work a lot during normal viewing times so I miss most of the better TV shows between 7pm and 11pm.

The iPlayer website offers shows, though not all of them, up to 7 days after they are aired on the television. After that they are taken down to make room for newer episodes, so get in there and watch them while you can.

I watched a number of films over the Christmas period on the site so I can confirm that they upload both movies and television shows.

The buffering time is none existent with a half decent Internet connection and obviously the shows are in perfect quality. HD streams are available for those watching on either a HD monitor or TV.

http://www.itv.com/ITVPlayer

For fans of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Jeremy Kyle this is the place for you. Some of your favourite soaps and day time TV is available, though the selection is quite limited.

I just had a browse through the listings and a lot of the shows have been omitted as well as the movies that have been aired in the last few days. I'm not 100% sure if this is a regular thing but I would assume so.

Miles behind iPlayer in terms of content but still good for catching up with the more popular shows.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od

Now this is more like it! The original online player gives you a really extensive back catalogue of shows to watch. This site is guaranteed to keep you occupied for months and contains loads of popular programmes.

I have never been too much of a fan of channel 4 but this site changed that. Hundred's of documentaries, comedy, drama and lifestyle shows are just a small range of those available for on demand viewing.

The selection of movies is very small but a few are available.

http://www.five.tv/watch

Not the best but certainly not the worse streaming site. Has a few football (soccer) matches and a number of quality TV shows like CSI ready to watch at the click of your mouse.

I don't watch soaps but for fans that do Neighbours and Home & Away are on for you. Having a look through the A-Z of shows you will find a really good selection, much more than I initially though was on the site.

Good loading times and catalogue make this a worthy choice for catch up TV viewing.

http://skyplayer.sky.com/vod/page/default/home.do

Not technically free to all but free if you are already a Sky subscriber. You get access to the same channels and shows that you pay for through your subscription but it allows you to watch the shows anytime, anywhere.

The catalogue is huge and also gives you access to live TV. I won't go too much into this one as, like I said, it is for subscribers only. You can pay for episodes without it but that isn't what I was looking for.

http://video.uk.msn.com/

The Toys r' us of the online TV world, everything under one roof...sort of. A brilliant site for a full range of TV series in there entirety. The impressive side to the site is pulling popular shows from all networks with Shameless, Big Train and Andromeda.

The streams are quick, reliable and easy to navigate through a full season. Slick web design and user friendly interface makes this a great site for beginners.

http://www.youtube.com

No list of video streaming sites would be complete without mentioning the stupidly popular YouTube. If you haven't heard about YouTube yet welcome to the Internet!

The site used to have user submitted content but they now take on official videos from a number of channels. Subscribe to a few channels and follow the latest updates and videos as they are released.

All of the sites in the list above come highly recommended. All (except Sky) are free to use and run perfectly with a 2MB broadband connection or above.

I think that the BBC site is my favourite as I still watch the most content from that but 4OD is close behind. The documentaries and general back catalogue on offer make it worth a weekly visit at very least.

If you know of any other free and legal sites please let me know in the comments below.