What is get_iplayer, and why would you want it?

Get_iplayer is a FOSS program that allows you to download TV and radio from BBC iPlayer. The original developer stopped maintaining it at one point, but since it was licensed using the GPLv3 a few others were able to take over, and it’s still actively maintained. Hooray for free software! You may find it useful if you have a slow internet connection at home that causes iPlayer to stutter, or if you want to download a TV show and watch it later when you’re not connected to the internet (e.g. on a tablet during a long plane journey).

Where do I get it?

get_iplayer only works if you have a UK-based IP address.

Ubuntu Linux

If you use Ubuntu Linux, then there is a version in the official repository. However, it’s not very recent so it’s a good idea to add this repository so you get the most up to date version.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jon-hedgerows/get-iplayer
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install get-iplayer

Windows

If you run Windows, you can download the latest version as an .exe from here: linuxcentre.net . It should work in a similar way to the Linux version, via command line (start –> search for “command prompt”).

How to use it

Get_iplayer is a command line program, so first open a terminal. If you type get_iplayer, the program will fetch a list of all the available programmes (close to 1000!). Alternatively, you can use get_iplayer "Programme Name" to search for something in particular, and you’ll get a partial list instead. When you have worked out what you want to download, make a note of the number next to it in the list. Then enter this command:

get_iplayer --get 097 --output ~/Videos/ --tvmode=flashhd,flashvhigh

In the above command, replace 097 with the number of the programme, and change ~/Videos/ to another directory if you’d like the file to go somewhere else. The --tvmode options ask for HD quality if available, and downloads the next best quality if it isn’t. Your file will now download. Enjoy!