Here’s How to Watch EastEnders in the US and Keep Up With One of the UK’s Most Popular Soaps

Credit: BBC 4 screengrab

Big drama awaits in the little town of Walford!

If you’re a daytime lover who just can’t get enough sudsy goodness but are dismayed by the fact that the US only has four soap operas left, you might want to expand your viewing pool and find out how to watch EastEnders in the US. After all, there’s a reason the sudser is one of the UK’s most popular soaps of all time an has been running for almost 40 years!

EastEnders first premiered on BBC One all the way back in 1985 and it didn’t take long for it to become one of the UK’s biggest soap operas. Taking place in the fictional Walford borough in the East End of London (hence its name), the British soap follows a number of families, each with their own unique role in the community. There’s the Beales, Brannings, Mitchells, Slaters and Watts — and that’s barely even the start. The show has a massive ensemble cast with characters from nearly every background interacting, loving and fighting in Walford.

Like US soaps in their golden era tackling everything from rape and abortion to abuse and plastic surgery, EastEnders isn’t afraid to take on uncomfortable subjects and break barriers on taboo topics. Though these stories have died off a bit over here, in the UK, Eastenders still consistently tells real-life stories and calls attention to some of the biggest problems of today.

They even recently altered their iconic closing credits for one episode to show the effects of climate change on the Thames river! Of course, at the end of the day, EastEnders is still a soap, so it’s no stranger to sudsy goodness like passionate romances, out-of-control rivalries, wild affairs and yes, even baby-swaps.

EastEnders screengrab

When does EastEnders air in the UK?

EastEnders airs Mondays through Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. GMT (1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT) on BBC One.

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How to watch EastEnders in the US

Now for the big question. If you’re wondering how to watch EastEnders in the US, it’s available to stream for free on BBC’s website — but that’s only in the UK. If you want to watch the show in the US, you’ll need a VPN. To put it in the simplest of terms, VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and it’s a secure service that lets folks change their computer’s IP address location to another country.

Why do this? Well, it gives you access websites that are restricted by location — like the BBC. Change your computer’s address from the US to the UK and suddenly you have access to all of BBC’s content. Even better, using a VPN will help prevent websites from tracking you. And who isn’t tired of companies knowing our every move?

There are a number of VPNs offered out there, so it can be hard to know what to choose, but the most most popular VPNs are probably ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PureVPN — all of which offer a 30 or 31-day money-back guarantee. Plus, they’re constantly shifting up their deals for new sign-ups.

Watch EastEnders in the US With ExpressVPN

We’ll start with ExpressVPN because it’s one of the most popular VPN services out there. For one thing, it’s hard to beat them as far as sheer scope. The service lets users set their location to more than 160 locations in 94 countries. Why is that great? The more locations you have access to, the more content you can watch in other countries. You won’t just be limited to watching UK shows. Now, as far as ExpressVPN, goes, for new signups, they offer 30-day money-back guarantee and a variety of plans.

As with most things, buying in bulk gets you the best deals. The service costs $6.67 per month for a 12-month plan that includes an extra three months free. Their six-month plan is just $9.99 per month, while their monthly plan comes out to $12.95 per month. Their ultra-fast service includes 24/7 live-chat support with real human beings and has received high marks from the likes of TechRadar, PCWorld and Huffpost. In short, it’s tough to beat them.

Follow the handy list below for step-by-step instructions on how to watch EastEnders in the US with ExpressVPN’s free trial.

Sign up for ExpressVPN and create an account
Log into your ExpressVPN account and click “Download” on the “Dashboard” or in “Set Up Your Devices”
Once you’ve installed Express VPN, enter the “Activation Code” from the “Dashboard” or in “Set Up Your Devices”
Once ExpressVPN is set up, change your location to “UK” by clicking the connect icon to read “Connected” and selecting the country in the “Smart Location” menu
Visit the EastEnders page on BBC’s website
Sign in at the top of the page or create an account and watch EastEnders in the US
If you want to feel like a true Brit and would like to watch EastEnders in the US live, click “Watch Live” on the BBC One page to catch EastEnders live Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m. GMT (1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT).

Watch EastEnders in the US With NordVPN

Nord VPN is another of the more well-known and well-trusted VPN services. All of their plans (including the monthly one) come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you don’t like them in the first month, you can ask for your money back. Easy as pie. Even better, their one and two-year plans both offer an additional three months free.

Watch: Classic EastEnders Characters

They offer a variety of tiered options, with the basic plans starting at $2.99 per month for two-year plan, $4.49 per month for a one-year plan or $11.99 per month for a monthly plan. NordVPN will allow you to access content in more than 59 countries (including, of course, the UK), supports putting the app on multiple devices so you can watch EastEnders on practically anything and has 24-hour live-chat support.

Follow the handy list below for step-by-step instructions on how to watch EastEnders in the US with NordVPN’s free trial.

Sign up for NordVPN and create an account
Log into your NordVPN account and click “Downloads” on the left-side menu
Once you’ve installed NordVPN, log into your account
Once NordVPN is set up, change your location to the “UK” by clicking “Quick Connect” or searching the country in the menu
Visit the EastEnders page on BBC’s website
Sign in at the top of the page or create an account and watch EastEnders in the US
If you want to feel like a true Brit and would like to watch EastEnders in the US live, click “Watch Live” on the BBC One page to catch EastEnders live Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m. GMT (1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT).

Watch EastEnders in the US with PureVPN

Pure VPN is another popular service and they offer a 31-day money-back guarantee. You can take your pick of deals when you sign up, and the longer you sign up for, the bigger the savings. Currently, they offer $1.99 per month for a two-year plan, $3.24 per month for a one-year plan or $10.95 per month for a monthly plan.

Even better, their two-year plan comes with three extra free months. As for getting bang for your buck, Pure VPN has more than 6,5000 servers in over 78 countries, which means you’ll be able to stream content from virtually the entire world, not just the UK. Plus, they’ve got 24-hour live-chat support if you need help streaming EastEnders while on a midnight binge.

Follow the handy list below for step-by-step instructions on how to watch EastEnders in the US with PureVPN’s.

Sign up for PureVPN by choosing your plan and creating an account
Once you’ve created your account, scroll to the bottom of PureVPN‘s homepage and select the VPN that fits your device: Windows, MAC, IOS, etc.
Click “Download the app”
Once you’ve installed PureVPN, log into your account
Once PureVPN is set up, change your location to the “UK” by searching for the country in the right bar
Visit the EastEnders page on BBC’s website
Sign in at the top of the page or create an account and watch EastEnders in the US
If you want to feel like a true Brit and would like to watch EastEnders in the US live, click “Watch Live” on the BBC One page to catch EastEnders live Monday through Thursday at 6:30 p.m. GMT (1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT).

Who’s in the EastEnders cast?

EastEnders has a huge ensemble cast that includes a mix of originals like Gillian Taylforth, James Bye and Letitia Dean, vets like Steve McFadden, Kim Medcalf and Natalie Cassidy and fresh new faces like James Farrar, Gwen Taylor, Brian Conley and Ross Boatman. The full EastEnders cast list would be a bit extensive, but see a partial list below.