Category Archives: Entertainment

October 2, 2012 · 3:47 pm

Watch BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, 4OD and More… In Australia

Tired of seeing this message on UK sites? POMSTAR gets emails and tweets about this issue all the time so we thought we would explain how to access the BBC iPlayer, 4OD, ITV Player, Sky Go and more from Australia.

BBCiPlayer on iPhone

The answer is simple, you need a VPN.

A VPN is  is basically a gateway that masks your location, and and stops you being blocked from viewing content. They are cheap, quick to install and easy to use.

POMSTAR has tried a few providers over the years but the best is www.streamingvpn.com. Subscription costs a couple of bucks per week and instillation instructions are clear and easy to follow.

One subscription works on your pc, iphone, ipad etc.

Once installed, all you need to do is click to turn on the VPN each session, and you are in… you never see those pesky blocked content signs again.

If you want to watch it on your TV,  you need a HDMI cable to connect your PC / iphone to your TV and Bob’s your uncle, it’s just like being back home, except its less likely you will get your TV stolen once you have switched off and gone to bed.

Sky GO – EPL football live on iphone… Not bad

If you want ‘Sky Go’ (live Sky TV on mobile devices), you need to get the VPN, and get someone in the UK to register for Sky Go and share their username and password. The only issue with Sky Go is they block you connecting it to your TV which is annoying. The picture quality is amazing, but i’m not sure i would watch a full 90 minute EPL game on my iphone.

Is this legal? That’s complicated. This is a good article on Mumbrella which concludes that “bypassing geoblocks is permitted under Australian Law“.

So enjoy guilt free, for now at least.

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September 30, 2011 · 12:52 pm

The Two Best British Restaurants in Australia Are…..

Fancy a taste of home? The 2012 SMH and Age Good Food Guides launched recently and the The Best British in NSW and Vic are (drum roll please)….:

bistrode CBD

GFG Score: 15 / 20
The move to the Merivale camp suits ex-Brit-pack chef Jeremy Strode. His nose-to-tail menu matches the butcher’s stripe chairs and dark tables of this faintly blokey upstairs dining room in the heart of the… well, yes, CBD. Offal bits both wobbly and chewy are scattered through the list, from ears to bones to ‘hearts and minds’-a salad of marinated, sliced lamb’s heart and creamy brain croquettes. Quite a few dishes are loose-leaf compositions, as in a smokey yet sharpish duck salad with pickled plum; crackly pig’s ear on egg-topped leaves hiding crumbly blood sausage nuggets; or in a lilting combo of blood-red ox-heart tomatoes blobbed with shiny goat’s curd. There’s good steak-grass-or grain-fed, maybe with an up-ended marrow bone alongside like a little pot of jellied richness; or a wedge of wagyu corned beef with condiments that’s a triumph of the genre. So is champagne jelly layered like a trifle with oat crumbs and berries. Nice move, Mr Strode.

The Middle Park Hotel

GFG Score: 14.5 / 20
The Middle Park feels like a club that specialises in good food. This grand Victorian dame with a makeover of marine plywood and sports paraphernalia is still a popular pub cashed-up tradies downing a light beer and a Scotch egg at the bar underline that. The adjoining dining room has a grand little entrance under a red awning and crest-embossed carpet. The waitstaff are professional and warmly familiar, with a hint of blokiness. Consultant chef Paul Wilson has handed down a Brit pub-style menu with a heavy push for local and sustainable produce. Prawn cocktail or devilled crab and egg add a retro touch. At the heart of this operation is a charcoal grill on which steaks are cooked. Properly rested and served with a good bottle of plonk suggested by the gruff but fun sommelier, they are among the best in town.
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June 29, 2011 · 11:05 am

Flagship Topshop Stores Coming to Sydney & Melbourne 2011!

POMSTAR reported last year that Topshop was opening a small concession at Incu in Sydney, and based on other International experience, a full store should follow in a few years time.

It appears however, that the ZARA launch may have prompted Mr Green to move faster. It has been reported this week (by Fashionising.com) that Topshop is currently negotiating retail locations in both Sydney and Melbourne for full flagship stores that they aim to have open pre-Christmas, this year.

It is likely that Topshop will opt for outer-suburb locations in Chatswood shopping centre, Sydney (which is a bit rubbish) and the Jam Factory, on the Chapel Street high street in Melbourne – in the space made available from Borders closing.

Australia is currently the third largest customer on Topshop.co.uk. I would suggest a good number of those orders are from the 1.3 million, UK expat community. Im sure you’re all pretty happy about this news -bring on the M&S and H&M…

Lets just hope it actually happens, there have been a few false starts over the years.

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November 29, 2010 · 12:24 pm

BBC iPlayer Confirmed for Australia.. Kind of.. Nearly..

We have been here before, and been disappointed (by ‘Project Kangaroo’), so perhaps don’t get too excited and start cancelling your Foxtel / UKTV subscription, but….

..It is being widely reported that the BBC will lunch a global version of the iPlayer soon, available in Australia. There has been no official statement yet from the BBC Trust, and no launch dates yet, but Luke Bradley-Jones, Managing Director of the Global iPlayer said: “Our research has shown there is an international audience of British TV fans that are frequently watching TV online – and we are excited about rolling out our iPlayer VOD service to meet and grow this demand.” “We strongly believe the Global iPlayer is going to offer an excellent opportunity for the UK’s creative industry to directly reach much sought after digital audiences and revenue streams around the world.”

There no word either on pricing structure. BBC Worldwide makes big money by selling BBC shows to broadcasters around the world, and Australia is a significant market for purchasing BBC programming. They will therefore have to replace that revenue with money from either; advertising, viewers paying to view episodes, or viewers paying a subscription. I suspect they will go subscription model, with possibly the option to buy per show. How much would you be willing to pay? My guess is they will go for something close to AU$10 per month.

The other big question is, will any of the other UK channels be included at launch or in future? This was the plan with the now defunct ‘Project Kangaroo’.

It’s certainly big news for expat Brits in Aus – the only slight disappointment is MOTD doesn’t get feature on iPlayer because of rights restrictions – BOOOOOOOO.

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November 17, 2010 · 10:04 am

Im a Celebrity… Get Me on TV in Oz Now!

Another season of Im a Celebrity get Me Out of Here (filmed in Queensland again) has just kicked off in the UK to record viewers – 11 million on the first night..

It’s easy to see why with  Shaun Ryder, Linford Christie, Sheryl Gascoigne… o and an american Playboy model.  See the full lineup here.

Classic trash TV stuff. The only problem is that, as usual it’s not on Australian TV. Im sure we will get see it in 2012, if you subscribe to UKTV or Lifestyle.

We need a POM revolution to get one of the major Oz TV networks to partner with ITV and show it as it happens – makes sence as it’s filmed here and the biggest stars are known here, the others no one knows in the UK either and it doesnt seem to matter..

Maybe we need a Facebook group to start the revolution? Maybe not.

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September 21, 2010 · 11:19 pm

GO is Slow… So Here is Ep 1, Season 3 of The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners is surely the best new comedy to come out of Britan since the Office / Extras. Channel GO have the rights to show season 3 in Australia, but no word yet on when its sheduled to start.

Season 3 started last week in the UK though, and lucky for us someone has uploaded the whole episode to Youtube. Get it while you can below:

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July 4, 2010 · 1:30 pm

Zara and H&M Confirmed. Next, Topshop: Coming To An Australian High Street Near You

See more recent post: Topshop Flagship stores coming to Sydney & Melbourne 2011: http://pomstar.com.au/2011/06/29/flagship-topshop-stores-coming-to-sydney-melbourne-2011/

UK retail favourites Zara and H&M are expected to announce the opening of their first Australian stores within months according to Fairfax Media.

The SMH also states that industry insiders believe, it will only be a matter of time before other international fashion retailers, such as Banana Republic, Topshop, Uniqlo  all follow to Australia.

Word on the street is that GAP is also coming soon too – possibly early  this year.

Brilliant news for frustrated expats tired of paying too much for bad clothes made from inferior fabrics by poor Australian high street brands.

About time too. Marks and Spencer food halls next please!

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May 27, 2010 · 8:33 am

Choose A Winning World Cup Team and Win a Pom Meat Tray!

POMSTAR has created a league  in the Deloitte World Cup Fantasy Football Game. It’s quick and easy for you to create a team, its free, and you can win a $200 prize!

To enter:

1. click here to register and select your team (it takes seconds).

2. Enter this code: 200632 to join the POMSTAR league.

Everyone is welcome in the POMSTAR league so feel free to forward the link and code.

PRIZES!

POMSTAR is very excited to announce that the ‘manager’ who selects the winning team in the POMSTAR league will win a prize courtesy of Pacdon Park. The prize is a meat tray, but not just any meat tray, it’s a  gourmet English version. The lucky winner can choose $200 worth of the finest meat pies, sausages and black pudding from Pacdon Park, yum!

Pacdon Park

Pacdon Park is a cool business, started by three guys from Lancashire, who use local Australian ingredients to make the best English pork pies, black puddings and big fat pork sausages. Check out http://www.pacdon.com.au/.



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Terms and Conditions

- The game rules for the POMSTAR league are the same as those at http://www.deloitte.fantasyleague.com (the key one being that if there is a draw – most goals will win)

- Prize can not be exchanged for cash, must be redeemed in 2010 and can only be sent to an Australian address.

- POMSTAR also takes the view that it’s unpatriotic not to select Rooney!

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May 26, 2010 · 12:28 pm

BANKSY: The Worlds First Street Art Disaster Movie

It’s all about Banksy at the moment. Time Out have an exclusive interview with him and managed to get him to create a cover image for them. The Sydney edition is on sale now.

He has also made a  film, which launches here at the Sydney Film Festival. Cant wait!

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May 24, 2010 · 11:02 am

Blackpool Hits The Big Time

Blackpool have won one of footballs richest games to earn promotion to the Premier League.

The manager is ‘flamboyant’, the teams total wages are less than Rooney’s annual salary, and the grounds capacity is just 16,000.

Welcome to the premier league!

Below is a video of manager, Ian Holloway explaining his sides performance by comparing it to a night out and pulling ‘not the best looking birds’. He should liven up MOTD next year!

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