How to watch Nightsleeper online: stream the real-time thriller from anywhere

Off-duty police officer Joe Roag (Joe Cole) looks worriedly out of a train window whilst on the phone in BBC TV thriller Nightsleeper
(Image credit: BBC)

The BBC knows how to make shows that keep you on the edge of your seat and its latest offering, Nightsleeper, might just be one of its most nerve-jangling dramas in years. 

Nightsleeper is now available in full to watch in the UK on the free BBC iPlayer streaming service. But don't worry if you're on holiday while it's on, because you can watch Nightsleeper on iPlayer from anywhere with a VPN .

Talking about the plot, star Joe Cole says: "The whole show is about everyone doing their bit and working as a team to stop this train. Joe is a great leader of teams and a galvaniser of people although, at the beginning of this, he is a lone wolf. Gradually, he learns to cooperate and work with everybody else – he realises that if not everybody is on board, pardon the pun, then he’s not going to be able to stop the train."

Quick links

UK: BBC iPlayer (free with licence fee)
Watch from anywhere with a VPN

Set on an overnight train journey from Glasgow to London, off-duty police officer Joe Roag (Joe Cole) must find a way to save the passengers when cyber terrorists take control of the train. With the action unfolding in real-time, it's like Speed meets 24

Helping Roag get everyone on board to safety is Abby (Alexandra Roach), acting technical director at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) who keeps in constant contact by phone. The duo must work together to beat the ticking clock and stop the train from derailing. 

Written by Bafta-winner Nick Leather (whose credits include 2017’s Murdered for Being Different), the thriller features an all-star cast that includes Gangs of London's Cole, Utopia’s Roach, Shameless’ David Threlfall and Harry Potter’s Katie Leung. 

An edge-of-your-seat drama with plenty of twists and turns, here's how to watch Nightsleeper online from anywhere in the world and for free in the UK.

How to watch Nightsleeper in the UK for free

BBC One9pm BST on Sunday, September 15Monday, September 16,

BBC One is airing Nightsleeper on TV in the UK, with the first episode going out at 9pm BST on Sunday, September 15. The next episode will be on screens just a day later on Monday, September 16, with the show airing on Sundays and Mondays for the following fortnight to complete its six-episode run. 

If you want to watch online or on-demand, all the episodes are now available to watch on the BBC iPlayer streaming service. You'll find our choice of the best TV dramas on BBC iPlayer there, too.

BBC One and iPlayer are free to watch for TV licence fee payers.

If you're trying to access iPlayer while outside the UK, you might want to try a VPN to allow you to watch from abroad. Scroll down for more details.

How to watch Nightsleeper from anywhere with a VPN

You can watch Nightsleeper on the BBC iPlayer streaming service as described above by using a VPN — no matter where you are in the world!

Normally streaming services like iPlayer will know where you are trying to tune in from and block you if you're not in the right country but a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an app that hides your location. That means you can access your usual sports and entertainment services even while you're traveling abroad.

Our favorite VPN is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar, where you'll find a deeper reader on the best VPN services available right now.


How to use a VPN to watch any stream

  • Download the app at NordVPN
  • Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
  • Navigate to the streaming service you require and start watching!
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All you need to know about Nightsleeper

Joe Cole plays Joe Roag in Nightsleeper episode 1 recap

(Image credit: BBC)

How many episodes are in Nightsleeper?

Nightsleeper will unfold across six episodes, beginning on Sunday, September 15 at 9pm and will air on Sunday and Monday nights across three weeks in the same slot. 

All six episodes of Nightsleeper are now available on BBC iPlayer.

Who is Nightsleeper creator Nick Leather?

Leather is most famous for writing the BBC1 series The Control Room, a thriller starring Iain De Caestecker and Joanna Vanderham, about an emergency call handler. 

He also won a BAFTA for his 2018 standalone Mother's Day, which was based on an infamous IRA bombing attack in Warrington. 

Adrian Back
Contributor

Adrian is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about sport for a wide range of publications including World Soccer Magazine, Newsweek, Yahoo and FourFourTwo. Having covered everything from the NBA Finals and French Open to the London Olympics and F1 in Abu Dhabi, his great passion remains football – a sport he could write and talk about all day long.