Download Doctor Who (Legally)

BBC Worldwide has announced that the iPlayer will go global in 2011.

Why should you care about this? Obviously for those of us in the UK it doesn’t really affect us, but for viewers overseas it means you’ll be able to watch Doctor Who shortly after UK broadcast without having to download a naughty torrent.

BBC head honcho, John Smith (yes, that really is his name) told The Telegraph: “Not only will that mean international fans of, for example, Doctor Who can get their fix legitimately, but it has the potential of opening up a new revenue stream for the entire UK production industry, alongside sales to traditional broadcasters.

While the iPlayer is ‘free’ in the UK due to the TV licence fee, a global version would either be ad-supported or fee based. The BBC reckons fans will pay up to $10 (around £6) an episode, which seems a bit optimistic, if you ask us.