Netflix rival Hulu isn’t available in Blighty and it doesn’t have any plans to extend its reach anytime soon. A shame given the quality of its content (think The Handmaid’s Tale, I, Tonya and, er, the Baywatch remake). However, it would be a very short article if the answer was “no” – plus, that’s been done before – so here’s how to watch Hulu in the UK.
First, we need to address the MASSIVE CAVEAT in the room. Hulu isn’t keen on people accessing its content from a different country, even though you’ll be paying for it. In fact, it violates the streaming service’s content licensing agreements so it’s a risky undertaking that we can’t recommend.
If you still want to climb through Hulu’s back window, you’ll need to install a virtual private network (VPN). This will assign you an American IP address, meaning you can access US-specific content. As with the process for watching US Netflix in the UK, your best bet is to download and install CyberGhost VPN on your device for free.
Once you’ve installed CyberGhost, open the app and click on the Simulated Country box in the bottom-left of the window. This will bring up a list of available servers around the world. Scroll down to USA and click OK.
You will be taken back to the main page, where you should press the yellow power button at the bottom to connect. CyberGhost will then “fetch your server”, which may take a few minutes, and you’ll be given a brand new IP address from somewhere in the US. We, for instance, were given an address in sunny California – perfect for surfing the web (I’ll get my coat). 
When CyberGhost says that you’re “protected”, the next step is to open up a new browser window and set up a Hulu subscription. Sounds straightforward, right? It’s really not.
Watch Hulu in the UK: How to set up a subscription
As you’ll notice when you land on the Hulu homepage, you need a US ZIP code (postcode in the Queen’s English) to start a subscription. Now might be the time to get in touch with cousin Desmond in Oklahoma.
But, if you’re lacking friends or relatives in the States, don’t fret – getting one is easy. Ditto a US phone number. Again, it’s not something us goody two shoeses at The Big Tech Question would recommend.
Another stumbling block is the fact that Hulu occasionally blocks non-US credit cards. As always, there’s a workaround, but it ain’t pretty: buy a gift card using your UK details (Google is your friend here). After that, you can finally make the most of Hulu’s offering.
Is it worth all this fuss and dubious behaviour? Our view: nope. Sure, there are some decent TV programmes and films on Hulu, but Netflix has a far better selection and you don’t have to live in constant fear of a SWAT team chasing you around Milton Keynes for violating US copyright…
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Handmaid’s tale is my new favourite. Mainly for this tv series I purchased nordvpn so I could sign up for hulu account! Works great, streaming speed is good enough and their support helps every time if i have questions. Yes! Gilead is within you.
ExpressVPN’s the only service that’s been able to unblock Netflix for me. I assume it’ll work just as good for Hulu.