The search for Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan, the underwhelming Anglo-Irish aristocrat who conveniently disappeared after the murder of Sandra Rivett, the nanny employed at his house, on the night of November 7 in 1974 is a perennial topic for the British media. “Lucan” however, the latest BBC documentary on the topic, focuses on the efforts of the victim’s son to find the peer (who would now be 89) and achieve some measure of justice and closure.
Here’s how to watch “Lucan” online from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for free.
“Lucan” dates, time, channel
“Lucan” runs on BBC Two on consecutive nights from Wednesday, November 6 to Friday, November 8 at 9 p.m. GMT (4 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. PT). All three episodes will stream on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.
• WATCH FREE — BBC Two/ BBC iPlayer (U.K.)
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
There have been so many documentaries and dramas, reported sightings from all over the world, blurred photographs and claims to have finally solved the mystery that it is hard – at 50 years remove – to get excited about the claims made for this show but this merits attention as it comes from a different perspective.
The brutal crime against Sandra Rivett, a young working class woman employed to look after the children of a privileged and dysfunctional upper class couple, is often ignored in the rush to discover how a hapless gambler and failure used his network of influential friends to escape justice.
For this three-part documentary, Neil Berriman (Rivett’s son and a Hampshire builder) brings his story and determination to chase down – with long-term collaborator Glen Campbell – the man who killed his mother.
Read on to find out how to watch “Lucan” online, on TV and from anywhere.
How to watch “Lucan” for free in the U.K.
How to watch ‘Lucan’ from abroad
Thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network), “Lucan” should be available to Brits no matter where they are. The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you find yourself. Our favorite is NordVPN.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we’ve said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you’re away from the U.K. and want to view a U.K. service, you’d select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and watch the show. Head to BBC iPlayer to watch “Lucan” episodes online and on-demand.
How to watch ‘Lucan’ around the world
Can I watch “Lucan” in the United States?
Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to air “Lucan” in the U.S. although it should be available to stream on BBC Select very soon.
However, if you are a Brit in the States for work or on vacation you can catch the show for free by using a VPN such as NordVPN, choosing U.K. from the list and selecting BBC iPlayer.
Watch “Lucan” online in the U.K.
If you live in the U.K. then you can catch “Lucan” on Wednesdays on BBC Two at 9.p.m. GMT (4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT). All six episode are also available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer right now. You’ll need a valid TV licence, naturally.
If you’re not in the U.K., you can still catch the show by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
Can I watch “Lucan” online in Canada?
As with the U.S., there are currently no plans to air “Lucan” in Canada but it should be available to stream on BBC Select very soon.
But don’t panic. If you are a Brit in the Great White North for work or on vacation you can catch the show by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
Can I watch “Lucan” online in Australia?
There are currently no plans to air “Lucan” in Australia right now but if you are a Brit working or on vacation Down Under you can catch the show by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
Can I watch “Lucan” in New Zealand?
There are currently no plans to air “Lucan” in New Zealand but if you are a Brit currently there for work or vacation you can catch the show by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
‘Lucan’ – Episode guide
Episode 1: On 7 November 1974, the dead body of a children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett, was discovered in a mail sack in the basement of a Belgravia townhouse. The chief suspect was the father of the children, an Eton-educated gambler called Richard John Bingham, the seventh earl of Lucan, who had disappeared. While most of Lord Lucan’s friends and family insisted that he had taken his own life, no body has ever been found. The manhunt for Lucan has lasted decades.
Thirty years after the murder, Hampshire builder Neil Berriman discovers he is Sandra Rivett’s biological son. Along with his long-term collaborator, Glen Campbell, Neil revisits key moments and emotions in what has been a 17-year journey – starting at the night of the murder in Belgravi
Episode 2: On a 2012 research trip to Africa, Neil’s colleague Glen finds a Lucan. Not the missing Lord, but his younger brother Hugh. After giving a rare interview, Hugh claims that the missing aristocrat did escape England and create a new life for himself. He says that Lucan headed east to a spiritual life on a remote retreat.
Some time after, a letter lands on Neil’s doormat reporting the sighting of the fugitive as a Buddhist monk in Perth in Western Australia. The focus of the investigation now switches continent. Neil and Glen go down under and immerse themselves in a network of Buddhist devotees.
Episode 3: Neil and Glen’s findings are quickly dismissed by the police and a 2018 scientific report, but it is not so easy to throw Neil off his track. At this point, Neil’s decision is to raise his game, not abandon it.
Having acquired the detailed medical notes of Lucan’s plastic surgeon from more than 50 years earlier, Neil starts his own facial analyses. He finds a tiny nick in the nostril that he feels may be a crucial key to identifying Lucan and starts to map out ways in which the fugitive Lord might have continued to use plastic surgery to alter his facial features.
Computer analysis of the images of Neil’s Buddhist monk and Lord Lucan produces an extraordinary result.
What else can I watch on BBC iPlayer?
Lots – including “I Kissed a Girl“, “The Assembly“, “This Town“, “The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth“, “The Reckoning“, “Navalny” and “The Stones and Brian Jones“.
More from Tom’s Guide
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