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Download TV/Radio from BBC iPlayer via get-iplayer in Ubuntu

Last updated: November 16, 2024

Get-iplayer is a command line tool for downloading TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer. The tool features:

Downloads TV and radio programmes from BBC iPlayer
Allows multiple programmes to be downloaded using a single command
Indexing of most available iPlayer catch-up programmes (not BBC Three, Red Button or iPlayer Exclusive)
Caching of index with automatic updating
Regex search on programme name
Regex search on programme description and episode title
Filter search results by channel
Direct download via programme ID or URL
PVR capability (may be used with cron or Task Scheduler)
HTTP proxy support
Perl 5.10.1+ required, plus LWP, LWP::Protocol::https, XML::LibXML and Mojolicious modules
Requires ffmpeg for conversion to MP4 and AtomicParsley for metadata tagging
Runs on Linux/BSD (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenBSD and others), macOS (10.10+), Windows (7/8/10 – XP/Vista not supported)

Install get-iplayer

There are so far 2 ways to install the software package in Ubuntu. They include:

Snap package – runs in sandbox environment.
Native .deb package through Ubuntu PPA.

Choose either one that you prefer.

Option 1: Snap package

For the latest get-iplayer Snap package, either launch Ubuntu Software or App Center, then search & click install it.

get-iplayer in App Center

Or, you may also open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the following command instead to install the snap package:

snap install get-iplayer

Option 2: Ubuntu PPA

For those who prefer the native .deb package, there’s an PPA repository that contains the most recent package for Ubuntu 24.10, Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04, and Ubuntu 20.04. Even the old Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04 are also supported.

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:m-grant-prg/utils

Type user password when it asks (no asterisk feedback) and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then, install the .deb package via command:

sudo apt install get-iplayer

Linux Mint users may need to run sudo apt update first to manually refresh package cache, while this is done automatically while adding PPA in Ubuntu.

3. The PPA also contains many other software packages. You may run the command below to remove the PPA after installed get-iplayer in case of any package conflict.

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:m-grant-prg/utils

For Linux Mint, also run sudo apt update to update cache.

Usage / examples:

As mentioned, this is a command line tool. You need to open terminal and run any command below to use it.

List all TV programmes with long descriptions:
```
get_iplayer --long ".*"
```
List all radio programmes:
```
get_iplayer --type=radio ".*"
```
List all TV and radio programmes with “doctor who” in the name:
```
get_iplayer --type tv,radio "doctor who"
```
List all BBC One programmes:
```
get_iplayer --channel="BBC One" ".*"
```
List Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra programmes with “Book at Bedtime” in the title:
```
get_iplayer --type=radio --channel="Radio 4" "Book at Bedtime"
```
Record TV programme number 208 (index from search results) in HD, with SD fallback if HD not available:
```
get_iplayer --get 208
```
[default is to download best available]

OR
```
get_iplayer --get 208 --tvmode=best
```
Record TV programme number 208 and download subtitles in SubRip (SRT) format:
```
get_iplayer --get 208 --subtitles
```
Record multiple TV programmes (using index numbers from search results):
```
get_iplayer --get 208 209 210
```

Record a TV or radio programme using its iPlayer URL:

get_iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01sc0wf/Doctors_Series_15_Perfect/

Record a TV or radio programme using the PID (b01sc0wf) from its iPlayer URL:
```
get_iplayer --pid=b01sc0wf
```

Uninstall get-iplayer

For any reason, you may remove the get-iplayer .deb package by running command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove get-iplayer

Or, remove the Snap package using either Ubuntu Software / App Center, or the snap remove get-iplayer command.

In App Review bbc iplayer

‘Komorebi’ Display Clock & Animations on Ubuntu Desktop

Last updated: June 15, 2017

Komorebi is a Linux wallpaper manager that provides fully customizable backgrounds, e,g., show date and time on desktop.

Wallpapers included by default range from animated ones, still, and gradients! See screenshots below.

A settings dialog is available to launch by right-clicking on desktop and choose what to display.

Wallpapers are located in /System/Resources/Komorebi/, you can create your own wallpapers easily by following this tutorial.

Starting by opening terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command to open the wallpaper folder:

gksudo nautilus /System/Resources/Komorebi/

Install Komorebi:

Download the .deb package from the link below, then click install via Ubuntu Software or Gdebi:

Komorebi Release Page

(Optional) To uninstall Komorebi, either use you system package manager or run command:

sudo apt-get remove komorebi

In addition, the software so far is in beta stage. I’ve tested on Ubuntu 16.04. The configuration dialog works on launch, but changing wallpaper sometimes not work a few minutes later.

In App Review wallpaper

‘Ubuntu Cleaner’ – Ubuntu Tweak Alternative for Computer Janitor

Last updated: December 9, 2016

Ubuntu Cleaner is an open-source tool makes it easy to clean up your Ubuntu system. It’s a Ubuntu Tweak fork for the Computer Janitor feature.

The tool offers a similar interface to Ubuntu Tweak, allows to clean up:

App (browser) caches.
Thumbnail cache.
Old kernels.
Apt cache
Package configs and unneeded packages

How to Install Ubuntu Cleaner in Ubuntu:

The developer offers .deb packages in a PPA repository, available for download at the link below:

Download Ubuntu Cleaner (.deb)

Download the latest package and click install via Ubuntu Software.

For those want to add the PPA for Ubuntu 16.04 and 14.04, run the commands below one by one in terminal (Ctr+Alt+T):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gerardpuig/ppa

sudo apt update

sudo apt install ubuntu-cleaner

Uninstall:

To remove Ubuntu Cleaner, simply run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove ubuntu-cleaner && sudo apt autoremove

The PPA can be removed by going to System Settings -> Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

In App Review Computer Janitor, Disk space cleaner, ubuntu tweak

EME – A New Elegant Markdown Editor for Ubuntu Linux

Last updated: August 19, 2016

EME is an open-source markdown editor developed with Node.js and Electron framework. Works on Linux, OS X, and Windows.

The editor provides a simple user interface with editor only, preview only, or both editor and preview mode as you wish. A Focus Mode allows to focus right on the paragraph you are writing. Vim Mode offers the powerful vim key bindings support for the editor.

EME Markdown Editor with Numix GTK theme

Other Features:

Export to HTML/PDF
Supporting math typesetting
Developer Tools, and Chrome based.
Key bindings support

As a one month old project, request new features and report bugs at its project page.

Download EME Markdown Editor:

Pre-compiled 64-bit DEB binary for Ubuntu is available for download at the link below:

Download EME_xxx_amd64.deb

Grab the latest .deb package and then click install it via Ubuntu Software. Finally launch the markdown editor from Unity Dash / App Launcher and enjoy!

(Optional) To remove the editor, use Synaptic Package Manager, or run apt remove command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt remove eme

In App Review markdown editor, vim key

Gradio – A GTK3 App Finding & Listening to Internet Radios

Last updated: July 28, 2016

There are a few applications available for listening internet radio stations in Ubuntu Desktop. Gradio is new one that allows users to find radio stations by typing a keyword in the search box, and then listen to one internet radio by clicking on it.

The simple tool requires GTK3 >= 3.18, so it works on Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 16.10, and their derivatives, e.g., Linux Mint 18 and Elementary OS 0.4 Loki.

How to install Gradio in Ubuntu 16.04:

The pre-compiled binary packages are available for download at the link below:

Download Gradio (.deb)

Choose amd64.deb for 64-bit system and i386.deb for 32-bit system, and then click install the package via Ubuntu Software.

For those who want to add the PPA and receive future updates via Software Updater, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run commands to add the PPA repository (so far supports for Ubuntu 16.04 and 16.10):

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:haecker-felix/gradio-daily

sudo apt update

sudo apt install gradio

(Optional) To remove the software, simply run apt command with remove flag:

sudo apt remove gradio

And the PPA can be remove by launching Software & Updates utility and navigating to Other Software tab.

In App Review, Howtos Gradio, internet radio

Battery Monitor – Notify Charging, Discharging, Fully Charged Status

Last updated: July 23, 2016

Battery Monitor is a simple tool written in Python3 and PyGTK3. It notifies battery status of charging, discharging, fully charged through desktop notifications. When the battery is below 10%, it plays a sound and pops up a notification bubble.

No command typing on terminal, no extra indicator, the tool just pop notifications when the battery status changes.

How to Install Battery Monitor in Ubuntu:

1. Use PPA.

Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the commands below one by one to install it from the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maateen/battery-monitor

sudo apt update

sudo apt install battery-monitor

So far, Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 14.04 are supported.

2. For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb installer from the release page.

Once installed, launch the tool via command battery-monitor for the first time. Or just restart, it will start in background automatically at login.

NOTE: The software is in very earlier stage, it may have bugs. Report issues and ask requests at https://github.com/maateen/battery-monitor/issues

To uninstall it, just run command:

sudo apt remove battery-monitor

And remove the PPA if added via Software & Updates -> Other Software tab.

In App Review battery, battery monitor

Curlew – A Simple GTK3 Video Converter for Linux

Last updated: June 28, 2016

Curlew is a free multimedia converter for Ubuntu Linux that features small package size, few library dependencies, 100+ output formats, easy to use UI, and more.

Curlew is written in Python and GTK+ 3, and uses FFMPEG (or Libav-tools) to transcode media files. The main features are:

Easy to use user interface (New GTK3 Header bar).
Hide the advanced options with the ability to show them.
More than 100 output formats.
Allow to edit formats.
Shutdown or suspend PC afer a conversion process.
Show file informations, file details using mediainfo.
Allow to skip or remove file during conversion process.
Preview file before conversion in its context menu.
Show video thumbnail.
Convert a specified portion of file.
Combine subtitle with video.
Allow to crop and pad video.
Show error details if exist.
And more …

Curlew 100+ output formats

Curlew Advanced Settings

Curlew show file info

How to Install Curlew transcoder in Ubuntu:

Pre-compiled Ubuntu .deb is available in the link below:

Download Curlew (.deb)

So far, the latest is “curlew_0.2.2-1_all.deb”, just download and install it via either Ubuntu Software or terminal command (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/curlew_*.deb; sudo apt -f install

Works for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 15.10, and their derivatives. Once installed, launch Curlew from Unity Dash, or your desktop app launcher.

In App Review, Howtos curlew, media converter

Relay – A New Fast, Modern, Streamlined IRC Client

Last updated: July 31, 2015

Relay is a new IRC client designed for Elementary OS that aims to be small, fast, and elegant. It’s written in Vala and also works in Ubuntu and other Linux.

Relay uses very few libraries and takes less memory (<30mb usually). The project was created in June of 2015 so as of now it is a young project with functionality rapidly being added to it. So far, it features:

drag and drop to Hastebin – drag files to the paste icon will upload all of them and put the URL’s in the output window.
A missed message count.
Highlighting tabs with activity from IRC servers.
Drag and drop reordering of tabs.
Automatic IRC channel connecting
URL parsing and the ability to open your browser when clicked
Highlights the name of your or anyone else when mentioned in a chat
Right click tab switching.
The ability to switch channels through tabs or the sidebar.
It supports languages that use UTF-8 characters.
Although Relay was built on Elementary OS it will switch the theme depending on what operating system you are using.
The ability to search users
The ability to see where you left off since you last visited a tab
The ability to control many settings and set colors in the UI
Click a user name to have their name placed in the text entry
Private messaging and ability to block users
The ability to turn on or off joining or exiting messages
Creates a datestamp every 5 minutes to give you a timeline of what has happened

Screenshots:

At the moment of writing this tutorial there are two bugs for Ubuntu user and I’ve reported them to the project page:

In Unity desktop, when you try to minimize Relay window by clicking its icon on left Launcher, session crashes immediately and brings you back to login screen. – Bug with Compiz
In Gnome Shell, there’s a reading issue (Picture 4) – Fixed

Install Relay IRC client from PPA:

The developer has created a PPA repository for the project. So far, Ubuntu 15.10, Ubuntu 15.04, Elementary OS Freya are supported.

NOTE: Ubuntu 14.04 needs updated version of libgranite (>= 0.3.0) and GTK+3.0 (>= 3.14). You can get them from Gnome Testing PPA and Elementary Stable PPA. But using the PPAs could break your system or make it unstable! Do it at your own risk!

1. To add the PPA, open terminal from the Dash, Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut keys. When it opens, run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:agronick/relay

2. After added the PPA, install the software via Synaptic Package Manager. Or just run below commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install relay

For those who don’t want to add PPA, grab the .deb package from the launchpad page.

Feature requests and issues please report at github.com/agronick/Relay

In App Review IRC client

Xpad – Alternative To Windows’ Sticky Notes Application

Last updated: July 4, 2015

Xpad is a sticky note application for Linux desktop with a simple and nice design. Each xpad session consists of one or more open pads and you can set different fonts and colors on each of them.

By toggling the toolbar and window decorations, you can easily change the look of the pads. A pad can contain different stylings. Keyboard shortcuts and undo/redo are supported.

There’s also a help option shows you how to use this simple sticky notes application.

install xpad in Ubuntu:

Xpad is available in Ubuntu universe repositories. You have to do nothing special, just open Ubuntu Software Center search for and install the xpad package.

In App Review sticky notes Ubuntu

Sconsify: Spotify Client for Terminal/Command Console

Last updated: May 8, 2015

Sconsify is a new unofficial spotify client runs in Mac and Linux terminal / command line console. It provides both console UI mode which presents a text user interface with playlists and tracks, and no UI mode which doesn’t present user interface and just suffle tracks.

Now the app is at a very early stage. The developer has released the first stable release and below is the how-to-install instructions:

1. In terminal/console, first run below commands one by one to install Libspotify SDK & PortAudio library from mopify repository:

wget -q -O - https://apt.mopidy.com/mopidy.gpg | sudo apt-key add -

sudo wget -q -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mopidy.list https://apt.mopidy.com/mopidy.list

sudo apt-get update

apt-get install -y libportaudio2 libspotify12 --no-install-recommends

2. Download the linux binary (“linux-x86_64-sconsify-0.1.0.zip”) from the release page.

Unpack the zip archive and there’s only one file sconsify. In console, navigate to the extracted folder and run it: