Men Up – a British feature-length dramedy that recounts the story of how members of a Welsh community became a crucial element of the rise (and rise) of Viagra made an impression in the 2023 Christmas TV schedules, airing on Friday, December 29.
You can watch Men Up for FREE right now in the UK on the BBC iPlayer streaming service. But don't worry if you're on holiday while it's on because you can watch Men Up on iPlayer from anywhere with a VPN.
Aired: 9 pm UK, Friday, December 29
UK: BBC iPlayer (free with TV licence)
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
Men Up screenwriter Matthew Barry (Industry) takes us back to mid-90s Swansea for this hour-and-a-half special, where a group of local men who share one common medical complaint road-test a new miracle drug... a little blue pill that will become known to the world as Viagra.
Suffering as much from embarrassment as impotency itself, Meurig Jenkins (Iwan Rheon) and four other triallists come together (so to speak) in the hope that the drug will put some pep back in their step. An unlikely bond develops between them as they begin to find friendship in this most sterile of settings, and they indulge in the rarest of pastimes for Welsh men in the 90s: talking about their feelings.
Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk), Phaldut Sharma (Unforgotten) Steffan Rhodri (House of the Dragon), and Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey) are also among the cast. And Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies's credit as executive producer pretty much guarantees quality, with his CV that also includes the likes of It's a Sin, Years and Years and A Very English Scandal.
Just like those classic British comedy dramas gone by, expect a deft mix of humor and emotion from these Swansea boyos. And here's how to watch Men Up from anywhere in the world and for free — we've got all the streaming information you'll need below.
How to watch Men Up in the UK
Can I watch Men Up in the US?
Although distributor Cineflix Rights has obtained the international sales rights to Men Up, so far no broadcast or streaming details have been announced for US audiences.
As such, any Brits currently in the US who wish to watch Men Up will need to do so via a VPN as explained below...
How to watch Men Up from anywhere with a VPN
You can watch Men Up on the BBC iPlayer by using a VPN — no matter where you are in the world.
Normally the BBC 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 ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
What is the Men Up release date?
The feature-length Men Up was broadcast on BBC One at 9 pm in the UK on Friday, December 29.
At the time of writing, there is no confirmed international release date.
All you need to know about Men Up
Men Up trailer
What is the cast of Men Up?
- Iwan Rheon as Meurig Jenkins
- Aneurin Barnard as Dr. Dylan Pearce
- Alexandra Roach as Ffion Jenkins
- Phaldut Sharma as Peetham Shah
- Paul Rhys as Tommy Cadogan
- Steffan Rhodri as Colin White
- Mark Lewis Jones as Eddie O’Connor
- Joanna Page as Moira Davies
- Lisa Palfrey as Teresa Rigby
- Alexandria Riley as Alys Shah
Is Men Up a true story?
According to the BBC website: "Men Up is inspired by the true story of one of the world's first medical trials for the drug that became Viagra, held in Swansea's Morriston Hospital in 1994."
Who is Iwan Rheon?
Iwan Rheon is a 38-year-old actor and musician from Carmarthen in Wales.
Rheon trained at the famous LAMDA drama school and his acting career started at 17 in the long-running Welsh-speaking soap opera Pobol y Cwm, in which he played Macsen White for two years.
Following critically acclaimed stage performances, Rheon's first prominent TV role came in the Bafta-winning Misfits, before landing the role of villain Ramsay Bolton Game of Thrones. Since then, he has been seen in recurring roles in shows such as American Gods and Wolf.
