iplayer-arr

README

BBC iPlayer download manager that plugs into Sonarr as both an indexer and download client.

How it works

Most iPlayer download tools grab programmes by URL and leave you with a file to sort out yourself. iplayer-arr speaks Sonarr's language natively -- it presents a Newznab indexer for search and a SABnzbd download client for fetching, so Sonarr treats it like any other indexer/downloader pair.

The hard part is episode numbering. BBC iPlayer doesn't follow a consistent scheme -- some shows have full series/episode metadata, others only have a position index within a series, and daily shows often have nothing but an air date. Sonarr expects TheTVDB-style S01E03 numbering, and the two rarely agree out of the box.

iplayer-arr solves this with a 4-tier resolution chain:

1. Full -- BBC provides series + episode number, used directly
2. Position -- no episode number, but the programme has a position in its series (e.g. 3rd of 6), mapped to S01E03
3. Date -- no numbering at all, air date used as the episode identifier (2026.01.15)
4. Manual -- title only, last resort

When the auto-resolved numbering still doesn't match TheTVDB (common with specials, reboots, or shows where the BBC counts differently), per-show overrides let you adjust series/episode offsets, force date-based numbering, or remap programme names -- all from the web UI.

Features

• Newznab indexer + SABnzbd download client in one container
• 4-tier episode identity resolution with per-show overrides
• HLS stream download with quality selection (1080p/720p/540p/396p)
• Real-time dashboard with SSE progress and download history
• Built-in WireGuard VPN via hotio base image (off by default)
• Setup wizard walks you through Sonarr configuration
• BBC iPlayer search with thumbnails and one-click download
• System health page with geo check, disk usage, ffmpeg status

Quick Start

docker run -d \
  --name iplayer-arr \
  -p 8191:8191 \
  -v iplayer-arr-config:/config \
  -v /path/to/downloads:/downloads \
  -e TZ=Europe/London \
  ghcr.io/will-luck/iplayer-arr:latest

Or with Docker Compose:

services:
  iplayer-arr:
    image: ghcr.io/will-luck/iplayer-arr:latest
    container_name: iplayer-arr
    ports:
      - 8191:8191
    volumes:
      - iplayer-arr-config:/config
      - /path/to/downloads:/downloads
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/London
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  iplayer-arr-config:

iPlayer requires a UK IP address. Enable the built-in VPN or run behind an existing UK VPN/proxy. See the VPN Configuration wiki page.

Open http://localhost:8191 and the setup wizard will guide you through connecting Sonarr.

Configuration

See the Configuration Reference for the full list of environment variables, application settings, and VPN options.

Documentation

See the Wiki for:

• Installation (Docker, Compose, VPN setup)
• Configuration Reference (environment variables, settings)
• Sonarr Integration (indexer and download client setup)
• Web UI Guide (page-by-page walkthrough)
• Episode Overrides (fixing numbering mismatches)
• REST API Reference
• Troubleshooting

Licence

GPL-3.0. See LICENSE.