Freely is getting 12 new channels from UKTV, and eight of them are each built around a single BBC favourite: EastEnders, Top Gear, Casualty, Holby City, Antiques Roadshow and more.
UKTV, the BBC-owned broadcaster behind U&Dave and U&DRAMA, announced the channels today. They’ll start rolling out on Freely before the end of the year, as well as on LG’s smart TVs through LG Channels.
They’re free to watch, and some of them go back a long way. The EastEnders channel, for one, returns to Albert Square in the mid-2000s, with the arrival of the Brannings and the love triangle fans called “Stax”.
Four more channels, which Virgin Media customers may already recognise, are coming along with them. But you won’t find any of the 12 on Freeview.
The Eight New Channels
Each new channel is named after its show. U is UKTV’s free streaming service, the one that used to be called UKTV Play.
Between them, UKTV says, they’ll carry hundreds of episodes. It hasn’t said where they’ll sit in the Freely guide yet, but it has said what’s on each one.
Antiques Roadshow on U
The stories behind people’s heirlooms, from the series presented by Fiona Bruce.
The channel also includes a special episode featuring Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Bargain Hunt on U
Back-to-back episodes of the long-running daytime favourite, including Tim Wonnacott‘s final series as presenter.
If your idea of a relaxing afternoon is watching two teams overpay for a brass candlestick, this one’s for you.
Casualty on U
Storylines featuring Charlie Fairhead, Tess Bateman and Zoe Hanna, alongside Brenda Fricker‘s return as “Pigeon Lady” Megan Roach for a three-episode farewell.
DIY SOS on U
Some of the show’s best-known builds with Nick Knowles and the team, and an episode where Prince William turns up to help.
EastEnders on U
Albert Square in the mid-2000s: the arrival of the Branning family, the shock announcement of Kathy Beale’s death and Pauline Fowler’s final storyline, plus the Bradley, Stacey and Max triangle that became “Stax”.
So this isn’t the place for this week’s episodes. Those stay on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Gardeners’ World on U
Episodes from when Monty Don joined the programme, plus plenty of practical gardening advice.
Holby City on U
Dramatic moments from the Darwin and Keller wards, including guest appearances from Denis Lawson, Anthony Daniels and Eric Sykes, alongside Ric Griffin, Chrissie Williams and Elliot Hope.
Unlike most of the others, Holby City is no longer being made. The BBC ended it in March 2022, after 23 series.
Top Gear on U
More than 20 years of the motoring show, with what UKTV calls “the original presenting line-up” and specials including Patagonia and the Polar Special. Margot Robbie, David Tennant, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Sheen are among the celebrity guests.
The timing is handy, too. Top Gear has been off air since 2022, when it was rested after Andrew Flintoff‘s crash at the show’s test track. But the BBC confirmed it’s coming back at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, with no hosts or date announced yet.
Plus Four More You May Recognise
The other four channels aren’t new. U&Laughs, U&Transport, U&Real Heroes and U&The Past are UKTV’s existing free streaming channels, which arrived on Virgin Media in early 2025.
They’re coming to Freely and LG Channels too, which makes 12 in total – UKTV’s entire line-up of these channels.
UKTV says it’s talking to other platforms as well, so Freely and LG may not have them to themselves for long.
What’s A FAST Channel?
All 12 are what the industry calls FAST channels, short for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV.
They work like ordinary TV channels, with a schedule and advert breaks, and you tune in to whatever’s on. The difference is that they come over the internet rather than through an aerial or a satellite dish.
Many are dedicated to one theme, or even one show. And UKTV isn’t the first broadcaster to bring single-show channels to Freely.
ITV has The Chase and Saturday Night Every Night on channels 65 and 66. In July, 5 added 11 channels in one go, including 5Police Interceptors and 5Yorkshire Vet. And Channel 4 launched three streaming-only channels, 4Reality, 4Homes and 4Life, in September 2025.
Why Freely Matters Here
If you’re new to it, Freely is the free TV service from Everyone TV, the same organisation behind Freeview and Freesat. Instead of an aerial, it streams live channels from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5 and dozens of others over your broadband, all in one TV guide.
It launched in April 2024 on new smart TVs, and you can now also get it through standalone boxes like the Netgem Pleio and Manhattan Aero, as well as Vodafone TV.
It’s been growing fast. Freely passed two million monthly users in July, according to Everyone TV, which makes it an obvious home for channels like these.
And because they’re streaming channels, you won’t get them through a Freeview aerial. Several of the channels from 5, Channel 4 and AMC are streaming-only too.
That gap will matter more as Freeview’s end gets closer: the government’s preferred date to switch off Freeview is 2034.
Why BBC Shows Are On UKTV
If you’re wondering why BBC programmes are turning up on channels with adverts, it’s down to who owns UKTV.
UKTV belongs to BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial arm, and it’s where a lot of old BBC shows end up, adverts and all. Its free channels, U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W and U&YESTERDAY, along with the U streaming service, joined Freely in 2024.
It’s the first time UKTV has launched FAST channels on either Freely or LG Channels. “We’re delighted to be launching with LG Channels and Freely for the first time,” said Jonathan Newman, UKTV’s Chief Commercial Officer, adding that the channels will help UKTV “reach new audiences, unlock advertising revenue and grow our streaming presence.”
That’s not quite where the BBC seemed to be heading earlier this year. In March, its Charter Review response suggested pulling UKTV into iPlayer, with the adverts kept apart from the BBC’s own programmes.
Today’s launch goes the other way, with UKTV taking BBC shows to other people’s platforms.
When Can You Watch?
UKTV says the channels will begin rolling out on Freely and LG Channels before the end of the year. It hasn’t given an exact date, or said whether all 12 will arrive at once.
Freely’s record with launch dates is mixed. ITV’s two channels were announced in April 2025 for “later this year”, and took well over a year to turn up in the guide. Others, like Talking Pictures TV, arrived months early.
If you have an LG TV, you’ll find the channels in LG Channels, the free channel service built into LG’s smart TVs. Otherwise, at launch, Freely is the way to watch them.
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