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Westworld the TV show: What is it and how to watch in the UK

Westworld is one of the most-hyped TV shows of 2016 behind Game of Thrones, and it’s finally coming to UK TV in October. Here’s all you need to know about Westworld, including when it starts and how to watch it here in the UK.

What is the Westworld TV show?

You may have heard of Westworld well before this year, especially if you’re a fan of 70s horror and sci-fi. Long before the new TV show was conceived, Westworld was originally a rather terrifying 1973 movie written and directed by Michael Crichton, who most famously penned Jurassic Park and Lost World.

Now HBO has picked up the rights to come up with a Westworld TV series, all about sentient killer robot cowboys. What’s not to love?

The Westworld TV show stars Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris and seems to follow the same plot as the movie, but with a greatly expanded cast of characters. In the not-so-distant future, people like to blow off steam by heading to theme parks filled with robots, who help you to play out your crazy fantasies. In Westworld, you can dress up as a cowboy and get into gun fights with cyborg villains, or even get cosy with a robot floozie in the local tavern.

It’s all supposed to be harmless fun, of course – no one actually gets hurt. At least, not until the robots become self-aware and start acting up.

Is the Westworld TV show any good?

As much as we love the original movie, it’s quite a crazy concept and the film hasn’t aged too well. Of course, turning popular movies into telly shows has produced a couple of solid hits recently, including the Fargo and Scream series, so we stayed quietly optimistic.

Then we saw the Westworld trailer, and we were suddenly super-excited. This show looks gorgeous, with incredible sets and some truly sinister moments. Next, factor in that HBO always makes great content and this one was adapted by Christopher Nolan’s brother Jonathan, who wrote the short story that inspired Memento. Even JJ Abrams is involved, and he’s the king of reboots and remakes. Yeah, chances are the Westworld TV show will be the best thing hitting our home screens in 2016.

So how can you get in on the Westworld action? Well, here’s how you can watch Westworld on your TV here in the UK.

How to watch Westworld on TV in the UK: Sky TV

The most straightforward way to enjoy Westworld is to bag yourself a Sky subscription that includes the Sky Atlantic channel. This channel is effectively the UK version of HBO, featuring fantastic shows like Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.

If you have Sky Atlantic, the first episode of Westworld will air on Tuesday October 4 at 9pm. Subsequent episodes will be shown on a weekly basis, always on Tuesday at 9pm. The show will only be available at 1920×1080 Full HD resolution, so bad news if you’re shelling out for Sky Q – there won’t be any way to watch Westworld in 4K UHD.

After each episode airs on Sky TV, it will be available via Sky’s Catch Up service for subscribers. So don’t worry if you miss an episode, you can still download and watch Westworld on TV or via the Sky Go app.

You can get Sky+ with the Original Bundle from £20 per month with a 12-month contract and Sky even throws in a free 32-inch LG TV or Lenovo laptop, at the time of publishing.

How to watch Westworld on TV in the UK: Now TV

Don’t have Sky TV? Well, another way to get Westworld on your tellybox is via Now TV. This is a great option for those that don’t want to commit to a monthly subscription contract that runs for the entire year.

The key is that with Now TV, you only have to pay for what you use. If you get a Sky Entertainment Pass, that’ll include Sky Atlantic so you can get your Westworld fix. This starts with a free two week trial and is then £7 per month. Since Westworld airs weekly for ten episodes that should work out at £14, minus the first two being part of the free trial.

If you have a smart TV or connected smart set top box, console, or even a laptop, tablet or phone, there’s a NOW TV app to watch everything on. You can also opt for a dedicated Now TV box if you want to, starting from £15, which also has apps for the likes of BBC iPlayer, Spotify, All 4 and more.

You can stop paying for Now TV anytime you want and start it again for another month as you need. Of course, you should check to see if you have a device that supports the app before you shell out, presuming you’re not going for the box option. If you have a laptop, you can plug in an HDMI-out cable and run the Now TV experience on your TV that way – assuming your laptop and telly both support HDMI.

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