The Mandalorian in the UK: when can you watch the Star Wars TV show?

News
By Samuel Roberts
published

The likely release date for The Mandalorian in the UK

(Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney)

The Mandalorian hasn't released in the UK yet, which is a big shame for Star Wars fans. If you're passionate about this universe – and let's face it, there are no shortage of people who can be described as such – it's a shame that you can't watch the first ever live-action Star Wars series at the same time as US viewers.

The main reason for the delay is that the Disney Plus app hasn't launched in the UK yet. The Mandalorian is a major exclusive for that platform. Below, we'll explain when we expect to see The Mandalorian release in the UK, and explore why Disney decided to wait to drop it in this country. 

When is The Mandalorian's release date in the UK?

The Mandalorian is likely to arrive when Disney Plus UK launches in the UK. That date is March 31, 2020. While the episodes are rolling out weekly in the US, it's not clear how they'll be released in the UK – ideally they'll all arrive at once, as Netflix tends to launch its shows, but this isn't clear. All Disney Plus originals launch weekly in the US. 

The official Star Wars account has only addressed a UK release date once for The Mandalorian, in a tweet back in August promising an early 2020 release date. Here it is for reference:

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Why didn't Disney release The Mandalorian in the UK in another way?

(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

We can see the bind they were in: sacrifice a big exclusive to a rival broadcaster, or wait until the Disney Plus service was ready to go in the UK? For Star Wars fans, that former option would've been better, absolutely, but unfortunately we're stuck with the latter scenario.

Disney also could've released the show on its existing Disney Life app, although that's being 'rebranded' as Disney Plus when it launches. Still, it would've been a good temporary solution. The staggered launch of The Mandalorian is likely to push people towards piracy, which is a shame, when there are plenty of people in the UK who'd be happy to pay to watch a new Star Wars TV series. 

Samuel Roberts
Samuel Roberts

Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor, he's an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.