How to watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' online
The untold story of the legend who started the Stones
"The Stones and Brian Jones" is a must-see documentary that explores how Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones came to be left in the shadows of history. The 93-minute film is streaming now on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. — and you can watch it FREE online from anywhere with a VPN.
"The Stones and Brian Jones" is available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.. U.S. fans can stream it on Hulu from March 14, 2024.
• FREE — BBC iPlayer (U.K.)
He had it all - the talent, the looks, the hair - but mostly Brian Jones had the drive to form the band he would call The Rollin’ Stones (after a Muddy Waters song) that, with the addition of a "g" in the name, would eventually be recognised as the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world.
And yet, despite even having the good grace to die young, he is almost forgotten today.
Nick Broomfield doc "The Stones and Brian Jones" explains what happened to Jones, why the internal dynamics of the band conspired against him, and how his hedonistic lifestyle ultimately led to his dismissal (before almost certainly contributing to his untimely demise in July 1969).
There are revealing interviews with all the main players and previously unseen archive footage which helps to re-establish Jones’ reputation as a musician of exquisite genius but also serves to underline the tragedy of his passing and the unforgivable denial of his incredible legacy.
Read on to find out where to watch "The Stones and Brian Jones" online from anywhere – and potentially for free.
Watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' for free
Watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' online FREE in the U.K.
"The Stones and Brian Jones" last aired on BBC Two on Thursday May 18, 2023 but is available to watch for FREE on BBC iPlayer right now. It's totally free to view, provided you have a TV license of course.
Watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' from anywhere
How to watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' from anywhere in the world
If you're fortunate enough to live in the U.K., you can watch "The Stones and Brian Jones" for FREE on BBC iPlayer.
But what if you're usually based in the U.K. but are visiting the U.S. right now? Perhaps, you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on a paid streaming service in a foreign country when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home.
Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below. Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.
Speed, security and simplicity combine to make ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. In our testing, we were impressed by its fast connection times and by its ability to access more than 3,000 services in 160 locations across 94 countries. A 30-day money-back guarantee is another bonus.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.S. and want to view BBC iPlayer, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to BBC iPlayer and watch "The Stones and Brian Jones" on demand.
'The Stones and Brian Jones' live streams by country
Watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' online in the U.S.
"The Stones and Brian Jones" gets it US streaming premiere on Hulu on Thursday Mar. 14, 2024. It's also available to rent on Apple TV for $4.99 but if you're a Brit abroad, visiting the U.S., you can watch it online now for FREE via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.
Can I watch 'The Stones and Brian Jones' in Australia?
Unfortunately, "The Stones and Brian Jones" is not available in Australia just yet.
Traveling outside the U.K.? Don't worry — you can watch Nick Broomfield's Rolling Stones documentary with a VPN. Our favorite VPN service right now is ExpressVPN, but you'll find others in our best VPN services list.
'The Stones and Brian Jones' official trailer
Brian Jones film FAQ
How did Brian Jones die?
One of the original members of the '27 Club' (the name given to the list of famous musicians who checked out at that age, including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and, more recently, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse), mystery still surrounds the death of Jones who died in the pool at Crotchford Farm, his country home in East Sussex. With alcohol and drugs in his system, the coroner recorded a verdict of "death by misadventure" but rumours persist that the musician may have been murdered.
Who is filmmaker Nick Broomfield?
British filmmaker Nick Broomfield is known for a string of provocative music documentaries including: "Kurt & Courtney," "Biggie and Tupac" and "Whitney: Can I Be Me". In "The Stones and Brian Jones" Broomfield tells of how, at the age of 14, he met Jones on a train and become fascinated by the shy, "very middle-class" young man. "Of course, Brian was a perverse character in that he was completely anti-authority and disrespectful of anything that represented it," Broomfield later noted, "but at the same time, he had an absolute craving for security and to be mothered."
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Bill Borrows is an award-winning journalist, feature writer and columnist (Times Magazine/ Guardian/ Telegraph/ Daily Mirror/ Mail On Sunday/ Radio Times), former editor-at-large at Loaded magazine, author (The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life and Times of Alex Higgins) and book editor. A frequent contributor on talkSPORT and talkRADIO, his areas of specialisation include sport, history, politics, TV and film. He doesn’t get much free time but does admit to an addiction to true crime podcasts, following Man City home and away, and a weakness for milk chocolate cookies.