THE BOYS AT Auntie have finally finished beavering away on a version of the BBC Iplayer that, you know, works.

You can check it out here, as well as the unofficial announcement here.

Unlike the Windows Media / DRM-infested train wreck that was the initial incarnation of the player, this one uses the altogether-simpler Flash for web-based streaming of the last seven days of TV.

The cross-platform Flash technology enables Mac and Linux fans to get in on the action, as well as reducing the barrier to entry for Windows fans, who previously had to jump through more hoops that a show dog in order to get the dodgy quality video.

This nullifies one of the major complaints about the original Iplayer - that Mac and Linux computer users didn't get a discount on their licence fee, despite being treated as second class citizens by the online service.

The new player appears to work quickly and simply, with no downloading of anything required as long as you have an up to date version of the Adobe software. We couldn't find any bugs either, besides the ones on the Beeb's nature shows.

All that's left is to convert the BBC News streaming services to Flash, away from the God-forsaken Real video.

So now you can enjoy Nigella's finger-licking wherever you may be. Delicious. µ