BBC iPlayer app set to arrive for iPad

If you're an iPad owner who's patiently been waiting for the BBC iPlayer app, your wait is almost over.

A Twitter message posted by Geoff Marshall, a BBC Online engineer, has revealed that the app will be released on Thursday 10 February.

"iPlayer App for iPad is being released this Thursday - 10th Feb. 3G connection is browse only. Browse and Playback requires Wi-Fi," Marshall tweeted.

Marshall describes himself on his website as working 'for the BBC as an Interactive Operations Engineer, keeping services such as the iPlayer running'.

"I'm not the developer! I'm merely the support-tech dude that has get it going again when it's breaks!" he tweeted.

It will be UK only at launch, Marshall said. He also played down rumours that it would be compatible with the iPhone. "It would appear to be iPad only," he tweeted in response to the question: "With recent news about iPlayer for the iPad, how about for the iPhones and iPod touches?"

Rumours that the BBC was to release an iPlayer iOS app at some stage in February circulated last month amid speculation that they would be a farewell present to future media and technology director Erik Huggers, who is leaving the BBC for Intel and will take up his new role some time at the end of February.

The BBC also announced plans for an international roll-out for iPlayer for iPad in December.