The 25 best British movies in the past 25 years (2024)

Digital Spy has turned 25, and after celebrating the best British TV dramas, we're turning our attention to the best British movies during Digital Spy's existence.

It was a tough challenge and to make it even tougher for ourselves, we set a rule that we could only feature one movie per director in order to make it as wide a list as possible, representing the best that the British film industry has to offer from arthouse favourites to blockbuster classics.

An extensive longlist was drawn up and whittled down after intense conversation among the Digital Spy movies team, leading to the likes of Kill List, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, God's Own Country, Saint Maud, Ex Machina, How to Have Sex and many, MANY others missing out.

We didn't even find room for Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Crikey!

So what did make the list? Here's the best 25 British movies of the past 25 years, as chosen by Digital Spy.

Billy Elliot (2000)

It's easy to see why Billy Elliot has become one of the most beloved British movies ever made.

Stephen Daldry, who was first nominated for an Academy Award for this movie, created an uplifting feel-good movie with working-class conscience, historical significance and a beautiful sense of humour.

Set in County Durham, the story follows 11-year-old Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell), a coal miner's son who develops an unexpected passion for dancing. As his talent grows under the teaching of ballet instructor Mrs Wilkinson (Julie Walters), so do the tensions within his family.

Bell became the youngest winner of Best Actor in a Leading Role at the BAFTAs in 2001 with this career-making performance, as his talent and honesty brought the magic to this movie.

Watch now: Netflix

Chicken Run (2000)

Chicken Run was so good that it genuinely led to a change at the Oscars after it was robbed of an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. 24 years – and a long-delayed sequel – later, it remains the highest-grossing stopmotion animated movie of all time.

As to be expected from Aardman, it's an extremely funny and ingenious spin on The Great Escape as a group of British chickens, led by the rebellious Ginger, see charismatic American rooster Rocky as their one hope to escape the farm before Mrs Tweedy turns them into chicken pies.

We just want to know when quote machine Babs is going to get her own spin-off.

Watch now: Netflix | Prime Video

Sexy Beast (2000)

Long before he won an Academy Award for the harrowing The Zone of Interest, which is one of the best movies of 2024, Jonathan Glazer was already an unmissable filmmaker.

For some, his greatest movie might be the stunning sci-fi Under the Skin, but we just couldn't forget about the superb (and incredibly British) thriller Sexy Beast. Starring Ray Winstone and Sir Ben Kingsley, the movie follows former criminal Gal Dove as his idyllic retirement in a Spanish villa is disturbed by a man from his past.

He is trying to convince him to do one last big job in London, risking everything he has fought for. It's a sweaty, thrilling and often hilarious gangster movie.

Watch now: Paramount+

Snatch (2000)

Like him or loathe him, Guy Ritchie has been one of the most notable British filmmakers of the past 25 years. After resurrecting the gangster movie with 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, he proved it was no one-off with the supremely entertaining Snatch.

Blending the Lock Stock cast, including Jason Statham and Stephen Graham, with Hollywood heavyweights such as Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro, Ritchie concocted another twisty caper packed with sharp dialogue, style and often pitch-black humour.

It also made you never look at a pig the same way again. Thanks, Brick Top.

Watch now: Netflix

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

From the moment Renée Zellweger started singing 'All By Myself' in her Christmas PJs at the start of Bridget Jones's Diary, we were in.

At first not everyone was convinced that a Texan could pull off such an iconic British character, but now we can hardly imagine it in any other way.

Adapted from Helen Fielding's modern version of Pride and Prejudice, Sharon Maguire's movie follows a thirty-something single woman living in London as she tries to find the perfect man to grow old with while surviving the rollercoaster that is her professional life.

With Colin Firth and Hugh Grant playing her very different (and equally handsome) romantic interests, the movie is a hilarious romantic comedy that made Bridget's never-ending crisis relatable on screen.

Watch now: Sky Cinema | Netflix

28 Days Later (2002)

We're finally returning to the world of 28 Days Later next year with 28 Years Later, and it'll have to be very good to top the original movie.

A bike courier (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma to discover a deserted London. That might sound like a dream for any commuter, but not so much when there are fast-moving and vicious people infected by the Rage virus going around chomping on any survivors.

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland delivered a zombie movie unlike any before with vivid imagery and disturbing set pieces. Like the best horror movies, it has brains beneath all the blood and actually means something.

Watch now: 28 Days Later is not available to stream

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

As women's football is finally getting the attention it deserves, Gurinder Chadha's beloved British teen comedy feels like it was ahead of its time.

Bend it Like Beckham follows teenagers Jesminder Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) and Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley) as they chase their dreams of becoming professional football players despite lacking their parents' support.

The movie became a cultural phenomenon in the early noughties, and more than two decades later its legacy lives on. Still refreshingly funny and groundbreaking, it's also the highest-grossing football film of all time.

Watch now: MGM+

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Your own personal preference might put Hot Fuzz or The World's End here, but our favourite Cornetto Trilogy outing remains Shaun of the Dead.

The first feature outing for Spaced trio Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost lived up to that classic show, delivering a very British take on a zombie apocalypse where the only possible safe haven is a local boozer.

As well as being hilarious and endlessly quotable ("Can I get any of you c**ts a drink?"), the real skill of Shaun of the Dead is that it delivers on the horror as well as the comedy. It's genuinely terrifying and bleak at parts, brutally killing characters you care about.

Except David. Good riddance, David.

Watch now: Prime Video | Netflix

The Descent (2005)

Before Neil Marshall blew us away with standout Game of Thrones episodes 'Blackwater' and 'The Watchers on the Wall', he was terrifying us all with the intense 2005 horror The Descent.

It follows six women who enter an uncharted cave system during a spelunking adventure and find themselves in a fight for survival against monstrous creatures. Even if you're not claustrophobic, you'll find yourself struggling to breathe as the group are put through hell.

With strong performances from the likes of MyAnna Buring and Shauna Macdonald, The Descent also takes its time getting you to care for the characters… before gruesomely dispatching them.

A sequel followed which ignored the exceptional grim original ending of The Descent, and it was unsurprisingly rubbish.

Watch now: Microsoft Store

Casino Royale (2006)

"Do I look like I give a damn?" In one sentence, Casino Royale perfectly summed up that Daniel Craig's James Bond was a new kind of 007. Martin Campbell successfully revived the series with GoldenEye and repeated the trick with the gritty 2006 reboot.

Skyfall might be more spectacular, but Casino Royale doesn't need explosions to captivate; all it needs is a lengthy poker game where the stakes are, quite literally at one point, life or death.

As good a choice as Craig was, his first mission was elevated by the excellent duo of Mads Mikkelsen as villainous banker Le Chiffre and Eva Green as the very non-Bond girl Vesper Lynd.

Craig's Bond might not be bothered how his Martini is delivered, but everybody else was left shaken and stirred by his debut.

Watch now: Prime Video

Children of Men (2006)

Yes, you might remember that shocking death the most, yet Children of Men deserves its place on this list for more than just that sequence.

An adaptation of PD James' novel, Alfonso Cuarón's dystopian thriller is set in a world where infertility threatens humanity's future. An unlikely saviour comes in the form of disillusioned former activist Theo (Clive Owen) who must protect the world's only pregnant woman, asylum seeker Kee (Clare-Hope Ash*tey).

Cuarón achieves the tricky balance of having the movie be a timely sci-fi about meaty real-world issues and a spectacular thriller, with technically audacious and intense one-take set pieces that put you in the thick of the action.

Watch now: Prime Video

This Is England (2006)

We knew Shane Meadows was good from the likes of Dead Man's Shoes and A Room for Romeo Brass, but This Is England still floored us in 2006.

The filmmaker's most personal movie to date, it follows a troubled boy (Thomas Turgoose) who earns the respect of a gang of skinheads, before trouble comes in the form of racist ex-convict Combo (Stephen Graham).

It's tough to watch at times, but the performances are exceptional across the board, including a stunning debut from Turgoose, and Meadows lets some joy in among the bleakness.

This Is England led to three excellent follow-up TV shows, yet it's the movie that remains the most powerful nearly 20 years later.

Watch now: Prime Video

Fish Tank (2009)

Andrea Arnold's second feature film Fish Tank brilliantly captured the frustrations of a working-class teenager in late-noughties Britain, laying the foundation for her brand of gritty social realism.

Alongside a noteworthy performance by Michael Fassbender, the standout of the movie is non-trained actor Katie Jarvis, who was cast in the movie after Arnold's assistant found her arguing on the street with her boyfriend. As rebellious teenager Mia, Jarvis delivers a raw blend of fury and vulnerability, anger and hope.

The story follows her attempts at becoming a dancer while her relationship with her family, particularly with her mother's new boyfriend (Fassbender), grows complicated.

Watch now: Disney+

The King's Speech (2010)

Colin Firth got his much-deserved Oscar glory with The King's Speech, a moving period drama about King George VI that was received to universal acclaim. The movie's classicism is a strength, making it a perfect kind of crowd-pleaser and an awards darling.

The story follows the struggles of the British monarch to get rid of his stammer ahead of his first radio broadcast in 1939, in which the UK declared war on Germany.

Helped by Australian language therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) and with the unwavering support of his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham-Carter), the King becomes the underdog and Firth's performance makes it impossible not to root for him.

Watch now: Sky Cinema

Attack the Block (2011)

Attack the Block introduced the world to John Boyega so even if you're not a fan of the movie (not sure why, but each to their own), then you can be thankful for that.

Joe Cornish's debut movie is, like Shaun of the Dead, a very British spin on a classic genre as a group of teenagers defend their tower block from alien invaders. Attack the Block's strength is that it's both a pulsating sci-fi action-thriller and also a very funny riff on the sci-fi genre with excellent pop-culture gags.

If you want a third thing, Cornish also folds sharp social commentary into the mix too, creating a unique sci-fi outing. We're still waiting for the sequel, guys.

Watch now: Studiocanal Presents | Netflix

Shame (2011)

Michael Fassbender delivered a career-best performance in Shame, a bold, bleak and astonishingly graphic portrayal of sex addiction.

After winning the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut with 2008's Hunger (also starring Fassbender), Steve McQueen proved he wasn't a one-trick pony. In fact, nothing further from the truth, as the London-born filmmaker also took over the Academy Awards with 12 Years of Slave in 2014 and blew critics away with his anthology series Small Axe.

In Shame, McQueen told the story of a sex addict forced to confront the consequences of his constant need for sexual gratification. It's a raw, intense and visceral erotic drama that found a perfect counterpoint in Carey Mulligan's delicate performance as the lead's sister.

Watch now: Prime Video

Pride (2014)

Based on an incredible true story, Pride is one of those feelgood movies that make the world a better place.

Directed by Matthew Warchus, the story follows a group of London-based queer activists who launch a solidarity initiative called Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners in order to support the miners' strike in 1984.

As they see it, any enemy of Margaret Thatcher is their friend. When the miners fail to respond, the group decides to travel to the Welsh village of Onllwyn to offer their donations in person.

Despite often relying on tropes, the movie is a genuine ode to tolerance and solidarity, with some outstanding performances from Ben Schnetzer, Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton.

Watch now: iTunes

I, Daniel Blake (2016)

We were spoilt for choice when it came to our Ken Loach pick for this list, and you could have selected almost any of Loach's movies of the past 25 years. Our pick had to be I, Daniel Blake, though, showcasing the work of a master filmmaker at his finest and arguably angriest.

Dave Johns stars as the titular middle-aged man who is denied benefits despite being declared unfit to work. His battle sees him befriend struggling single mother Katie (Hayley Squires) as Loach tackle themes that are, unfortunately, still relevant today in typically heartfelt and thoughtful ways.

I, Daniel Blake will break your heart, but it will also inspire you to do something.

Watch now: Prime Video

Dunkirk (2017)

We could have picked The Dark Knight as our Christopher Nolan choice for this list as it is technically a British co-production, but we settled on Dunkirk because A) it feels the most British and B) it's still a really great movie.

Told across three intersecting parts of one timeline (because Nolan), the powerful war movie follows the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II from the air, sea and land with a mix of Nolan regulars – Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and more – and newcomers including Harry Styles and Barry Keoghan.

You'll be grateful it's only 106 minutes long as Nolan ramps up the tension to unbearable levels, delivering visual spectacle and heart-stopping set pieces.

It led to Nolan's first-ever Best Director nomination at the Oscars, although he had to wait for Oppenheimer to win the award.

Watch now: Prime Video

Paddington 2 (2017)

Let's be honest, we all know that Paddington would also be on this list if it weren't for the rules we imposed on ourselves. It came down to Hugh Grant and the performance of his lifetime as Phoenix Buchanan, which is as brilliant on the 100th watch as it is on the first.

As with the first movie, Paddington 2 has inventive visuals, witty gags and a heartwarming story that makes you want to be a better person. Even Phoenix is more of a scoundrel than an outright villain, and gets a musical number that's better than any MCU credit sequence.

We've challenged ourselves to never cry at "happy birthday, Aunt Lucy" and we've never succeeded. Throwing some hard stares the way of the reviewers who robbed Paddington 2 of its deserved 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Watch now: Studiocanal Presents | Netflix

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Since her stunning feature-film debut in 1999 with Ratcatcher, and despite her short filmography, Lynne Ramsay has become an essential British filmmaker.

With You Were Never Really Here, the filmmaker delivered a relentless and visually stunning psychological thriller with an excellent performance by Joaquin Phoenix.

Based on Jonathan Ames' 2013 novella of the same name, the plot follows a contract killer specialised in rescuing girls from kidnapping and prostitution. His brutal methods are often off camera, and yet that doesn't make the movie less impactful.

It's an edge-of-your-seat kind of film, a thrilling journey into a dark criminal world with a fascinatingly complex male anti-hero.

Watch now: Studiocanal Presents

The Souvenir (2019)

Following critically-acclaimed movies like Archipelago and Exhibition, Joanna Hogg delivered her most personal work in The Souvenir.

A semi-autobiographical story, it follows Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne), a film student who falls in love with a charismatic yet troubled man (Tom Burke). By the time she realises he is an emotionally unstable drug addict, her life is already upside-down.

The movie, which is part of a diptych (The Souvenir: Part II was released in 2021), is a beautifully crafted and subtle tale of first love and journeying into adulthood, with a stellar debut performance by Swinton Byrne.

Watch now: Prime Video

Aftersun (2022)

One of the most stunning British debuts of the last few years, Charlotte Wells' Aftersun broke our hearts into a million pieces. It also made Paul Mescal an Academy Award nominee, following his breakout role in the hit TV series Normal People.

Set in a vacation resort, the story follows 11-year-old Sophie (an excellent Frankie Corio) and her father Calum (Mescal) as they enjoy a holiday together. However, it's not as joyous as one might expect, as Calum is struggling with his mental health while trying to be a present dad.

The movie offers flashes of the future, when a grown-up Sophie tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't.

Watch now: Prime Video

All of Us Strangers (2023)

All of Us Strangers was overlooked at the Oscars with no nominations and didn't win a single BAFTA despite six nominations. We're not going to make the same mistake though as Andrew Haigh's beautiful gay romance deserves everybody's attention.

Based on Taichi Yamada's book Strangers, it sees a screenwriter (Andrew Scott) develop a relationship with his neighbour (Paul Mescal), while trying to come to terms with seeing his dead parents at his childhood home.

A profound and soul-crushing exploration of grief, All of Us Strangers is the type of movie that haunts you long after you've watched it – and you wouldn't want it any other way.

Watch now: Disney+

Rye Lane (2023)

It had been a while since a genuinely great British rom-com was released when the joyful Rye Lane came into our lives, making instant stars of leads David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah.

Over the course of one day in South London, Jonsson and Oparah star as Dom and Yas, who have a chance encounter as they're both recovering from recent break-ups. Cue all the rom-com clichés you can imagine – as well as one exceptional cameo from a British rom-com legend – as the duo win each others' hearts and the audience's too.

Rye Lane is funny and totally authentic, a rom-com that celebrates Black British talent both in front of and behind the camera, with it marking Raine Allen-Miller's debut movie. Yes, it might be a traditional rom-com, but it's so winningly delivered that you won't be able to resist.

Watch now: Disney+