{"id":423966,"date":"2026-02-13T17:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/423966\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T17:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:31:15","slug":"the-top-10-romantic-british-films-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/423966\/","title":{"rendered":"The top 10 romantic British films ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year again: late dashes for the Valentine\u2019s Day cards left on shelves, overpriced roses, and perhaps a great romantic film to watch with your loved one (it\u2019s cheaper than the set menu special at your local restaurant). <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of suggestions that consciously avoids the obvious Richard Curtis rom-coms (barring one lesser-seen earlier script) because you\u2019ll know about those. It\u2019s also British-only because Brits have a distinct feel when it comes to romance \u2014 generally, quirky or tragic. At least so it seems from these picks, your critic\u2019s list of ten favourites. What\u2019s yours?<\/p>\n

10. The Light Between Oceans (2016)\"Michael<\/p>\n

Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender in The Light Between Oceans<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

Some (decidedly unromantic) critics derided this as melodramatic, but perhaps old-fashioned tales of romantic sacrifice are easy to dismiss. I\u2019d suggest that, as Valentine\u2019s viewing, this offers a moving, unpredictable tale balanced on a moral dilemma: Michael Fassbender is an isolated lighthouse keeper whose soul is healed when he falls for the girl (Alicia Vikander) who joins him in his remote Eden. He\u2019ll do anything for her, but then a boat is washed up with a baby on board and the pair face a decision that will haunt them. Rakuten TV\/rent<\/p>\n

9. Atonement (2007)\"Keira<\/p>\n

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in Atonement<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

Adapted from a novel by Ian McEwan, this was never going to be straightforwardly romantic. The power of this film rests not just on the catastrophic misunderstanding of young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) witnessing the lovers Cecilia and Robbie (Keira Knightley and James McAvoy) \u201cin the act\u201d, but also in the way that their brief but life-defining love remains trapped in a moment. Not as good as the book, though. Prime Video<\/p>\n

\u2022 8 best rom-coms for Valentine\u2019s Day \u2014 Starstruck\u2019s Rose Matafeo picks her favourites<\/a><\/p>\n

8. Rye Lane (2023)<\/p>\n

As a respite from tragedy, look no further than Rye Lane, where south London\u2019s streets and eateries are a thriving backdrop for the impromptu date between nice-guy Dom (David Jonsson)<\/a>, reeling from a break-up, and funny Yas (Vivian Oparah). This is some way from Merchant Ivory gentility, yet as the pair wander, it gradually builds into a charming one-off. Look out for the cameo from rom-com royalty selling spicy burritos in Brixton. Clue: he\u2019s wearing a \u201cLove Guac\u2019tually\u201d T-shirt. iPlayer<\/p>\n

7. We Live in Time (2024)\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh in We Live in Time<\/p>\n

ALAMY\/BFA\/STUDIOCANAL<\/p>\n

Florence Pugh will break your heart\u2026 the kind of thing emblazoned atop the film poster, but sue me if she doesn\u2019t in this four-hankie weepie<\/a>. Pugh is a figure-skater turned fusion chef who meets Andrew Garfield\u2019s divorcee when she runs him over. It\u2019s love! Except she has ovarian cancer \u2014 this is revealed at the start in a narrative that hops back and forth in time, cleverly deepening your connection to this loveable couple. Netflix<\/p>\n

6. The Tall Guy (1989)\"Emma<\/p>\n

Emma Thompson and Jeff Goldblum in The Tall Guy<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

Jeff Goldblum\u2019s gangly American actor in London woos Emma Thompson\u2019s amusingly no-nonsense nurse, leading to a \u2014 rarity, this \u2014 funny sex scene, then a montage of them taking revenge on Rowan Atkinson\u2019s insufferable West End star to the sounds of Madness\u2019s It Must be Love. This hoot of a Brit-com, written by Richard Curtis, is worth seeking out if only for the depiction of a musical based on the Elephant Man, titled Elephant! Rent\/buy<\/p>\n

\u2022 The eight Oscar films that pushed the boundaries of sex<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Maurice (1987)\"Hugh<\/p>\n

James Wilby and Hugh Grant in Maurice<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

Take your pick from the Merchant Ivory classics \u2014 while A Room with a View is perhaps the great romance in that canon, how about this underrated EM Forster adaptation? The anguish of being gay in the Edwardian era makes for a powerful, passionate study in torment as James Wilby\u2019s young aristocrat struggles to reconcile a secret affair with Hugh Grant\u2019s fellow Oxbridge toff. Yet the film ends on an uplifting note after Maurice falls for the freespirited gamekeeper (Rupert Graves), love eclipsing convention. \u201cNow we shan\u2019t never be parted.\u201d BFI Player\/ rent<\/p>\n

\u2022 James Ivory on turning 96, Hugh Grant and what really happened on set<\/a><\/p>\n

4. The English Patient (1996)<\/p>\n

A huge deal when it came out, Anthony Minghella\u2019s deserty Oscar-bait offered love and loss on the scale of a David Lean opus. Ralph Fiennes, burnt to a crisp in a plane crash, recalls love with Kristin Scott Thomas\u2019s amused aristo; his nurse, Juliette Binoche, melts in lust at the Sikh officer washing his unturbaned hair. Was this quite as great as we were all thought it was? It\u2019s a somewhat involved plot, and in truth the film is not quite British, but let\u2019s not split hairs \u2014 it\u2019s Ralph and Kristin! It\u2019s an epic! Paramount+<\/p>\n

3. Brief Encounter (1945)\"Black<\/p>\n

Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

The quiet desperation of the English way is unsettlingly evoked from the minute Celia Johnson\u2019s conflicted internal monologue says, about the gossipy friend prattling away in front of her: \u201cI wish you were dead\u2026 no, that was silly and unkind.\u201d Back home she reveals her misery to her boring husband: her emotional affair with Trevor Howard\u2019s married doctor that opened up the possibility of a world of joy, of love\u2026 except David Lean\u2019s film is startlingly sad. But what romantic yearning. Buy\/ rent<\/p>\n

\u2022 Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews<\/a><\/p>\n

2. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)\"Kim<\/p>\n

Kim Hunter and David Niven in A Matter of Life and Death<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

The Second World War hero David Niven\u2019s plane is going down after a bombing run. He knows he\u2019s a goner, but incredibly manages to woo June (Kim Hunter), the young radio operator on his line. \u201cI was lucky to get you, June. Can\u2019t be helped about the parachute!\u201d It\u2019s the greatest display of British stiff-upper-lip in history. Thereon, the love story \u2014 he survives, but wasn\u2019t meant to \u2014 is wrapped round his celestial court case as divine beings decide his fate. Heavenly indeed. iPlayer<\/p>\n

1. Pride & Prejudice (2005)\"Keira<\/p>\n

Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in Pride & Prejudice<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

Such a list would be worthless without a Jane Austen, and while the rollicking Keira Knightley version has a whiff of the Barbara Cartlands in places, it really is a romantic delight. Knightley is a spirited Elizabeth Bennet, Matthew Macfadyen all resting glum face as Darcy, Tom Hollander a hoot as stiff Mr Collins, Judi Dench, Carey Mulligan, Donald Sutherland\u2026 the cast of stars doesn\u2019t seem to end. In short, the perfect Valentine\u2019s movie. Reader, she will marry him! Netflix\/Prime Video<\/p>\n

Two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman<\/p>\n

Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit thetimes.com\/timesplus<\/a> to find out more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s that time of year again: late dashes for the Valentine\u2019s Day cards left on shelves, overpriced roses,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-423966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}