{"id":325991,"date":"2025-12-02T12:26:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T12:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/325991\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T12:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T12:26:09","slug":"uks-favourite-christmas-film-confirmed-and-its-not-love-actually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/325991\/","title":{"rendered":"UK\u2019s favourite Christmas film confirmed \u2013 and it\u2019s not Love Actually"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p>Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n<p>The beloved 1990 American comedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/home-alone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Home Alone<\/a> has officially been crowned the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/extras\/indybest\/gadgets-tech\/television\/best-christmas-movies-stream-b2665645.html\">UK\u2019s favourite Christmas film<\/a>,, according to a new poll conducted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/british-board-of-film-classification\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">British Board of Film Classification<\/a> (BBFC). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/macaulay-culkin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Macaulay Culkin\u2019<\/a>s classic secured a significant 20 per cent of the vote, leading a festive lineup that saw the 2003 British romantic comedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/love-actually\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Love Actually<\/a>, starring Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant, take second place with nine per cent.<\/p>\n<p>James Stewart\u2019s 1946 classic <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/features\/its-a-wonderful-life-christmas-movie-james-stewart-b2469257.html\">It\u2019s A Wonderful Life<\/a> followed in third, garnering eight per cent, while the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy Elf rounded out the top four, chosen by seven per cent of respondents. <\/p>\n<p>Beyond these traditional favourites, the enduring debate over whether <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/features\/die-hard-christmas-movie-watch-b1981550.html\">Die Hard <\/a>truly qualifies as a Christmas film continues to divide the nation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/T55xeJfM28QxEipBpYy72m-1024-80-jpg.jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Macaulay Culkin was just 10 when he starred in \u2018Home Alone\u2019\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p>open image in gallery<\/p>\n<p>Macaulay Culkin was just 10 when he starred in \u2018Home Alone\u2019 (20th Century Fox)<\/p>\n<p>While nearly half (44 per cent) of those surveyed insisted the Bruce Willis action thriller is not a festive movie, despite its seasonal setting, a dedicated five per cent declared it their top Christmas pick. A further 17 per cent remained undecided on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The BBFC survey of 2,000 UK adults also shed light on national viewing habits, revealing that 43 per cent consider the beginning of December the most acceptable time to start watching Christmas films. <\/p>\n<p>However, 13 per cent begin in November, and a dedicated eight per cent enjoy festive flicks all year round. Furthermore, over half (53 per cent) of respondents confirmed they check age ratings when selecting family films during the holidays, underscoring the importance of age-appropriate viewing.<\/p>\n<p>Commenting on the findings, David Austin, chief executive of the BBFC, highlighted the enduring appeal of family-friendly narratives. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/newFile-1.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Andrew Lincoln in \u2018Love Actually\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p>open image in gallery<\/p>\n<p>Andrew Lincoln in \u2018Love Actually (Universal\/Love Actually)<\/p>\n<p>He stated: &#8220;With Home Alone crowned the UK\u2019s favourite Christmas film, our latest research reveals that heart-warming, family-friendly stories continue to sit at the heart of the nation\u2019s Christmas viewing traditions. The BBFC remains committed to providing age ratings and content advice to help every household make confident viewing choices this festive season.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Tim Richards, founder and chief executive of cinema chain Vue, emphasised the communal aspect of festive cinema. <\/p>\n<p>He added: &#8220;Many of our customers see a trip to the big screen over the holidays as a chance to sit back, switch off and enjoy great stories together \u2013 whether that\u2019s a much-loved classic like Home Alone, the high-energy fun of Die Hard, or a brand-new film such as Gurinder Chadha\u2019s Christmas Karma, Wicked or Avatar. Cinema has always brought people together, and Christmas reminds us just how powerful that shared experience can be.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325992,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[88,206],"class_list":{"0":"post-325991","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}