British TV shows that made it to the BIG Screen
by c.tomlinson | created - 11 Jun 2016 | updated - 7 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Rising Damp (1980)
98 min | Comedy, Romance
Based on the British situation comedy Rising Damp, which aired on ITV from 1974 to 1978. Stingy landlord Rigsby (Leonard Rossiter) manages to scam his lodgers, arts student John Cooper(... See full summary »
Director: Joseph McGrath | Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Frances de la Tour, Don Warrington, Christopher Strauli
Votes: 1,168
2. Dad's Army (2016)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, War
The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon deal with a visiting female journalist and a German spy as World War II draws to its conclusion.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Mark Tandy, Russell Balogh, Andrew Havill, Heinz
Votes: 8,520
3. Steptoe & Son (1972)
98 min | Comedy, Romance
Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are junk dealers. Harold meets a stripper, marries her and takes her home. Albert, of course, is furious and tries every trick he knows to drive the new bride from his household.
Director: Cliff Owen | Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett, Carolyn Seymour, Arthur Howard
Votes: 1,827
4. Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973)
99 min | Comedy, Sport
Father and son London junk dealers must buy a replacement horse for them to stay in business. Instead they buy a greyhound, confident they will earn a fortune on the race track.
Director: Peter Sykes | Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett, Diana Dors, Milo O'Shea
Votes: 1,387
5. Doing Time (1979)
93 min | Comedy, Crime
Fletcher is ordered to arrange a prisoner vs celebrity football game, unaware it's a diversion for an escape. Fletcher and cellmate Lennie accidentally discover the plan and must break back into prison to avoid punishment.
Director: Dick Clement | Stars: Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale, Fulton Mackay, Brian Wilde
Votes: 3,393
6. Are You Being Served? (1977)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The staff of Grace Bros. take a trip to Costa Plonka while the department is being remodeled.
Director: Bob Kellett | Stars: John Inman, Mollie Sugden, Frank Thornton, Trevor Bannister
Votes: 3,040
7. The Likely Lads (1976)
90 min | Comedy
Bob and Terry find their lifelong friendship beginning to change as Terry becomes involved with a new woman. Bob is dismayed, but his wife sees the opportunity to get Terry married off and put a wedge between the friends.
Director: Michael Tuchner | Stars: Rodney Bewes, James Bolam, Brigit Forsyth, Mary Tamm
Votes: 1,267
8. The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005)
91 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
The notorious fictional town of Royston Vasey is under threat and its inhabitants are forced to leave.
Director: Steve Bendelack | Stars: Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Michael Sheen
Votes: 5,919
9. Man About the House (1974)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy
A property developer wants to flatten the street to make new buildings. Householder George Roper is happy to take the offered money and run but his wife Mildred join with other residents to take a stand and keep things as they are.
Director: John Robins | Stars: Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Brian Murphy
Votes: 700
10. Whoops Apocalypse (1986)
R | 93 min | Comedy
A British satire on the beginning of WWIII.
Director: Tom Bussmann | Stars: Stuart Saunders, Graeme Garden, Marc Smith, Loretta Swit
Votes: 1,019
11. Are You Being Served? (2016 TV Movie)
31 min | Comedy
A reboot of the classic sitcom Are You Being Served? (1972).
Director: Dewi Humphreys | Stars: Jason Watkins, Sherrie Hewson, John Challis, Roy Barraclough
Votes: 603
12. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
PG | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, journeyman Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Director: Garth Jennings | Stars: Martin Freeman, Yasiin Bey, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel
Votes: 208,332 | Gross: $51.09M
13. George and Mildred (1980)
93 min | Comedy
Mildred decides that she and George will celebrate their anniversary at a posh London hotel - whatever the cost. However, a shady businessman mistakes George for a hit man.
Director: Peter Frazer-Jones | Stars: Yootha Joyce, Brian Murphy, Stratford Johns, Norman Eshley
Votes: 772
14. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.
Directors: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 570,094 | Gross: $1.23M
15. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,778 | Gross: $20.05M
16. Monty Python's and Now for Something Completely Different (1971)
PG | 88 min | Comedy
An anthology of the best sketches from the first and second seasons of Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969).
Director: Ian MacNaughton | Stars: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 31,495
17. The Meaning of Life (1983)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Musical
The comedy team takes a look at life in all of its stages in their own uniquely silly way.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones
Votes: 125,297 | Gross: $14.93M
18. Stella Street (2004)
R | 80 min | Comedy
As the Beatles did in the 1960s, Michael Caine convinces Jack Nicholson, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to move to Stella Street, an unassuming residential area of Surrey. But along with the new neighbors come hoods and thieves, all determined to make off with the stars' cash. Based on the BBC sketch comedy series.
Director: Peter Richardson | Stars: Phil Cornwell, John Sessions, Ronni Ancona, Harry Enfield
Votes: 500 | Gross: $0.00M
19. The Sweeney (2012)
R | 112 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A hardened detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan police. Based on the '70s UK TV show.
Director: Nick Love | Stars: Ray Winstone, Plan B, Hayley Atwell, Steven Mackintosh
Votes: 20,414 | Gross: $0.03M
20. Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)
Not Rated | 84 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Dr. Who and his companions arrive on Earth in the year 2150 AD, only to discover that the planet has been invaded and its population enslaved by the dreaded Daleks.
Director: Gordon Flemyng | Stars: Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Ray Brooks, Andrew Keir
Votes: 4,541
21. Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
Not Rated | 82 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
An eccentric inventor and his companions travel in his TARDIS to the Planet Skaro and battle the evil menace of the Daleks.
Director: Gordon Flemyng | Stars: Peter Cushing, Roy Castle, Jennie Linden, Roberta Tovey
Votes: 5,352
22. Life in Emergency Ward 10 (1959)
86 min | Drama
A new registrar, with a revolutionary heart lung machine he has bought from America, joins a small county hospital, and has to win over his colleagues, including the senior house surgeon, ... See full summary »
Director: Robert Day | Stars: Christopher Witty, Rupert Davies, Dorothy Alison, Joan Sims
Votes: 91
23. Alan Partridge (2013)
R | 90 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When famous DJ Alan Partridge's radio station is taken over by a new media conglomerate, it sets in motion a chain of events which see Alan having to work with the police to defuse a potentially violent siege.
Director: Declan Lowney | Stars: Steve Coogan, Colm Meaney, Tim Key, Karl Theobald
Votes: 32,971 | Gross: $0.15M
24. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Crime
After attracting both media and police attention for accidentally knocking Kate Moss into the River Thames, Edina and Patsy hide out in the south of France.
Director: Mandie Fletcher | Stars: Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Jane Horrocks, Julia Sawalha
Votes: 13,206 | Gross: $4.75M
25. Doctor Who (1996 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 89 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
The newly-regenerated Doctor takes on the Master on the turn of the millennium, 31 December 1999.
Director: Geoffrey Sax | Stars: Paul McGann, Eric Roberts, Daphne Ashbrook, Sylvester McCoy
Votes: 10,441
26. On the Buses (1971)
PG | 88 min | Comedy
When the bus company finds itself short-staffed, Inspector Blake comes up with the brilliant idea of employing female drivers. The company is delighted, but the bus crews are horrified and try to get rid of the women.
Director: Harry Booth | Stars: Reg Varney, Doris Hare, Michael Robbins, Anna Karen
Votes: 2,180
27. Holiday on the Buses (1973)
Approved | 87 min | Comedy
After being fired from the bus company for crashing two buses, Stan and Jack seek bus-driving work at a holiday camp - only to find that Inspector Blake too now works there.
Director: Bryan Izzard | Stars: Reg Varney, Stephen Lewis, Doris Hare, Michael Robbins
Votes: 2,076
28. Mutiny on the Buses (1972)
PG | 89 min | Comedy
London bus driver Stan Butler wants to get married and takes his chance to earn more money when he is given a new job driving a tour bus on a safari park.
Director: Harry Booth | Stars: Reg Varney, Doris Hare, Michael Robbins, Anna Karen
Votes: 1,512
29. All Creatures Great and Small (1975 TV Movie)
92 min | Biography, Drama
The story of a young veterinarian's apprenticeship to a somewhat eccentric older vet in the English countryside, and the young man's hesitating courtship of the daughter of a local farmer.
Director: Claude Whatham | Stars: Brenda Bruce, Christine Buckley, John Collin, Jane Collins
Votes: 929
30. Dad's Army (1971)
G | 95 min | Comedy, War
The misadventures of a ragtag group of elderly Home Guard local defense volunteers at the onset of WW2.
Director: Norman Cohen | Stars: Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, John Laurie
Votes: 3,669
31. Bless This House (1972)
87 min | Comedy, Romance
Neighborhood tensions arise when rambunctious Baines family moves next door to reclusive Abbots, clashing over home distillery and unruly teens while matriarch tries mediating the feud.
Director: Gerald Thomas | Stars: Sidney James, Diana Coupland, Terry Scott, June Whitfield
Votes: 1,189
32. Wombling Free (1977)
Not Rated | 96 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
The adventures of The Wombles, strange creatures who live on Wimbledon Common and pick up the litter left by the humans. There's always time for a nice song and dance as well. This was a film version of the popular childrens TV show.
Director: Lionel Jeffries | Stars: David Tomlinson, Frances de la Tour, Bonnie Langford, Bernard Spear
Votes: 238
33. The Alf Garnett Saga (1972)
90 min | Comedy
Based on the BBC television series, and a sequel to 'Till Death Us Do Part (1968)', it tells of the family relationship between Alf Garnett, his wife, daughter and son-in-law, all living in a council flat.
Director: Bob Kellett | Stars: Warren Mitchell, Dandy Nichols, Adrienne Posta, Paul Angelis
Votes: 173
34. Up Pompeii (1971)
R | 90 min | Comedy, History
Roman slave Lurcio inadvertently becomes the possessor of a scroll naming the proposed assassins of the Emperor Nero. Administering to the participants of his master's orgy guests seems ... See full summary »
Director: Bob Kellett | Stars: Frankie Howerd, Patrick Cargill, Bill Fraser, Michael Hordern
Votes: 1,215
35. Guest House Paradiso (1999)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Thriller
Richie and Eddie, a perverted loser and his alcoholic partner-in-crime, run the worst hotel in Britain: the Guest House Paradiso.
Director: Adrian Edmondson | Stars: Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield
Votes: 10,577
36. The Thick of It (2007 TV Movie)
Comedy
A put-upon member of Congress is harassed by inept politicians. Based on the BBC series, "The Thick of It."
Director: Christopher Guest | Stars: Carrie Aizley, Priya Ayyar, Alex Borstein, Kelvin Brown
Votes: 347
37. The Inbetweeners (2011)
R | 97 min | Comedy
Four socially troubled 18-year-olds from the south of England go on holiday to Malia.
Director: Ben Palmer | Stars: James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas, Simon Bird
Votes: 86,660 | Gross: $0.04M
38. The Bad Education Movie (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Comedy
Mr Wickers and his class go on one final school trip after they finish their GCSEs.
Director: Elliot Hegarty | Stars: Jack Whitehall, Charlie Wernham, Nikki Runeckles, Weruche Opia
Votes: 7,565
39. The Avengers (1998)
PG-13 | 89 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Two British Agents team up to stop Sir August de Wynter from destroying the world with a weather-changing machine.
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Sean Connery, Patrick Macnee
Votes: 45,416 | Gross: $23.32M
40. Dougal and the Blue Cat (1970)
82 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Life at the Magic Roundabout is disrupted when a blue cat called Buxton finds his way into town. Everyone loves Buxton except for Dougal, who discovers the cat's mad plan to become the king of blue army and destroy all who are not blue.
Directors: Serge Danot, Eric Thompson | Stars: Christian Riehl, Paul Bisciglia, Nadine Legrand, Jean-Luc Tardieu
Votes: 398
41. The Magic Roundabout (2005)
81 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A group of friends embark on a dangerous journey in an effort to imprison their oppressor, the evil wizard Zeebad.
Directors: Dave Borthwick, Jean Duval, Frank Passingham | Stars: Robbie Williams, Ian McKellen, Bill Nighy, Kylie Minogue
Votes: 3,720 | Gross: $7.42M
42. Spooks (2011)
70 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A geeky pizza boy who always dreamed of being a spy, recruits his loser friends to help him prove that a local dry cleaner is a front for espionage.
Director: Michael Keller | Stars: Jason Castle, Nina Harada, Michael Keller, Luis Anguiano
Votes: 38
43. Edge of Darkness (2010)
R | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the murder of his activist daughter, he uncovers a corporate cover-up and government conspiracy that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic
Votes: 99,009 | Gross: $43.31M
44. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
R | 127 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet Agent within MI6.
Director: Tomas Alfredson | Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong
Votes: 212,455 | Gross: $24.15M
45. London's Burning (2011 TV Movie)
60 min | Drama
Using CCTV footage of the actual riots that bedevilled parts of England in the summer of 2011, allegedly triggered by the shooting of unarmed Mark Duggan, the film omits any real motives ... See full summary »
Director: Justin Hardy | Stars: David Morrissey, Samantha Bond, Emily Bruni, Jack Chissick
Votes: 41
46. Please Sir! (1971)
100 min | Comedy
In this spin-off from the ITV television series "Please Sir!" which ran from 1968 to 1972, Mr Hedges takes his class on a field trip, with disastrous consequences.
Director: Mark Stuart | Stars: John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Noel Howlett, Joan Sanderson
Votes: 851
47. Downton Abbey (2019)
PG | 122 min | Drama, Romance
1927. The Crawleys prepare to host King George V and Queen Mary at Downton Abbey.
Director: Michael Engler | Stars: Stephen Campbell Moore, Michael Fox, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera
Votes: 63,346 | Gross: $96.85M
48. Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Music
Two inseparable, hormonal, English BFF teen boys, avoided by all others, head to Ibiza with Kevin's parents. Will they lose their virginity there?
Director: Ed Bye | Stars: Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke, Rhys Ifans, Laura Fraser
Votes: 14,516
49. Paddington 2 (2017)
PG | 103 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.
Director: Paul King | Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins
Votes: 93,900 | Gross: $40.44M
50. Paddington (2014)
PG | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
Director: Paul King | Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 133,516 | Gross: $76.27M
51. For the Love of Ada (1972)
Not Rated | 88 min | Comedy, Romance
Spin-off from the television series For the Love of Ada 1970. Walter and Ada Bingley are celebrating their first wedding anniversary unaware that their friends and family are planning a surprise party for them.
Director: Ronnie Baxter | Stars: Irene Handl, Wilfred Pickles, Barbara Mitchell, Jack Smethurst
Votes: 158
52. Edge of Darkness (2010)
R | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the murder of his activist daughter, he uncovers a corporate cover-up and government conspiracy that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic
Votes: 99,009 | Gross: $43.31M
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