The majority of classic Christmas movies are American, but Britain has also produced a few holiday heartwarmers over the years. The most obvious example is Love Actually, which often features in conversations about the very best Christmas movies, but there are many more British Christmas movies, even if they don’t all have big international audiences. Many of these Christmas movies feature famous faces from Hollywood blockbusters.
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The worst Christmas movies are often accused of cheap sentimentality, but this is something that British movies tend to avoid, simply because there isn’t the same abundance of Christmas content each year. The few that have any kind of lasting relevance tend to offer something different to American Christmas movies, either because they focus on British holiday traditions or because they have quirky British humor.
You are watching: 10 Best British Christmas Movies, Ranked
10
That Christmas (2024)
Netflix’s Christmas Hit Could Have Staying Power
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That Christmas
Release Date
December 4, 2024
Director
Simon Otto
Cast
Brian Cox
, Fiona Shaw
, Jodie Whittaker
, Bill Nighy
, Lolly Adefope
, Alex Macqueen
, Katherine Parkinson
, Sindhu Vee
, India Brown
, Zazie Hayhurst
, Sienna Sayer
, Rosie Cavaliero
, Paul Kaye
, Guz Khan
, Andy Nyman
, Jack Wisniewski
, Kuhu Agarwal
, Bronte Smith
, Freddie Spry
, Ava Talbot
, Rhys Darby
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Each year brings a new batch of Christmas movies, most of which are completely forgettable, but That Christmas is one that stands a chance of being rewatched by people in 2025 and beyond. The animated family comedy is based on a series of short stories by Love Actually director Richard Curtis, and like the 2003 classic, it also features a series of loosely interconnected stories in the build-up to Christmas.
The cast of That Christmas is led by Succession‘s Brian Cox as Santa Claus, but there are some other noteworthy names, like Bill Nighy and former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker. As with any movie that tries to juggle many storylines, some of the narrative threads are funnier and more interesting than others, but the overall effect is that Last Christmas remains entertaining throughout its short runtime.
9
This Is Christmas (2022)
This Is Christmas Flew Under The Radar
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This Is Christmas
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Release Date
December 9, 2022
Director
Chris Foggin
Cast
Alfred Enoch
, Kaya Scodelario
, Timothy Spall
, Jack Donoghue
, Steve Oram
, Alexandra Roach
, Robert Emms
, Rebecca Root
Sky Cinema has been ramping up its movie production in recent years. The British subscription film service makes plenty of movies that get theatrical releases all over the world, like Kate Winslet’s Lee and Promising Young Woman, but most of their movies are only ever seen by their subscribers. They have made a tradition of making Christmas movies each year, and This is Christmas is one of their best.
This is Christmas stars Harry Potter‘s Alfred Enoch and The Gentlemen star Kaya Scodelario.
This is Christmas stars Harry Potter‘s Alfred Enoch and The Gentlemen star Kaya Scodelario as two commuters who see the same people on board their train to London every day without ever exchanging words, until they decide to throw a Christmas party where they can get to know each other. There’s no shortage of similar movies, but This is Christmas benefits from a charming ensemble cast filled with British talent.
8
Nativity! (2009)
Nativity Kickstarted A Christmas Franchise
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Nativity!
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Release Date
November 27, 2009
Director
Debbie Isitt
Cast
Ashley Jensen
, Martin Freeman
, Marc Wootton
, Pam Ferris
, Jason Watkins
, Ricky Tomlinson
, Alan Carr
, John Sessions
, Phyllis Logan
, Geoffrey Hutchings
, Clarke Peters
, Rosie Cavaliero
, Ben Crompton
, Llewella Gideon
, Selina Cadell
, Martha Howe-Douglas
, Matt Rippy
, Rhydian Jones
, Neil Fitzmaurice
, Karl Theobald
, Jake Pratt
, Oscar Steer
, Bessie Cursons
, Ben Wilby
, Katie Maguire
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Nativity plays are a huge Christmas tradition in Britain, with primary schools all over the country putting on a show for the parents each December. Nativity captures the chaos of annually preparing a group of school children for a play when they have no interest in performing, no ability to memorize their lines and no concern for whether the play counts as a success or not.
Nativity captures the chaos of annually preparing a group of school children for a play when they have no interest in performing.
Martin Freeman stars as the jaded teacher given the task of running the Nativity play, but his lie about Hollywood producers coming to see the show causes even more undue havoc. The rest of the cast also has some great British comedians and actors, although not many who are recognizable to international audiences. The success of Nativity started a franchise with three sequels and a popular stage adaptation.
7
Anna & The Apocalypse (2018)
Christmas And Horror Often Go Hand-In-Hand
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Anna and the Apocalypse
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Release Date
November 30, 2018
Director
John McPhail
Cast
Ella Hunt
, Malcolm Cumming
, Sarah Swire
, Christopher Leveaux
, Marli Siu
, Ben Wiggins
, Mark Benton
, Paul Kaye
Christmas horror movies are a peculiar festive tradition that subvert the jolly, family-friendly atmosphere of the holiday season. Anna and the Apocalypse is probably Britain’s single greatest contribution to this niche subgenre, and it has found an audience among horror aficionados across the world. The story follows a group of teenagers facing their own social problems as a zombie apocalypse erupts in the build-up to Christmas.
It’s part coming-of-age comedy, part Broadway-inspired musical and part zombie splatterfest, and it’s completely entertaining.
Anna and the Apocalypse is a British zombie comedy in the same tradition as Shaun of the Dead, although the musical numbers certainly make it stand out. It’s part coming-of-age comedy, part Broadway-inspired musical and part zombie splatterfest, and it’s completely entertaining. Anna and the Apocalypse is a great low-budget feel-good Christmas movie for someone seeking an antidote to the schmaltz that the genre usually has to offer.
6
The Holly & The Ivy (1952)
The Old Classic Still Stands Up
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The Holly and the Ivy
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Release Date
December 3, 1952
Director
George More O’Ferrall
Cast
Celia Johnson
, Ralph Richardson
, Margaret Leighton
, Denholm Elliott
, John Gregson
, Hugh Williams
, Margaret Halstan
, Maureen Delaney
, William Hartnell
, Robert Flemyng
, Roland Culver
, John Barry
, Dandy Nichols
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Good Christmas movies often have a timeless quality to them, and the nostalgia can make them even more enjoyable to watch each year. The Holly and the Ivy is a different prospect to It’s a Wonderful Life – for example – and it isn’t in the same territory as the family-friendly hit, but it’s still uplifting and complex in all the right ways. The retro charms add a warmth to the story, especially the ending.
Although it isn’t to everyone’s tastes, it’s a brilliant portrait of a tense family Christmas.
The Holly and the Ivy is an adaptation of a stage play, and there are times when its theatrical roots become all too apparent. Still, the story and the characters speak for themselves, no matter the medium. Some Christmas movies are overly mawkish and simplistic as they race to a happy ending, but The Holly and the Ivy is a more mature drama. Although it isn’t to everyone’s tastes, since it doesn’t adhere to the Christmas genre’s tried-and-true formula, it’s a brilliant portrait of a tense family Christmas.
5
Stick Man (2015)
Julia Donaldson’s Short Film Is As Charming As Her Book
Julia Donaldson is probably most famous as the author of The Gruffalo, although she has written plenty of other popular children’s books, many of which have been adapted into movies and TV shows. Stick Man is the 2015 adaptation of her Christmas book, which follows the story of a stick who must find his way back home to the “family tree” in a snowbound Christmastime adventure.
Stick Man was made by the same team who created Oscar-nominated adaptations of some of Donaldson’s other books, and it’s every bit as charming as The Gruffalo or Room on the Broom. One important element is that the animation translates the simplistic beauty of Axel Scheffler’s illustrations. The short film is buoyed by a star-studded voice cast which features Martin Freeman, Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins.
4
A Christmas Carol (1951)
Alastair Sim’s Scrooge Is One Of The Best
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A Christmas Carol
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Release Date
November 28, 1951
Director
Brian Desmond Hurst
Cast
Alastair Sim
, Mervyn Johns
, Glyn Dearman
, George Cole
, Brian Worth
, Michael Hordern
, Kathleen Harrison
, Rona Anderson
, Jack Warner
, Michael Dolan
, Francis de Wolff
, Carol Marsh
, Hermione Baddeley
, John Charlesworth
, Miles Malleson
, Ernest Thesiger
, Olga Edwardes
, Roddy Hughes
, Hattie Jacques
, Eleanor Summerfield
, Louise Hampton
, Czeslaw Konarski
, Eliot Makeham
, Peter Bull
, Douglas Muir
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There have been countless adaptations of Charles Dickens’ classic story A Chrismtas Carol over the years, including comedies, dramas, musicals, animated movies and more. It takes a lot to stand out amid this competition, but Brian Desmond Hunt’s 1951 version starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge remains one of the best, and one of the purest distillations of what has given the book such enduring appeal.
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A Christmas Carol will probably keep being remade and reinterpreted every few years for a long, long time, but there won’t be many Scrooges as definitive as Sim’s. He brings a frantic, unhinged demeanor to the character that shows Scrooge as a miserable and timid man. There are many other adaptations which position Scrooge as a villain who needs to turn good, but this version is about a coward who needs to open himself up to the beauty and unpredictability of human nature. It makes for a movie that isn’t necessarily appealing to children, even though it’s more interesting for older audiences.
3
The Snowman (1982)
The Snowman Is A British Institution
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The Snowman
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Release Date
December 26, 1982
Director
Dianne Jackson
Cast
Raymond Briggs
, David Bowie
, Mel Smith
The Snowman could be the most beloved British Christmas movie of all, and it’s become a holiday staple for millions up and down the country. It’s a short film that still gets played every year, decades after it first came out. This makes it the closest thing that Britain has to some American animated holiday classics, like Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
It’s the closest thing that Britain has to some American animated holiday classics, like Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
The Snowman is based on Raymond Briggs’ popular children’s book of the same name, and it translates his art style to the screen magnificently. The imagery is beautiful throughout, and it’s accompanied by gorgeous orchestral music and a rendition of “Walking in the Air” that has all the uplifting magic that a good Christmas movie should. A sequel, The Snowman and the Snowdog, was released in 2012, but it isn’t easy to replicate the success of the original.
2
Arthur Christmas (2011)
The Animated Classic Benefits From A Great Cast
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Arthur Christmas
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Release Date
November 10, 2011
Director
Barry Cook
, Sarah Smith
Cast
James McAvoy
, Hugh Laurie
, Jim Broadbent
, Bill Nighy
, Ashley Jensen
, Imelda Staunton
Arthur Christmas is one of the best animated Christmas movies ever, putting a fresh spin on some familiar Christmas tropes. It features a cast stacked with British talent, with James McAvoy in the lead role, and Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy and Michael Palin all among the supporting actors. McAvoy plays the black sheep of the Claus family, who struggles to find his role in the family’s global gift-giving business.
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Arthur Christmas is the second computer-generated feature from Aardman Animations after Flushed Away. The studio is most famous for claymation movies like the Wallace and Gromit series and Shaun the Sheep. Arthur Christmas ditches the studio’s iconic visual style in favor of something a little more generic, but the storytelling and the humor are both of the high standard that fans have come to expect.
1
Love Actually (2003)
The Ensemble Romcom Still Retains Its Appeal
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Love Actually
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Release Date
November 14, 2003
Director
Richard Curtis
Cast
Colin Firth
, Emma Thompson
, Liam Neeson
, Keira Knightley
, Chiwetel Ejiofor
, Laura Linney
, Alan Rickman
, Hugh Grant
, Bill Nighy
, Andrew Lincoln
Love Actually has been scrutinized and reassessed in recent years, and many of its myriad storylines have been flagged as potentially problematic. However, this process has done little to detract from the inherent charms of the romcom. It’s true that some of the storylines probably wouldn’t fly today, but Love Actually still has plenty of positives to outweigh the negatives, and it bounces from story to story at a splendid pace.
Love Actually isn’t just about romantic love, as it also examines friendships, family and a broader love of humanity.
Love Actually has a great script that delivers a laugh in pretty much every scene. It helps that the cast includes a heavy helping of comedic talent, with Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy and Colin Firth all making the most of their limited screentime. Love Actually isn’t just about romantic love, as it also examines friendships, family and a broader love of humanity. Amid its many comedic moments, it still finds time for some heart-shattering pathos, giving it enough balance to ensure its place as a true Christmas classic.
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