My top thirty English films to watch on a damp autumn afternoon
I just love this time of year and adore walking when the weather is rough and wild. But even for me, there are days when it’s damp and dreary and I love nothing better on a dark afternoon than to snuggle up with a mug of something delicious and a great film to watch.
In this post, I’ve listed my top English films and TV series that I love to watch and re-watch.
I hope they give you joy and inspiration!
19th Century
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (tv series) In an alternate history, during the time of real-life Napoleonic Wars, two magicians, the gifted recluse Mr. Norrell and daring spellcasting novice Jonathan Strange, use magic to help England.
Vanity Fair (tv series) The sumptuous adaptation of William Thackeray’s novel which follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley amid their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars. I bought myself a vintage copy of the book in the summer of 2023 and although the length of the book was initially off-putting, it’s a book I can thoroughly recommend.
Emma - Jane Austen’s tale of a well-meaning but selfish young woman who through meddling in the lives of her friends, eventually matures and finds her own happiness
Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë’s tale of a quiet, unassuming governess who uncovers the terrible secret of her employer
Far from the Madding Crowd The adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel. In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.
Sense and Sensiblity Jane Austen again! The tale of the Dashwood sisters after the death of their father leaves them poor.
Mary Shelley The life story of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who met the 21 year old poet Percy Shelley when she was 16, resulting in the writing of Frankenstein.
Bright Star The romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.
The Woman in Black A chilling, eerie tale. A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
To Walk Invisible The story of the Bronte sisters
My Cousin Rachel The adaptation of the novel by Daphne Du Maurier. A young Englishman plots revenge against his late cousin's mysterious, beautiful wife, believing her responsible for his death. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms.
Miss Potter The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness, and success.
20th Century
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society In the aftermath of World War II, a writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.
Atonement Thirteen-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
The Red Shoes A young ballet dancer is torn between the man she loves and her pursuit to become a prima ballerina.
Light hearted / comedy
Hot Fuzz Very bad language and politically incorrect but it’s a top favourite of my family! A skilled London police officer, after irritating superiors with his embarrassing effectiveness, is transferred to a village where the easygoing officers object to his fervor for regulations, as a string of grisly murders strikes the town.
The World’s End Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from twenty years earlier unwittingly become humanity's only hope for survival.
The Lady in the Van A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her van that's parked in his driveway.
Bridget Jones’s Diary The defining film of my younger years! Bridget Jones is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which she keeps a personal diary.
Fisherman’s Friends Ten fisherman from Cornwall are signed by Universal Records and achieve a top ten hit with their debut album, "Sea Shanties."
Four Weddings and a Funeral Another film from my twenties! Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
Blithe Spirit (2021) I adore this Noël Coward play! A spiritualist medium holds a seance for a writer suffering from writer's block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years.
The Ladykillers The original version is still my favourite. Gentle English humour at it’s best! Five oddball criminals planning a bank robbery rent rooms on a cul-de-sac from an octogenarian widow under the pretext that they are classical musicians.
The Importance of Being Earnest In 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues. Oscar Wilde’s brilliance. I recently watched an open-air production of this and in true-English style we all got soaked when the heaven’s opened but still a great evening
The Full Monty Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for "the full monty" - total nudity.
Children’s films
Swallows and Amazons Four children (the Swallows) on holiday in the Lake District sail on their own to an island and start a war with rival children (the Amazons). In the meantime, a mysterious man on a houseboat accuses them of a crime they did not commit.
Christopher Robin A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Four children travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a mystical lion.
The Railway Children After the enforced absence of their father, three children move with their mother to Yorkshire, where during their adventures they attempt to discover the reason for his disappearance.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang I think this is a film we watched every Christmas when I was a child! A down-on-his-luck inventor turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children, and then they go off on a magical fantasy adventure to save their grandfather in a far-off land.