1 – Withnail and I

2 – Don’t Look Now

3 – The Remains of the Day

4 – Elizabeth

5 – Trainspotting

Reasons – I know, I know, no Third Man, no Lawrence of Arabia. But I think this list reflects what can be great about British films – there is so much diversity...we’re not all about cockney gangsters, and we can shoot the f*** out of a period setting.

Withnail is one of the best written, best acted scripts ever.

Don’t Look Now is a genuinely creepy gem.

The Remains of the Day is a Masterclass in British acting from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, and acknowledges the contribution (now much back-lashed) that Merchant and Ivory made to British film.

Elizabeth took a fresh ‘non-boring’ look at period drama (always a British staple), and Trainspotting changed the way British films were made and perceived for ever.