Best films to watch on BritBox
The top British movies available on the streaming service from the BBC and ITV
Although BritBox prides itself on its British TV boxsets, be it Broadchurch, Doctor Who or Happy Valley, the streaming service also gifts users a selection of British-made films.
Although the current selection mainly consists of classic home-grown movies, BritBox’s film library is soon set to expand with some modern classics. That’s because in Spring 2020, Channel 4 will join forces with Britbox, making plenty of Film4 titles available to watch on the service.
But until then, here are the best films you can currently watch on BritBox…
Educating Rita
In an Oscar-nominated performance, Julie Walters plays 26-year-old scouser Susan 'Rita' White, a hairdresser looking to break free of her monotonous routine. It’s this that leads her to take an Open University course and alcoholic Professor Bryant (Michael Caine).
A critically acclaimed comedy-drama, it won both Caine and Walters BAFTAs for their roles.
Carry On collection
From Carry On Matron, to Carry On Camping and Carry On Up the Khyber, BritBox hosts the best instalments from the fantastically double-entendre-packed Carry On franchise.
Watch a crass comedy masterclass from stars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and more.
Porridge: the film
When it first hit screens in 1979, this big-screen follow-up to the Ronnie Barker comedy was a big box office success.
Set a year before the final episode of the TV sitcom, it follows prisoner Fletcher (Barker) as he organises a celebrity football match in HM Slade Prison – only to find out it’s merely a diversion for a huge prison escape.
Oliver Twist
Although the Charles Dickens tale has been adapted plenty of times through the decades, no other version comes with Alec Guinness' perfectly off-kilter Fagin. Shot in haunting black and white, this 1948 classic perfectly captures the grimy beauty of Charles Dickens' Victorian England.
Without a Clue
This British 1988 comedy pairs up Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley as Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson. But not as we know them. In this version, it’s Watson that’s the genius, hiring an actor (played by Caine) to double as the super sleuth.
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.