cheerio

I love British people. When it comes to my favorite movies or books, British people definitely represent (C.S. Lewis, Harry Potter, Jane Austen, "Shaun of the Dead"). And when I was compiling a list of British movie/TV suggestions for a story in the autumn issue of Prerogative, I got to see some more rather good British films. Here's the list:

Where to begin? “British” sure does cover a lot of ground, from movies created by British people to films set in Great Britain. You could build a marathon easily around either famous Grant (Cary or Hugh). You could go with stand-bys such as Alfred Hitchcock, Monty Python, Harry Potter and James Bond. Recent movie choices include “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “The Holiday,” “Eragon” and “The Queen.”
Here are even more options, both well-known and less so:

Jane Austen (Austen is your go-to gal for great girls’ night in fare. Her six novels have been retold repeatedly as movies and miniseries, many of them well-received. These are our top picks):
• “Pride and Prejudice” (two-disc mini-series from BBC)
• “Pride and Prejudice” (2005)
• “Emma” (1996, with Gwyneth Paltrow)
• “Sense and Sensibility” (1995)
• “Persuasion” (1995)

Films:
“The Importance of Being Earnest” (2002)
“Much Ado About Nothing” (1993)
“Gosford Park”
“Millions” (2005)
“Lassie” (2005)
“Miss Potter”
“Dear Frankie”
“Nanny McPhee”
“Truly Madly Deeply”
“Shaun of the Dead”
“Finding Neverland”

Miniseries (for longer gatherings; enjoy a meal as intermission between parts):
“Middlemarch” (two DVD discs)
“Jane Eyre” (several miniseries and film versions are available)
“Wives and Daughters” (three discs)
“Bleak House” (try the three-disc Masterpiece Theatre version from 2005)
“Horatio Hornblower” (starring Ioan Gruffudd)

TV series:
“The Best of the Original Avengers”
“Doctor Who” (pick any generation; the newest version of the series is available in CD sets from 2005)
“Jeeves and Wooster” (starring a pre-“House” Hugh Laurie)

Several in the "Jane Austen" section and most of the "movies" list are real winners for me. Did I leave any out?

Update: Have you ever wondered what the difference is exactly between Britain and England, or those and the U.K.? Here's the breakdown of what is (and is not) “British,” from largest to smallest:
• The British Isles refers to the group of islands that includes Great Britain and Ireland (though the Republic of Ireland is not part of Britain).
• The United Kingdom — whose full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as smaller islands such as the Isle of Man.
• Great Britain includes England, Wales and Scotland. (Northern Ireland, meanwhile, isn’t on the same island — it’s on the nearby island with the Republic of Ireland.)
• The Republic of Ireland is a separate nation altogether.