One of the best ways to get excited about an upcoming trip to the UK is to watch a solid line-up of the best British rom coms.
Most of them seem to involve the king of romanic British comedies, Hugh Grant, chasing down the love of his life through the streets of London. Sure these British romantic comedies can be a little cliche at times, but we’re mostly here for the beautiful scenery and that witty British humour.
There are probably hundreds of romantic British movies we could include on this list, but instead we’ve narrowed it down to just 11 of the most quintessential British rom coms to see before you travel.
1. Notting Hill
There’s no British romantic comedy more classic than Notting Hill. Follow the romance between a London bookseller (hello Hugh Grant!) and a famous American actress (none other than Julia Roberts) who – as fate has it – walks into his bookshop. Released in 1999, it’s still the highest-grossing British film of all time and you can visit various film locations around London.
2. Yesterday
Even those that don’t love the British rom coms won’t help but be charmed by this feel-good flick filled with songs by the Beatles. Follow a struggling musician named Jack Malik, who finds himself as the only person who remembers the famous band after his accident. He started taking credit for their songs. Most of the filming of this British romantic comedy happened around Norfolk and Halesworth, in Suffolk.
3. Bridget Jones’s Diary
Follow the life of Jones, a thirtysomething single woman in London just trying to navigate and make sense of life, love and relationships in this British rom com. Renée Zellweger plays the part of Bridget that sees her star alongside Colin Firth and Hugh Grant (of course). Filming happened around Borough Market, the Tate gallery and other famous London sights.
GET INSPIRED: Best of Britain
4. About a Boy
Hugh Grant is certainly king of the British romantic comedy scene and here he stars alongside Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult. Grant plays Will Freeman, who lives a luxurious lifestyle without responsibility thanks to royalties left from a Christmas song his father composed. Will joins a single parent support group “SPAT” in an attempt to meet women. The film is set in various locations across London.
5. The Holiday
Heartbreak leads you to do crazy things… like swap houses with a stranger on the other side of the world. Filmed in California and England, watch as Cameron Diaz takes up residence in the English countryside as Amanda Woods, a successful businesswoman who produces movie trailers. The home exchange sees Diaz moving into a tiny English cottage in the real village of Shere, Surrey, England, over the Christmas break. The film is also set in the English village of Godalming, and at Cornwell Manor in Oxfordshire.
6. Love Actually
One of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, Love Actually tackles and delivers interconnected storylines showing the dimensions of love of eight very different couples in the month before Christmas. The universally relatable romantic British film dashes all over London, with some scenes filmed in Surrey, England and France, too. Visit some of these scenes on one of our England tours.
7. One Day
Two friends spend the night together on the day of their graduation from the University of Edinburgh. The film shows these two fated lives on the same day – July 15 – over the next 18 years. Sometimes together, sometimes not, follow Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) and Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway) as they meet in Scotland, England and France.
GET INSPIRED: Best of Scotland
8. About Time
Tim learns from his father that he can time travel. While he can’t change history, he can change his own life and he uses his skill to improve his luck with women. When he moves from his seaside Cornish home to London, he meets Mary (Rachel McAdams). The two fall in love, but an unfortunate time-travel incident means they never met in this romantic British movie.
9. Emma
Based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name, the latest version of this period comedy-drama was filmed in 2020 with Anya Taylor-Joy as the lead. Emma follows the tale of a rich, clever young woman who interferes in the love lives of her friends. Setting a period rom-com in Great Britain means grand locations. Emma herself lives in Firle Place, East Sussex, a home owned by the Gage family for more than 500 years that is open to the public. The film also features the village of Lower Slaughter, Wilton House near Salisbury, Kingston Bagpuize House south-west of Oxford and Chavenage House near Tetbury in Gloucestershire.
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9. Man Up
Right time, right place, wrong date. After being mistaken as someone else’s blind date, Nancy (Lake Bell) decides to go with the flow and goes on the date with divorcee Jack (Simon Pegg). The date itself goes really well. What happens when the truth comes out? Man Up is largely set over one night in London and the two meet beneath the old four-faced clock hanging from the roof of the beautiful Waterloo Station.
10. Love, Rosie
If you loved Lily Collins in the recent Netflix hit Emily in Paris, catch this British rom com featuring her as Rosie. Sam and Rosie were childhood best friends destined to fall in love. Of course, the world has other plans and something gets in the way at every turn. Refreshingly this romantic British movie is mostly filmed in and around Dublin and nearby Howth.
GET INSPIRED: Britain & Ireland Grandeur
11. Wimbledon
If you prefer your British romantic comedies with a little more sporting action, watch the relationship between Peter (Paul Bettany) and Lizzie (Kirsten Dunst) bloom and fail between two tennis stars. Some scenes were filmed between matches during the 2003 world-famous tennis tournament. Most of it was shot in and around London, with beach scenes in Brighton.
How many of these British romantic comedies have you seen? Let us know in the comments…