Bafta special: Barry Norman's top 49 British films of all time

The film critic reveals his top British films from The 39 Steps to Skyfall

Film critic and broadcaster Barry Norman has today unveiled his top 49 films of all time for a special Radio Times supplement.

The unranked list includes some of the biggest blockbusters and most iconic films from 75 years of British cinema, ranging from Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps in 1935 through to 2012’s Skyfall.

Gladiator, The King’s Speech and Skyfall are the only films from the twenty first century to make it onto Norman’s list.

His selection suggests 1949 and 1995 were significant years in British cinema, with the releases of Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Third Man and Whisky Galore! in 1949; and Secrets & Lies, Sense and Sensibility and Trainspotting in 1995.

The Radio Times is asking readers to nominate their 50th favourite movie as a celebration of British film ahead of the Baftas this month.

Norman, who has been writing and broadcasting about films for five decades, said: “Ignoring for the moment the fact that you will certainly disagree with some, probably many, or maybe even all of my choices, which do you think is the one outstanding British film that I’ve left out? There are plenty to choose from because mine, like all such lists, is largely subjective.”

The English Patient? This is England? Which film would you add to Norman’s list?

Barry Norman's top 49 British films:

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Black Narcissus (1947)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Brief Encounter (1945)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The Cruel Sea (1952)

The Dam Busters (1954)

Dr No (1958)

Don’t Look Now (1973)

Dracula (1958)

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

The Full Monty (1997)

Gandhi (1982)

Get Carter (1971)

Gladiator (2000)

Great Expectations (1946)

Gregory’s Girl (1980)

Henry V (1944)

I Know Where I’m Going! (1945)

If… (1968)

The Ipcress File (1965)

Kes (1969)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

The King’s Speech (2010)

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

The Ladykillers (1955)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Local Hero (1983)

The Long Good Friday (1979)

A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)

Naked (1993)

The Railway Children (1970)

The Red Shoes (1948)

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)

Secrets & Lies (1995)

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

The Servant (1963)

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

Skyfall (2012)

The Third Man (1949)

The 39 Steps (1935)

This Sporting Life (1963)

Trainspotting (1995)

Whisky Galore! (1949)

Zulu (1963)