The Brits are famous for their comedy. Whether it's classic television series like Monty Python or fresh new movies like Wicked Little Letters, the English sense of humor is wicked, dry, and endlessly hilarious. With some of the world's biggest comedic stars hailing from their shores, many people's favorite comedy comfort film is a product of the classic British dry wit and surrealist outlook.

From biting political satire to touching LGBTQIA+ comedy, the 21st century has seen the Brits produce a plethora of top comedic content, with the smooth-riding train of funny flicks not ready to stop anytime soon. Now, almost a quarter of the way through the current century, the mind inevitably wanders to the many great, absurd, and irresistible British comedies the world has already been privileged to witness.

10 'Pride' (2014)

Directed by Matthew Warchus

Movies are at their best when they mean something. Matthew Warchus' Pride is not just hilarious but also heartwarmingly poignant. Set in 1984, the film tells the true story of a group of LGBTQIA+ activists who band together to raise funds for the families hurt by the British miners' strike, believing that no minority group should suffer alone. What ensues is an unlikely bond between a small Welsh town, full of those with bigoted and backward views, and those in the LGBTQIA+ community who can see similarities in their struggles.

Featuring an all-star cast including the likes of Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, and Andrew Scott, Pride lovingly tells the tale of one of the most underappreciated stories of a dark time in modern British history. Not only does it provide both entertainment and education but laughs aplenty, too, with many of the talented actors seamlessly moving from tender emotion to brilliant comedy, sometimes in seconds. Politically intelligent and beautifully life-affirming, Pride is proof that comedy can also be important.

9 'Death at a Funeral' (2007)

Directed by Frank Oz

Art imitates life with real-life husband and wife Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen playing married couple Daniel and Jane in Death at a Funeral. The movie follows Daniel after he is tasked with organizing his father's funeral following his sudden death. Attempting to bring both peace and order to this somber occasion, it seems as if the congregation simply won't play ball with a womanizer, an addict, a dodgy undertaker, and, to top it all off, a man no one seems to know played by the brilliant Peter Dinklage.

Death at a Funeral neatly manages to make light of a terrible time without ever losing the gravitas of the occasion.

So popular it sparked a less-than-favored US remake three years later, Death at a Funeral combines many of the comedic styles that the Brits have come to be known for, from farce to dark humor. The film neatly manages to make light of a terrible time without ever losing the gravitas of the occasion. Dean Craig's script is simply packed with hilarious gags and quirky character moments, so much so that a re-watch is most definitely required.

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8 'About a Boy' (2002)

Directed by Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz

Hearts are warmed and bellies are full of laughter in the Weitz's About a Boy, a story of an unlikely friendship that snatches hope from the jaw of despair. The movie stars Hugh Grant in his heartthrob phase as Will, a bachelor who decides to attend a single parent's meeting, SPAT (Single Parents Alone Together), hoping to meet women. Instead, Will meetis 12-year-old Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a bullied boy with a depressed mother (Toni Collette), with the two striking an unlikely bond that will turn them into better people.

Life-affirming and brilliantly funny, About a Boy is an adaptation of Nick Hornby's hugely popular 1998 novel, with the Weitz's proving that this tale may be even better on-screen. Given the popularity of the Curtis/Grant films of the 1990s, this certainly tonally abides with the mantra of those movies, with Grant delivering yet another problematic yet endearingly excusable performance. Romantic and chucklesome, About a Boy has a wonderful ability to bring light into the life of its audience.

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7 'Sexy Beast' (2001)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

Some 23 years before he was winning Oscars with chilling tales set outside of Auschwitz, Jonathan Glazer was leaving audiences gasping for air from laughing too hard in this genius comedy. Sexy Beast follows a group of retired ex-criminals, fronted by Ray Winstone's Gal, who are living out their lives basking in the Spanish sun. However, their fun is punctured by the arrival of a man from their past, the violent Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), who demands they take part in one last job.

Certainly not sexy, but most definitely a comedic beast, Sexy Beast flows beautifully from gag to gag, with the central cast providing top-notch performances. However, it is Sir Ben Kingsley's Don who steals the show, with his erratic unpredictability making his appearance in any scene unmissable. Raw, unhinged, and ever-so-British, Sexy Beast is an unmissable addition to Glazer's catalog.

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6 'Gosford Park' (2001)

Directed by Robert Altman

What would happen if Downton Abbey became a comedy? Wonder no longer, as Gosford Park already answered that question. Set in the gorgeous 1930s British countryside, the McCordle family, headed by patriarch William (Michael Gambon), are hosting a shooting party for their friends and family. However, with money and alcohol flowing, secrets are revealed, and chaos is just around the corner.

Gosford Park is a who's who of British acting, with each performer providing memorable performances and no character resigned to being unforgettable.

Quite possibly the most British comedy of the 21st century, Gosford Park is wickedly funny and features one of the best ensembles in modern British cinema. From the likes of the aforementioned Gambon and Kristin Scott Thomas to Maggie Smith, Charles Dance, and Helen Mirren, Gosford Park is a who's who of British acting, with each performer providing memorable performances and no character resigned to being unforgettable. As lavish as Bridgerton and as funny as Knives Out, Gosford Park keeps up a constant comedic pace, a decision carefully crafted by iconic director Robert Altman, who made sure the camera moved, even slightly, in every shot in the film.

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5 'Happy-Go-Lucky' (2008)

Directed by Mike Leigh

British comedies are rarely nominated for Academy Awards; such is the sheer brilliance of this film. Written and directed by Mike Leigh, 2008's Happy-Go-Lucky follows 30-year-old Poppy Cross (Sally Hawkins), a primary school teacher with a whimsical lust for life. Always agreeable and ever-enthusiastic, the movie details a slice of her life and showcases how a positive attitude can help someone achieve happiness and get them into trouble.

Life-affirming, unlike any other movie, Happy-Go-Lucky is like a gentle breeze in a cinema landscape full of storms. Hawkins' lead performance is mesmeric, with her detailed understanding of Poppy making the central journey ultimately immersive. At first, it might seem as if Poppy isn't willing to take life seriously, but things shift once the credits roll, and audiences will leave the movie reinvigorated. The film's wise subtext seeps through Leigh's Academy Award-nominated script and into the viewer's heart.

4 'Hot Fuzz' (2007)

Directed by Edgar Wright

The Cornetto Trilogy is one of the highest-regarded comedic trilogies of all time, and Hot Fuzz is the most gag-heavy of the three. Featuring a star-studded ensemble, Hot Fuzz follows Simon Pegg's energetic, hotshot policeman Nicholas Angel (not Angle) as he is posted in a sleepy English countryside village alongside Nick Frost's blithering local officer Danny Butterman. Together, they form an unlikely dream team hoping to take down an unexpected conspiracy ravaging the community.

A wonderful satire of the buddy-cop genre, as well as a fantastic exponent of it, Hot Fuzz is equal parts action-packed and whimsical, with the years-long, hard-earned chemistry of Frost and Pegg oozing out of every scene. However, Edgar Wright's masterful direction steals the show, with his ability to turn the camera itself into another hilarious character nothing short of remarkable. Witty, punchy, and ever-so-quotable, Hot Fuzz is sure to stand the test of time.

3 'In Bruges' (2008)

Directed by Martin McDonagh

The trio of Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell, and Brendan Gleeson is simply a recipe for success. Years before they were struggling to solve the breakdown of a friendship in The Banshees of Inisherin, Farrell and Gleeson were playing hitman Ray and partner Ken in the off-beat masterpiece In Bruges. After accidentally causing the death of an innocent bystander during a hit-gone-wrong, Ray and Ken are tasked with lying low in Bruges, with everything that could go wrong going wrong.

Farrell and Gleeson are one of the best movie duos in In Bruges, with their on-screen chemistry elevating an already spectacular screenplay. Weaving a tale full of surprises and hilarity, McDonagh's detailed and enigmatic script propels In Bruges to its heady heights of critical praise, illustrated by a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 2009 Academy Awards. A multi-award winning feature that has earned itself legions of doting fans, In Bruges will forever be a fond favorite of millions.

2 'In the Loop' (2009)

Directed by Armando Iannucci

One of the best political satire movies ever, In the Loop, was fashioned from the hit British comedy The Thick of It, widely considered to be one of the greatest in modern British history. The film includes some of the same characters from the original series, including Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker, and some re-branding of certain people. In the Loop documents British Minister for International Development Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) as he makes a live radio faux-pas concerning a potential war in the Middle East. Capturing the attention of the American Government, Foster and Tucker head to the US and get entangled in a web of deceit and warmongering as a UN vote on military action looms.

Like no other modern comedy, In the Loop takes a magnifying glass to the wild state of current politics and parodies its ugliest facets. From Hollander to an intelligently cast James Gandolfini as Lieutenant General George Miller, The Thick of It is brilliant in its mockery of the system. Capaldi steals every scene he is in, with his spontaneous rants and foul-mouthed verbal assaults leading to some of the finest and most expletive quotes that would make Selina Meyer quiver. Energetic and entertaining, In the Loop is Armando Iannucci at his very best.

1 'Shaun of the Dead' (2004)

Directed by Edgar Wright

Shaun of the Dead is the perfect blend of the zombie horror sub-genre and dry British wit. From its title alone, the plot is clear, telling a parodied tale of zombie invasion movies both past and present. Pegg plays Shaun, a useless slacker whose lack of ambition has lost him everything he loves. Along with best friend Ed (Frost) and others, Shaun must navigate the slow invasion of the undead.

Every frame of Shaun of the Dead is meticulously designed to include neat plot information and detailed comedy, with Pegg, Frost, and, most importantly, Wright using every technical aspect available to them to craft a genius comedy movie. Humor comes flying from every angle, with some of the most intricately crafted and innovative jokes audiences are likely to ever see, from the switching of television channels to the accidental detailing of the entire plot at the beginning of the film. Quite simply, Shaun of the Dead is a masterpiece.

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