We have published a guide to the best series on BBC iPlayer which tells you that BBC dramas are safe to leave for later, because the BBC owns them and they are not going anywhere.
For films, that rule inverts completely.
The BBC makes drama. It does not make many films. So almost everything in iPlayer’s film catalogue is licensed in from somebody else — Halloween, The Shining, Sicario, Moonlight, Minions, The Nice Guys, none of them a BBC production — and every one of those is on a fixed-term deal.
Which means: if a film on iPlayer appeals to you, watch it this week. Not next month.
How long you have
The standard iPlayer window is 30 days. The BBC has extended much of its own content to as long as a year, but that applies to BBC programming rather than acquisitions. Sport is shorter still, because the rights are.
So a film sitting on iPlayer is on a clock you cannot see, and the title page will usually tell you how long is left. Check it before you commit to anything.
This also means this list will age faster than anything else we publish. The titles below were confirmed in June. Several will have gone. We are telling you that rather than pretending otherwise, and our guide to finding which service has a film in the UK covers how to check what is there today.
One other thing: iPlayer legally requires a TV Licence, for on demand as well as live. Our guide to TV Licence rules for streaming sets out exactly when you need one.
The two to watch first
Aftersun
A man takes his eleven-year-old daughter on a cheap package holiday in Turkey. She films some of it on a camcorder. Twenty years later she watches the tapes back.
That is the whole film and it is devastating, because it is about what a child cannot see in a parent and what an adult understands too late. Paul Mescal is extraordinarily good in it, and Charlotte Wells won a BAFTA for writing and directing her first feature.
If you watch one thing from this list, this.
Scrapper
A twelve-year-old girl living alone in a London flat after her mother’s death, keeping up the pretence that an uncle is looking after her, until the father who left turns up.
Charlotte Regan’s first film, and an award-winner. Worth noting that her follow-up, Mint, is also on iPlayer as a series — we recommended it in our guide to the best series on iPlayer. Watching both back to back is a good evening.
Also award-winning
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret — the Judy Blume adaptation, with Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates. The script took a long run of critics’ awards and it is far better than the premise suggests to anyone who has not read the book.
- The End We Start From — Jodie Comer, flooded London, a new baby. She won Best Lead Performance at the British Independent Film Awards for it.
- Moonlight — the Best Picture winner, in three parts across one life. Among the highest-rated films on the service.
If you want something less demanding
The Nice Guys
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as mismatched investigators in 1970s Los Angeles. Shane Black writing dialogue, which is the point. Gosling is very funny in it and almost nobody saw it.
Defiance
Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George Mackay as the Bielski brothers, who escaped Nazi-occupied Belarus and led a community of refugees through the forest. A true story and a solid thriller.
Sicario
Denis Villeneuve’s border thriller, with Emily Blunt out of her depth and Benicio del Toro entirely in his. The tunnel sequence is as tense as anything in modern cinema.
Arthur The King
Mark Wahlberg, an endurance race, and a stray dog. Exactly what it looks like and perfectly good at it.
Classics and horror
- Halloween — Carpenter’s 1978 original, which invented most of what followed and is still more frightening than any of it.
- The Shining — among the highest-rated on the service.
- Bringing Up Baby — Hepburn, Grant and a leopard. The best screwball comedy ever made.
- What’s Up, Doc? — Bogdanovich doing the same thing in 1972, and nearly matching it.
- The Silence of the Lambs — needs no introduction.
Family
Minions: The Rise of Gru, with the rest of the Despicable Me films turning up periodically. The Book of Life is the better recommendation though — a vibrant animated adventure built around the Day of the Dead, with a voice cast that takes it seriously.
An honest comparison
Worth saying plainly: iPlayer is not the best free service for films in Britain. Channel 4 is.
Channel 4 carries All Of Us Strangers, Nope, The Woman King, Empire of Light, East Is East, Charade and Wrath of Man. That is a stronger film catalogue than iPlayer’s, and our guide to Channel 4 streaming covers the rest of what is there — including the UKTV catalogue it picked up in January.
ITVX has Amélie and Some Like It Hot, plus a decent run of action and family films, as our guide to the best series on ITVX notes alongside the drama.
So for films specifically, the order is Channel 4, then ITVX, then iPlayer — which reverses the ranking for drama entirely. Our guide to free films on UK streaming covers all three together, and our guide to free versus paid streaming works through how much of this replaces a subscription.
Where to start
- Aftersun, if you want the best film on the service.
- Scrapper, then Mint as a series, for a double bill by the same director.
- The Nice Guys, if you want to enjoy yourself.
- Halloween, if it is October.
- Bringing Up Baby, if you have never seen a screwball comedy properly.
- The Book of Life, if there are children about.
And check the expiry on the title page before you save any of them for the weekend.
Common questions
What is the best film on BBC iPlayer?
Aftersun, comfortably. Scrapper is the other one worth seeking out, and both are British award-winners.
How long do films stay on BBC iPlayer?
Usually 30 days. BBC programming can run up to a year, but films are almost all licensed in and have shorter windows. The title page shows how long is left.
Why do films disappear from iPlayer?
Because the BBC does not own them. Unlike its drama, iPlayer’s film catalogue is licensed from other studios on fixed terms.
Do I need a TV Licence to watch films on iPlayer?
Yes. A licence is legally required for iPlayer, on demand as well as live.
Which free UK service has the best films?
Channel 4, then ITVX, then iPlayer. That is the reverse of the ranking for drama.
Are there new films on iPlayer every month?
Yes, and they rotate out just as quickly. Treat the film section as something to check rather than browse occasionally.
The short version
Watch Aftersun. Then Scrapper, followed by Mint. Everything in iPlayer’s film catalogue is licensed rather than BBC-made, so unlike its drama, none of it is safe to leave for later — the default window is 30 days and the title page will tell you what is left. And for films specifically, Channel 4 has the better free catalogue.
For the whole free field, see our guide to free streaming in the UK.
