United Kingdom

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of the United Kingdom}}

The culture of the United Kingdom is influenced by many factors including: the nation's island status; [[History of the United Kingdom|its history]]; and being a [[political union]] of four countries with each preserving elements of distinctive traditions, customs and symbolism. As a result of the [[British Empire]], British influence can be observed in [[English language|the language]], culture and [[Common law|legal systems]] of many of [[List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom|its former colonies]], in particular, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland, a common culture known today as the [[Anglosphere]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Julian Go |title=Constitutionalism and political reconstruction |date=2007 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-15174-1 |editor-last=Arjomand |editor-first=Saïd Amir |pages=92–94 |chapter=A Globalizing Constitutionalism?, Views from the Postcolony, 1945–2000 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kYmmnYKEvE0C&pg=PA94}}</ref>{{Sfn|Ferguson|2004|p=307}} The substantial cultural influence of the United Kingdom has led to it being described as a "[[cultural superpower]]".<ref name="culture">{{Cite journal|url=http://www.britishpoliticssociety.no/British%20Politics%20Review%2001_2011.pdf |title=The cultural superpower: British cultural projection abroad |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916155419/http://www.britishpoliticssociety.no/British%20Politics%20Review%2001_2011.pdf|archive-date=16 September 2018 |url-status=dead |journal=British Politics Review |location=Norway |volume=6 |issue=1 |date=Winter 2011 |issn=1890-4505 |publisher=British Politics Society}}</ref><ref name="sheridan">{{Cite news |last=Sheridan |first=Greg |date=15 May 2010 |title=Cameron has chance to make UK great again |work=The Australian |location=Sydney |url= http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/cameron-has-chance-to-make-uk-great-again/story-e6frg6zo-1225866975992 |access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> A global survey in 2023 ranked the UK 3rd in the 'Most Influential Countries' rankings (behind the US and China).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Most Influential Countries |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/most-influential-countries |access-date=14 March 2024 |website=U.S. News & World Report}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
{{Main|British literature}}
[[File:Title page William Shakespeare's First Folio 1623.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William Shakespeare]]'s [[First Folio]] from 1623; a copy is on display in the [[British Library]].]]
British literature includes literature associated with the United Kingdom, the [[Isle of Man]] and the [[Channel Islands]]. Most British literature is in English. In 2005, some 206,000 books were published in the United Kingdom and in 2006 it was the [[books published per country per year|largest publisher of books]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldfarb, Jeffrey |date=10 May 2006 |title=Bookish Britain overtakes America as top publisher |work=RedOrbit |agency=Reuters |location=Texas |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/499053/bookish_britain_overtakes_america_as_top_publisher |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106093222/http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/499053/bookish_britain_overtakes_america_as_top_publisher |archive-date=6 January 2008}}</ref>

The English playwright and poet [[William Shakespeare]] is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=William Shakespeare (English author) |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/537853/William-Shakespeare |access-date=26 February 2006 |publisher=Britannica Online encyclopedia}}; {{Cite encyclopedia |title=MSN Encarta Encyclopedia article on Shakespeare |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562101/Shakespeare.html |access-date=26 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209154055/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562101/Shakespeare.html |archive-date=9 February 2006}}; {{Cite encyclopedia |title=William Shakespeare |publisher=Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia |url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Shakespeare%2c+William |access-date=26 February 2006}}</ref> The 20th-century English crime writer [[Agatha Christie]] is the [[List of best-selling fiction authors|best-selling novelist]] of all time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 2005 |title=Mystery of Christie's success is solved |work=The Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1505799/Mystery-of-Christies-success-is-solved.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 November 2010 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1505799/Mystery-of-Christies-success-is-solved.html |archive-date=10 January 2022}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> Twelve of the top 25 of 100 novels by British writers chosen by a BBC poll of global critics were written by women; these included works by [[George Eliot]], [[Virginia Woolf]], [[Charlotte Brontë|Charlotte]] and [[Emily Brontë]], [[Mary Shelley]], [[Jane Austen]], [[Doris Lessing]] and [[Zadie Smith]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ciabattari |first=Jane |date=December 2015 |title=The 25 greatest British novels |work=BBC Culture |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20151204-the-25-greatest-british-novels |access-date=29 December 2021}}</ref>

[[Scottish literature|Scotland's contributions]] include [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] (the creator of [[Sherlock Holmes]]), [[Walter Scott|Sir Walter Scott]], [[J. M. Barrie]], [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] and the poet [[Robert Burns]]. More recently [[Hugh MacDiarmid]] and [[Neil M. Gunn]] contributed to the [[Scottish Renaissance]], with grimmer works from [[Ian Rankin]] and [[Iain Banks]]. Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, was UNESCO's first worldwide [[City of Literature]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2004 |title=Edinburgh, United Kingdom, UNESCO City of Literature |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/creativity/creative-industries/creative-cities-network/literature/edinburgh |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528152834/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/creativity/creative-industries/creative-cities-network/literature/edinburgh |archive-date=28 May 2013 |url-status=dead |access-date=9 March 2015 |work=Unesco}}</ref>

Welsh literature includes Britain's oldest known poem, ''[[Y Gododdin]]'', which was composed most likely in the late 6th century. It was written in [[Cumbric language|Cumbric]] or [[Old Welsh]] and contains the earliest known reference to [[King Arthur]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early Welsh poetry |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/language_poetry.shtml |access-date=29 December 2010 |work=BBC Wales}}</ref> The Arthurian legend was further developed by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lang, Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dKJiPyyTevgC |title=History of English Literature from Beowulf to Swinburne |publisher=Wildside Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8095-3229-2 |location=Holicong, PA |page=42 |orig-date=1913}}</ref> Poet [[Dafydd ap Gwilym]] (''fl.'' 1320–1370) is regarded as one of the greatest European poets of his age.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2011 |title=Dafydd ap Gwilym |url=http://www.academi.org/dafydd-ap-gwilym-eng |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324034938/http://www.literaturewales.org/dafydd-ap-gwilym-eng |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=3 January 2011 |website=[[Literature Wales|Academi.org]] |quote=Dafydd ap Gwilym is widely regarded as one of the greatest Welsh poets of all time, and amongst the leading European poets of the Middle Ages.}}</ref> [[Daniel Owen]] is credited as the first Welsh-language novelist, publishing ''[[Rhys Lewis (novel)|Rhys Lewis]]'' in 1885. The best-known of the [[Anglo-Welsh poetry|Anglo-Welsh poets]] are [[Dylan Thomas]] and [[R. S. Thomas]], the latter nominated for the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1996. Leading Welsh novelists of the twentieth century include [[Richard Llewellyn]] and [[Kate Roberts (author)|Kate Roberts]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://newsalerts.bbc.co.uk/1/low/wales/551486.stm |title=True birthplace of Wales's literary hero |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316173733/http://newscdn.bbc.net.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/551486.stm |archive-date=16 March 2020 |url-status=dead |website=BBC News |date=5 December 1999 |access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kate Roberts: Biography |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/halloffame/arts/kateroberts.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120724104228/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/halloffame/arts/kateroberts.shtml |archive-date=24 July 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=19 February 2017 |website=BBC Wales}}</ref>

Irish writers, living at a time when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, include [[Oscar Wilde]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Varty |first=Anne |title=A Preface to Oscar Wilde |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-89231-1 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=A9YFBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA231 231–232]}}; {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Oscar Wilde |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia.com]] |publisher=[[Cengage]] |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/english-literature-19th-cent-biographies/oscar-wilde |access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref> [[Bram Stoker]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moss |first=Joyce |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780787637286 |title=British and Irish Literature and Its Times: The Victorian Era to the Present (1837–) |publisher=Gale Group |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7876-3729-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780787637286/page/107 107] |url-access=registration}}</ref> and [[George Bernard Shaw]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holroyd |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/bernardshaw00holr/page/384 |title=Bernard Shaw, Volume 2: 1898–1918: The Pursuit of Power |publisher=Chatto & Windus |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-7011-3350-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bernardshaw00holr/page/384 384] }}; {{Cite web |title=G B Shaw |url=https://www.bl.uk/people/g-b-shaw |access-date=10 December 2019 |website=Discovering Literature: 20th century |publisher=[[British Library]] |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809155152/https://www.bl.uk/people/g-b-shaw |url-status=dead }}</ref> There have been many authors whose origins were from outside the United Kingdom but who moved to the UK, including [[Joseph Conrad]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Middleton |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Azd1f8NBpUoC&pg=PA159 |title=Joseph Conrad |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-415-26851-6 |page=159}}</ref> [[T. S. Eliot]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cooper |first=John Xiros |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XqmNjQzhwV4C&pg=PA111 |title=The Cambridge Introduction to T. S. Eliot |date=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-45790-3 |page=111}}</ref> [[Kazuo Ishiguro]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sim |first=Wai-chew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WcKLAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT201 |title=Kazuo Ishiguro |date=2009 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-19867-1 |page=201}}</ref> Sir [[Salman Rushdie]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salman Rushdie |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100433765 |access-date=10 December 2019 |website=Oxford Reference |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> and [[Ezra Pound]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=James |date=17 May 2008 |title=Home from home |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/may/17/poetry3 |access-date=10 December 2019}}; {{Cite book |last=Nadel |first=Ira |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ECiGDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA90 |title=Ezra Pound: A Literary Life |date=2004 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan  |isbn=978-0-230-37881-0 |page=90}}</ref>

=== Philosophy ===
{{Main|British philosophy}}
The United Kingdom is famous for the tradition of '[[British Empiricism]]', a branch of the philosophy of knowledge that states that only knowledge verified by experience is valid, and 'Scottish Philosophy', sometimes referred to as the '[[Scottish School of Common Sense]]'.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.rrbltd.co.uk/bibliographies/scottish_v5_bibliog.pdf |title=A bibliography of Scottish common sense philosophy: Sources and origins |publisher=Thoemmes Press |year=2000 |editor-last=Fieser, James |location=Bristol |access-date=17 December 2010 |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409171906/https://www.rrbltd.co.uk/bibliographies/scottish_v5_bibliog.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The most famous philosophers of British Empiricism are [[John Locke]], [[George Berkeley]]{{Efn|Berkeley is in fact Irish but was called a 'British empiricist' due to the territory of what is now known as the [[Republic of Ireland]] being in the UK at the time.}} and [[David Hume]]; while [[Dugald Stewart]], [[Thomas Reid]] and [[Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet|William Hamilton]] were major exponents of the Scottish "common sense" school. Two Britons are also notable for the ethical theory of [[utilitarianism]], a moral philosophy first used by [[Jeremy Bentham]] and later by [[John Stuart Mill]] in his short work ''[[Utilitarianism (book)|Utilitarianism]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Palmer, Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s7y5MJOuN30C&pg=PA66 |title=Moral Problems in Medicine: A Practical Coursebook |publisher=Lutterworth Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-7188-2978-0 |location=Cambridge |page=66}}; {{Cite book |last=Scarre, Geoffrey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8A4xLnzfqYwC&pg=PA82 |title=Utilitarianism |publisher=Routledge |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-415-12197-2 |location=London |page=82}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of the United Kingdom}}
<!----Caution should be taken to ensure that the sections are not simply a listing of names or mini biographies of individuals accomplishments.---->
[[File:Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms 2017.jpg|thumb|[[The Proms]] is a classical music festival, most closely associated with [[Henry Wood]] and held at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], which regularly plays music by [[Edward Elgar]] and other British composers.]]
Various styles of music have become popular in the UK, including the indigenous [[folk music]] of [[Folk music of England|England]], [[Music of Wales#Folk music|Wales]], [[Folk music of Scotland|Scotland]] and [[Folk music of Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland]]. Historically, there has been exceptional Renaissance music from the [[Tudor period]], with masses, madrigals and lute music by [[Thomas Tallis]], [[John Taverner]], [[William Byrd]], [[Orlando Gibbons]] and [[John Dowland]]. After the [[Stuart Restoration]], an English tradition of dramatic masques, anthems and airs became established, led by [[Henry Purcell]], followed by [[Thomas Arne]] and others. The German-born composer [[George Frideric Handel]] became a [[Naturalization|naturalised]] [[British nationality law|British citizen]] in 1727, when he composed the anthem ''[[Zadok the Priest]]'' for the [[coronation of George II]]; it became the traditional ceremonial music for anointing all future monarchs. Handel's many oratorios, such as his famous ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'', were written in the English language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 July 2009 |title=British Citizen by Act of Parliament: George Frideric Handel |url=http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_publications_and_archives/parliamentary_archives/handel_and_naturalisation.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326164147/http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_publications_and_archives/parliamentary_archives/handel_and_naturalisation.cfm |archive-date=26 March 2010 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=UK Parliament}}; {{Cite news |last=Andrews |first=John |date=14 April 2006 |title=Handel all'inglese |work=Playbill |location=New York |url=http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/4236.html |access-date=11 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516210558/http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/4236.html |archive-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> In the second half of the 19th century, as [[Arthur Sullivan]] and his librettist [[W. S. Gilbert]] wrote their popular [[Savoy opera]]s, [[Edward Elgar]]'s wide range of music rivalled that of his contemporaries on the continent. Increasingly, however, composers became inspired by the English countryside and its [[folk music]], notably [[Gustav Holst]], [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], and [[Benjamin Britten]], a pioneer of modern British opera. Among the many post-war composers, some of the most notable have made their own personal choice of musical identity: [[Peter Maxwell Davies]] (Orkney), [[Harrison Birtwistle]] (mythological), and [[John Tavener]] (religious).<ref>{{Cite Grove|title=Great Britain|first1=Nicholas|last1=Iemperley|date = 2002| url =https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O006236 |url-access=subscription}}; {{Cite Grove|title=England (i)|date = 2001| url = https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40044|url-access= subscription|first1=Stephen|last1= Banfield|first2= Ian|last2= Russell}}; {{Cite Grove|title=Wales| date=2001|first1=Geraint|last1= Lewis|first2= Lyn|last2= Davies|first3= Phyllis|last3= Kinney| url =
https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.41108 | url-access=subscription}}; {{Cite Grove|title=Scotland| first1=Kenneth |last1= Elliott| first2= Francis|last2= Collinson| first3= Peggy |last3= Duesenberry |url = https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40113 | url-access = subscription | date = 2001}}; {{Cite Grove|title= Ireland| first1 = Harry |last1=White |first2 = Nicholas| last2= Carolan|
url= https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.13901|url-access= subscription| date = 2011}}; {{Cite web |title=British 20th century composers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zdjw7p3/revision/1 |access-date=21 April 2022 |website=[[BBC]]}}</ref> Today, recent classical singers include: [[Alfie Boe]], [[Bryn Terfel]], [[Katherine Jenkins]], [[Michael Ball]], [[Roderick Williams]], [[Russell Watson]] and [[Sarah Brightman]], while [[Nicola Benedetti]] and [[Nigel Kennedy]] are renowned for their violin ability.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 June 2022 |title=30 of the greatest violinists on record |url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/30-of-the-greatest-violinists-on-record |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Gramophone}};{{Cite web |date=1 January 2020 |title=Katherine Jenkins has officially sold the most classical albums this century |url=https://www.classicfm.com/radio/shows-presenters/classic-fm-chart/katherine-jenkins-most-classical-albums/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Classic FM}};{{Cite web |date=6 May 2023 |title=Who is Roderick Williams, the British baritone and composer at the King's coronation? |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/roderick-williams-composer-baritone-singing-roles/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Classic FM}};{{Cite web |date=23 February 2024 |title=Michael Ball |url=https://www.eno.org/artists/michael-ball-2/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=English National Opera}};{{Cite web |title=Alfie Bow |url=https://www.classicfm.com/artists/alfie-boe/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Classic FM}};{{Cite web |date=11 July 2023|title=Sarah Brightman facts |url=https://www.smoothradio.com/news/music/sarah-brightman-age-husband-songs/ |access-date=4 March 2024 |website=Smooth Radio}}</ref>

According to ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', the term "[[pop music]]" originated in Britain in the mid-1950s to describe [[rock and roll]]'s fusion with the "new youth music".<ref>R. Middleton, et al., [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/book/omo_gmo "Pop"], ''Grove music online'', retrieved 14 March 2010. {{Subscription required}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113160329/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/book/omo_gmo|date=13 January 2011}}</ref> ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music'' states that artists such as [[the Beatles]] and [[the Rolling Stones]] drove pop music to the forefront of popular music in the early 1960s.<ref>"Pop", [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/book/omo_t237 ''The Oxford Dictionary of Music''], retrieved 9 March 2010.{{Subscription required}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171112170116/http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/public/book/omo_t237|date=12 November 2017}}</ref> Birmingham became known as the birthplace of [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]], with the band [[Black Sabbath]] starting there in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Birmingham, England ... the unlikely birthplace of heavy metal |language=en |work=CNN |date=1 July 2011 |first1=Laura |last1=Allsop |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/01/birmingham.home.of.metal/index.html |access-date=28 February 2022 |postscript=;}} {{Cite web |last=Bentley |first=David |date=4 June 2013 |title=Midlands rocks! How Birmingham's industrial heritage made it the birthplace of heavy metal |url=http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/whats-on/music/birmingham-birthplace-of-heavy-metal-4031445 |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=[[Birmingham Post]] |language=en}}</ref> In the following years, Britain widely occupied a part in the development of [[rock music]], with British acts pioneering [[hard rock]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rolling Stones {{!}} Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-rolling-stones-mn0000894465/biography |access-date=22 July 2020 |website=AllMusic |language=en-us}}</ref> [[raga rock]]; [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]];<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tom Larson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vGJ7XmA8rjIC&pg=PA183 |title=History of Rock and Roll |publisher=Kendall/Hunt Pub. |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7872-9969-9 |pages=183–187}}</ref> [[space rock]]; [[glam rock]];<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Glam Rock |url=http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561509274/glam_rock.html |access-date=21 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828224412/http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561509274/glam_rock.html |archive-date=28 August 2009 |encyclopedia=[[Encarta]] }}</ref> [[Gothic rock]],<ref>{{Cite web |year=2004 |title=NME Originals: Goth |url=https://www.nme.com/originals/4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126150121/http://www.nme.com/originals/4 |archive-date=26 January 2008 |access-date=30 September 2013 |website=[[NME]]}}</ref> [[psychedelic rock]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pop/Rock » Psychedelic/Garage |url=https://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/psychedelic-garage-ma0000002800 |access-date=6 August 2020 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> and [[punk rock]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |year=2001 |title=The Sex Pistols |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/TheSexPistols/;kw=%5Bnews,artists,9620,40534,40572%5D |magazine=RollingStone.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201183919/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/TheSexPistols/;kw=%5Bnews,artists,9620,40534,40572%5D |archive-date=1 February 2013 |access-date=24 May 2010}}</ref> British acts also developed [[neo soul]] and created [[dubstep]].<ref>Henderson, Alex (1 August 2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20101104165122/http://allmusic.com/explore/essay/british-soul-t2160 British Soul]. Allmusic. Retrieved 6 March 2011.; [http://www.allmusic.com/style/dubstep-ma0000004465 AllMusic – Dubstep] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923151236/http://www.allmusic.com/style/dubstep-ma0000004465|date=23 September 2017}} "Absorbed and transfigured elements of techno, drum'n' bass and dub"; {{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Vivien |date=31 January 2012 |title=Local Groove Does Good: The Story Of Trip-Hop's Rise From Bristol |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/01/31/142607358/local-groove-does-good-the-story-of-trip-hops-rise-from-bristol}}</ref> The modern UK is known to produce some of the most prominent English-speaking rappers along with the United States, including [[Stormzy]], [[Kano (rapper)|Kano]], [[Yxng Bane]], [[Ramz (rapper)|Ramz]], [[Little Simz]] and [[Skepta]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=5 U.K. Rappers Primed to Take Over America in 2018 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8097878/uk-rappers-to-watch-2018 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=18 June 2018}}</ref>

[[File:The Fabs.JPG|thumb|[[The Beatles]] are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in popular music, selling over a billion records.<ref name="Beatles sales">{{Cite web |title=1960–1969 |url=http://www.emimusic.com/about/history/1960-1969/# |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425011032/http://www.emimusic.com/about/history/1960-1969 |archive-date=25 April 2014 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=EMI Group}}</ref><ref name="McCartney">{{Cite magazine |date=8 June 1992 |title=Paul At Fifty |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975715-2,00.html |magazine=Time |location=New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206120350/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975715-2,00.html |archive-date=6 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="Guinness">[https://books.google.com/books?id=rdU1xtIWJz0C Most Successful Group] ''[[The Guinness Book of Records]]'' 1999, p. 230. Retrieved 19 March 2011.</ref>]]
The Beatles have international sales of over 1&nbsp;billion units and are the [[List of best-selling music artists|biggest-selling]] and [[Cultural impact of the Beatles|most influential band in the history of popular music]].<ref name="Beatles sales"/><ref name="McCartney"/><ref name="Guinness"/><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 November 2010 |title=Beatles a big hit with downloads |work=Belfast Telegraph |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/beatles-a-big-hit-with-downloads-15013117.html |access-date=16 May 2011}}</ref> Other prominent British contributors to have influenced popular music over the last 50 years include the Rolling Stones, [[Pink Floyd]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Led Zeppelin]], the [[Bee Gees]], and [[Elton John]], all of whom have worldwide record sales of 200&nbsp;million or more.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=British rock legends get their own music title for PlayStation3 and PlayStation2 |date=2 February 2009 |publisher=[[EMI]] |url=http://www.emimusic.com/news/2009/singstar®-queen-to-be-launched-by-sony-computer-entertainment-europe |access-date=9 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423012539/http://www.emimusic.com/news/2009/singstar%C2%AE-queen-to-be-launched-by-sony-computer-entertainment-europe |archive-date=23 April 2014}}; {{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Urmee |date=17 July 2008 |title=Sir Elton John honoured in Ben and Jerry ice cream |work=The Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2305273/Sir-Elton-John-honoured-in-Ben-and-Jerry-ice-cream.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730164432/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2305273/Sir-Elton-John-honoured-in-Ben-and-Jerry-ice-cream.html |archive-date=30 July 2008}}; {{Cite news |last=Alleyne |first=Richard |date=19 April 2008 |title=Rock group Led Zeppelin to reunite |work=The Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1562875/Rock-group-Led-Zeppelin-to-reunite.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 March 2010 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1562875/Rock-group-Led-Zeppelin-to-reunite.html |archive-date=10 January 2022}}{{Cbignore}}; {{Cite news |date=11 July 2006 |title=Floyd 'true to Barrett's legacy' |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5170644.stm}}; {{Cite news |last=Holton |first=Kate |date=17 January 2008 |title=Rolling Stones sign Universal album deal |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSL1767761020080117 |access-date=26 October 2008}}; {{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Tim |date=12 May 2008 |title=Jive talkin': Why Robin Gibb wants more respect for the Bee Gees |work=Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jive-talkin-why-robin-gibb-wants-more-respect-for-the-bee-gees-826116.html |access-date=26 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013215157/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jive-talkin-why-robin-gibb-wants-more-respect-for-the-bee-gees-826116.html |archive-date=13 October 2011}}</ref> The [[Brit Awards]] are the [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI's]] annual music awards, and some of the British recipients of the [[Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music|Outstanding Contribution to Music]] award include [[the Who]], [[David Bowie]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Rod Stewart]], [[the Police]], and [[Fleetwood Mac]] (who are a British-American band).<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/feb/22/brit-awards-winners-list-2012 "Brit awards winners list 2012: every winner since 1977"]. ''The Guardian'' (London). Retrieved 28 February 2012.</ref> <!-- Please note that the following list of recent musicians and groups includes only those selling more than 30&nbsp;million records. -->More recent UK music acts that have had international success include [[George Michael]], [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], [[Spice Girls]], [[Radiohead]], [[Coldplay]], [[Arctic Monkeys]], [[Robbie Williams]], [[Amy Winehouse]], [[Susan Boyle]], [[Adele]], [[Ed Sheeran]], [[Lewis Capaldi]], [[One Direction]] and [[Harry Styles]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 January 2020 |title=Harry Styles Has Weathered the Post-Boy Band Storm Better Than Most |url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/01/harry-styles-solo-career |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=Consequence of Sound |language=en-US}}; {{Cite magazine |date=16 July 2020 |title=10 Years of One Direction: The Story of the World's Biggest Boy Band, Told With the Fans Who Made It Happen |magazine=Billboard |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9419436/one-direction-ten-year-anniversary-fan-interviews |access-date=15 September 2020}}; {{Cite news |last=Corner, Lewis |date=16 February 2012 |title=Adele, Coldplay biggest-selling UK artists worldwide in 2011 |work=Digital Spy |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a366130/adele-coldplay-biggest-selling-uk-artists-worldwide-in-2011.html |access-date=22 March 2012}}; {{Cite web |title=Ed Sheeran's career journey: From street busker to global superstar |url=https://planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio/entertainment/celebrity/ed-sheeran-career-timeline/ |access-date=7 January 2023 |website=PlanetRadio.co.uk |last=Magliola |first=Anna Sky |date=30 November 2022}}</ref>

A number of UK cities are known for their music. Acts from Liverpool have had 54 UK chart number 1 hit singles, more per capita than any other city worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=Mark |date=14 January 2008 |title=A tale of two cities of culture: Liverpool vs Stavanger |work=Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/a-tale-of-two-cities-of-culture-liverpool-vs-stavanger-770076.html?r=RSS |access-date=2 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618175425/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/a-tale-of-two-cities-of-culture-liverpool-vs-stavanger-770076.html?r=RSS |archive-date=18 June 2018}}</ref> Glasgow's contribution to music was recognised in 2008 when it was named a [[UNESCO]] [[City of Music (UNESCO)|City of Music]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 August 2008 |title=Glasgow gets city of music honour |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7570915.stm |access-date=2 August 2009}}</ref> Manchester played a role in the spread of dance music such as [[acid house]], and from the mid-1990s, [[Britpop]]. London and Bristol are closely associated with the origins of [[electronic music]] sub-genres such as [[drum and bass]] and [[trip hop]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Out of the melting pot: The origins and evolution of drum'n'bass |url=https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/history-of-drum-and-bass-music |access-date=1 August 2021 |website=Red Bull|date=25 June 2020 }}</ref>

UK dance music traces its roots back to the Black British [[Sound system (Jamaican)|Sound System Culture]] and the [[New Age travellers|New Age Traveller]] movement of the 60s and 70s,<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2023 |title=Parties, protest and police: the neglected histories of UK dance music |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/60511/1/ed-gillet-new-book-party-lines-politics-history-uk-dance-music-clubbing |access-date=27 February 2024 |website=Dazed}}</ref> it also has influences from [[New Wave music|New Wave]] and [[Synth-pop]] such as from bands [[New Order (band)|New Order]] and [[Depeche Mode]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 August 2022 |title=Depeche Mode — Pioneers In Electronic Music |url=https://medium.com/hd-pro/depeche-mode-pioneers-in-electronic-music-1f0e4a984fff |access-date=27 February 2024 |website=Medium}}</ref> and also has influences from the [[House music|Chicago House]] and [[Detroit techno|Detroit Techno]] scenes. In the late 80's, dance music exploded with [[Rave]] culture mainly [[Acid House]] tracks which were made mainstream with novelty records (such as Smart E's [[Sesame's Treet]] and the Prodigy's [[Charly (song)|Charly]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 January 2001 |title=Rave |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/search?q=rave |access-date=27 February 2024 |website=Oxford Music Online}}</ref> and the [[Balearic beat|Balearic sound]] brought back from the Ibiza club scene. This led on to genres such as [[UK Garage]], [[Speed Garage]], [[Drum and bass]], [[Jungle music|Jungle]], [[Trance music|Trance]] and [[Dubstep]]. Influential UK dance acts past and present include [[808 State]], [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]], [[the Prodigy]], [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]], [[Roni Size]], [[Leftfield]], [[Massive Attack]], [[Groove Armada]], [[Fatboy Slim]], [[Faithless]], [[Basement Jaxx]], [[Chemical Brothers]], [[Sub Focus]], [[Chase & Status]], [[Disclosure (band)|Disclosure]], [[Calvin Harris]] and [[Fred Again]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mixmag's Greatest Dance Act of all Time Revealed |date=19 January 2012|url=http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/mixmags-greatest-dance-act-revealed |archive-date=14 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414045620/http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/mixmags-greatest-dance-act-revealed}};{{Cite web |date=26 February 2024 |title=Fred Again: who is the DJ who has thousands queuing for a 'secret rave' at the Sydney Opera House? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/27/fred-again-dj-sydney-opera-house-secret-show-tickets-sell-out-profile-bio-details |access-date=27 February 2024 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> Other influential UK DJs include [[Judge Jules]], [[Pete Tong]], [[Carl Cox]], [[Paul Oakenfold]], [[John Digweed]] and [[Sasha (dj)|Sasha]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top 100 DJs Poll results 2003|url=http://djmag.com/top100chart.asp|archive-date=7 December 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031207071739/http://djmag.com/top100chart.asp}}</ref>

=== Visual art ===
{{Main|Art of the United Kingdom|Architecture of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Morris Evenlode printed textile.jpg|thumb|[[William Morris]] textile design, 1883]]
[[File:Angel of the North - 6150534524.jpg|thumb|The [[Angel of the North]] sculpture by [[Antony Gormley]] has become a symbol of [[northern England]].]]
Major British artists include: the [[Romanticism|Romantics]] [[William Blake]], [[John Constable]], [[Samuel Palmer]] and [[J. M. W. Turner]]; the [[portrait]] painters [[Joshua Reynolds|Sir Joshua Reynolds]] and [[Lucian Freud]]; the landscape artists [[Thomas Gainsborough]] and [[L. S. Lowry]]; the pioneer of the [[Arts and Crafts Movement]] [[William Morris]]; the figurative painter [[Francis Bacon (artist)|Francis Bacon]]; the [[Pop artist]]s [[Peter Blake (artist)|Peter Blake]], [[Richard Hamilton (artist)|Richard Hamilton]] and [[David Hockney]]; the pioneers of [[Conceptual art]] movement [[Art & Language]];<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tate |title=Art & Language – Art Term {{!}} Tate |work=Tate |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/art-language |access-date=8 September 2018}}</ref> the collaborative duo [[Gilbert and George]]; the [[Abstract art|abstract]] artist [[Howard Hodgkin]]; and the sculptors [[Antony Gormley]], [[Anish Kapoor]] and [[Henry Moore]]. During the late 1980s and 1990s the [[Saatchi Gallery]] in London helped to bring to public attention a group of multi-genre artists who would become known as the "[[Young British Artists]]": [[Damien Hirst]], [[Chris Ofili]], [[Rachel Whiteread]], [[Tracey Emin]], [[Mark Wallinger]], [[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]], [[Sam Taylor-Wood]] and the [[Jake and Dinos Chapman|Chapman Brothers]] are among the better-known members of this loosely affiliated movement.

The [[Royal Academy]] in London is a key organisation for the promotion of the visual arts in the United Kingdom. Major schools of art in the UK include: the six-school [[University of the Arts London]], which includes the [[Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design]] and [[Chelsea College of Art and Design]]; [[Goldsmiths, University of London]]; the [[Slade School of Fine Art]] (part of [[University College London]]); the [[Glasgow School of Art]]; the [[Royal College of Art]]; and [[The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art]] (part of the University of Oxford). The [[Courtauld Institute of Art]] is a leading centre for the teaching of the [[history of art]]. Important art galleries in the United Kingdom include the [[National Gallery]], [[National Portrait Gallery (London)|National Portrait Gallery]], [[Tate Britain]] and [[Tate Modern]] (the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7&nbsp;million visitors per year).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bayley |first=Stephen |date=24 April 2010 |title=The startling success of Tate Modern |work=The Times |location=London |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article7105032.ece |access-date=19 January 2011}} {{Subscription required}}</ref>

=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Cinema of the United Kingdom|Theatre of the United Kingdom}}
The United Kingdom has had a considerable influence on the history of the cinema. The British directors [[Alfred Hitchcock]], whose film ''[[Vertigo (film)|Vertigo]]'' is considered by some critics as the [[List of films considered the best|best film of all time]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 August 2012 |title=Vertigo is named 'greatest film of all time' |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19078948 |access-date=18 August 2012}}</ref> and [[David Lean]] who directed [[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]] are among the most critically acclaimed directors of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Directors' Top Ten Directors |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors-directors.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517155218/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/directors-directors.html |archive-date=17 May 2012 |publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref> Recent popular directors include: [[Christopher Nolan]], [[Sam Mendes]], [[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]], [[Danny Boyle]], [[Tony Scott]] and [[Ridley Scott]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 24 Best British Directors of All Time |date=13 May 2023 |url=https://movieweb.com/best-british-directors-of-all-time/ |access-date=17 February 2024 | publisher=Movieweb }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 22 U.K. Film Directors |url=https://www.imdb.com/list/ls062383258/ |access-date=17 February 2024 | publisher=IMDB }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |title=The UK's top 50 film directors |date=23 May 2012 |url=https://www.televisual.com/news/the-uk-s-top-50-film-directors_bid-357/ |access-date=17 February 2024 | publisher=Televisual }}</ref> Many British actors have achieved international fame and critical success. Some of the most commercially successful films of all time have been produced in the United Kingdom, including two of the [[List of highest-grossing film series|highest-grossing film franchises]] (''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' and ''[[James Bond (film series)|James Bond]]'').<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 September 2007 |title=Harry Potter becomes highest-grossing film franchise |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/sep/11/jkjoannekathleenrowling |access-date=2 November 2010}}</ref>

2019 was a particularly good year for British films which grossed around £10.3 billion globally which was 28.7% of global box office revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK Film Industry Statistics 2023 |date=10 April 2023 |url=https://www.socialfilms.co.uk/blog/uk-film-industry-statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217211749/https://www.socialfilms.co.uk/blog/uk-film-industry-statistics |archive-date=17 February 2024 |access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref> UK box-office takings totalled £1.25 billion in 2019, with around 176&nbsp;million admissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The UK box office in 2019 |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-uk-box-office-2019.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217214846/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-uk-box-office-2019.pdf |archive-date=17 February 2024 |access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref> In 2023 UK film and television studio stage space stands at 6.9 million sq ft, with 1 million sq ft added in the past year with more in development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UK Film and Television Studios Market Report |url=https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2439/documents/en/uk-film-and-television-studios-market-2023-10567.pdf |access-date=17 February 2024 | publisher=Knight Frank }}</ref> The annual [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Film Awards]] are hosted by the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 February 2001 |title=Baftas fuel Oscars race |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1190562.stm |access-date=14 February 2011}}</ref>

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|British cuisine}}
{{Further|English cuisine|Northern Irish cuisine|Scottish cuisine|Welsh cuisine}}
[[File:Fish, chips and mushy peas.jpg|thumb|[[Fish and chips]], a traditional British dish served with lemon, tartar sauce and mushy peas]]

British cuisine developed from various influences reflective of its land, settlements, arrivals of new settlers and immigrants, trade and colonialism. The food of England has historically been characterised by its simplicity of approach and a reliance on the high quality of natural produce.<ref>{{harvnb|Else|2007|p=76}}.</ref> The traditional [[Sunday roast]] is one example, featuring a [[roasting|roasted joint]], usually of beef, lamb, chicken or pork, often [[free range]] (and generally grass-fed, in the case of beef). Roasts are served with either roasted or boiled vegetables, [[Yorkshire pudding]], and [[gravy]]. Other traditional meals include [[meat pie]]s and various [[stew]]s. 

A 2019 YouGov poll rated classic British food, the following had more than 80% of people like them who had tried them: Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, Fish and chips, Crumpets, and Full English breakfast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/articles-reports/2019/06/12/classic-british-cuisine-ranked-britons|date=11 June 2019|title=Classic British cuisine ranked by Britons}}</ref> 

The [[British Empire]] facilitated a knowledge of [[Indian cuisine]] with its "strong, penetrating spices and herbs". British cuisine has absorbed the cultural influence of those who have [[Immigration to the United Kingdom since 1922|settled in Britain]], producing hybrid dishes, such as [[chicken tikka masala]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 April 2001 |title=Robin Cook's chicken tikka masala speech |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/19/race.britishidentity |access-date=7 September 2021}}; {{Cite news |last=BBC E-Cyclopedia |date=20 April 2001 |title=Chicken tikka masala: Spice and easy does it |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/1285804.stm |access-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> The British have embraced world cuisine and regularly eat recipes or fast food from Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. 

Sweet foods are common within British cuisine, and there is a long list of [[List of British desserts|British desserts]]. Afternoon tea is a light afternoon meal served with tea in tea rooms and hotels around the United Kingdom, with the tradition dating back to around 1840.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The tea-rific history of Victorian afternoon tea |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/tea-rific-history-victorian-afternoon-tea |access-date=11 April 2023 |publisher=The British Museum}}</ref>

[[Veganism|Vegan]] and [[Vegetarianism in the United Kingdom|vegetarian]] diets have increased in Britain in recent years. In 2021, a survey found that 8% of British respondents eat a plant-based diet and 36% of respondents have a favourable view of plant-based diets.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 December 2021 |title=No meat please, we're British: now a third of us approve of vegan diet |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/dec/25/no-meat-please-were-british-now-a-third-of-us-approve-of-vegan-diet |access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

=== Media ===
{{Main|Media of the United Kingdom}}

[[File:Media City Footbridge and BBC Offices (geograph 2685261).jpg|thumb|[[MediaCityUK]] in [[Salford]], [[Greater Manchester]] is one of the largest media production facilities in Europe.]]
The [[BBC]], founded in 1922, is the UK's publicly funded radio, television and Internet broadcasting corporation, and is the oldest and largest broadcaster in the world.<ref name="MediaNewsline">{{Cite web |title=BBC: World's largest broadcaster & Most trusted media brand |url=http://www.medianewsline.com/news/151/ARTICLE/4930/2009-08-13.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005004930/http://www.medianewsline.com/news/151/ARTICLE/4930/2009-08-13.html |archive-date=5 October 2010 |access-date=23 September 2010 |publisher=Media Newsline}}</ref><ref name="ProspectMag">{{Cite web |title=Digital license |url=http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/?p=64654 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107024637/http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2009/07/digitallicense |archive-date=7 November 2011 |access-date=9 March 2015 |publisher=Prospect}}</ref><ref name="AboutBBC">{{Cite news |title=About the BBC&nbsp;– What is the BBC |work=BBC Online |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/what.shtml |access-date=9 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116202334/http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/what.shtml |archive-date=16 January 2010}}</ref> It operates numerous television and radio stations in the UK and abroad and its domestic services are funded by the [[Television licensing in the United Kingdom|television licence]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Newswire7 |date=13 August 2009 |title=BBC: World's largest broadcaster & Most trusted media brand |url=http://www.medianewsline.com/news/151/ARTICLE/4930/2009-08-13.html |journal=Media Newsline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510090842/http://www.medianewsline.com/news/151/ARTICLE/4930/2009-08-13.html |archive-date=10 May 2011 |access-date=19 June 2011}}; {{Cite web |date=April 2010 |title=TV Licence Fee: facts & figures |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/licencefee.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427080539/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/licencefee.shtml |archive-date=27 April 2011 |publisher=BBC Press Office}}</ref> The [[BBC World Service]] is an [[International broadcasting|international broadcaster]] owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest of any kind.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft Word – The Work of the BBC World Service 2008–09 HC 334 FINAL.doc |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmfaff/334/334.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021001645/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmfaff/334/334.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2020 |access-date=16 February 2011}}</ref> It broadcasts radio news, speech and discussions in more than 40 languages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=News in your language – BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/ws/languages |website=Bbc.co.uk}}; {{Cite web |title=BBC World Service |url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Media-News-Company/bbcworldservice/about |website=Facebook.com}}</ref>

Other major players in the UK media include [[ITV plc|ITV]], which operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV Network]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publications & Policies: The History of ITV |url= http://www.itv.com/aboutitv/publications-policies |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110411224117/http://www.itv.com/aboutitv/publications-policies |archive-date=11 April 2011 |website=ITV.com}}</ref> and [[Sky UK|Sky]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Direct Broadcast Satellite Television |url= http://www.newscorp.com/operations/dbst.html |journal=News Corporation |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110604095622/http://www.newscorp.com/operations/dbst.html |archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> Newspapers produced in the United Kingdom include the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[The Daily Telegraph|''The Telegraph'']], ''[[The Times]]'', and the ''[[Financial Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 October 2008 |title=ABCs: National daily newspaper circulation September 2008 |work=The Guardian |location=London |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/table/2008/oct/10/abcs-pressandpublishing |access-date=17 October 2008}}</ref> Magazines and journals published in the United Kingdom that have achieved worldwide circulation include ''[[The Spectator]]'', ''[[The Economist]]'', ''[[New Statesman]]'', and ''[[Radio Times]].''

London dominates the media sector in the UK: national newspapers and television and radio are largely based there, although [[MediaCityUK]] in Manchester is also a significant national media centre. Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Cardiff, are important centres of newspaper and broadcasting production in Scotland and Wales, respectively.<ref>William, D. (2010). [https://books.google.com/books?id=7yg45P35KDMC ''UK Cities: A Look at Life and Major Cities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland'']. Eastbourne: Gardners Books. {{ISBN|978-9987-16-021-1}}, pp. 22, 46, 109 and 145.</ref> The UK publishing sector, including books, directories and databases, journals, magazines and business media, newspapers and news agencies, has a combined turnover of around £20&nbsp;billion and employs around 167,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publishing |url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/creative_industries/3280.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505104322/http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/creative_industries/3280.aspx |archive-date=5 May 2011 |publisher=Department of Culture, Media and Sport}}</ref> In 2015, the UK published 2,710 book titles per million inhabitants, more than any other country, much of this being exported to other [[Anglophone]] countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=2016 |title=Annual Report 2015–2016 |url=https://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/reports/Annual_Report_2016/IPA_Annual_Report_2015-2016_interactive.pdf |access-date=14 January 2021 |website=www.internationalpublishers.org |publisher=International Publishers Association |page=16 |archive-date=31 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831205753/https://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/reports/Annual_Report_2016/IPA_Annual_Report_2015-2016_interactive.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2010, 82.5 per cent of the UK population were Internet users, the highest proportion among the 20 countries with the largest total number of users in that year.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Top 20 countries with the highest number of Internet users |url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm |journal=Internet World Stats |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610104435/http://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm |archive-date=10 June 2011 |access-date=19 June 2011}}</ref> The [[Video games in the United Kingdom|British video game industry]] is the largest in Europe, and, since 2022, the UK has the [[List of video games markets by country|largest video game market]] in Europe by sales, overtaking [[Video games in Germany|Germany]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dring |first=Christopher |date=12 January 2023 |title=European console and PC game sales fall 7.1% in 2022 |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/european-console-and-pc-game-sales-fall-71-over-2021 |access-date=30 September 2023 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |language=en}}</ref> It is the world's third-largest producer of video games after [[Video games in Japan|Japan]] and the [[Video games in the United States|United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About UK Video Games Industry |url=https://tiga.org/about-tiga-and-our-industry/about-uk-video-games-industry |access-date=6 June 2023 |website=TIGA |language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Sport ===
{{Main|Sport in the United Kingdom|Great Britain at the Olympics}}
[[File:City vs United FA Cup final 2023.jpg|thumb|right|The [[2023 FA Cup final]] at [[Wembley Stadium]] between [[Manchester City]] and [[Manchester United]]]]
[[File:Old 18th tee lr.jpg|thumb|right|Golf originated from the [[Old Course at St Andrews]] in Scotland.]]

[[Association football]], [[tennis]], [[table tennis]], [[badminton]], [[rugby union]], [[rugby league]], [[rugby sevens]], [[golf]], [[boxing]], [[netball]], [[water polo]], [[field hockey]], [[English billiards|billiards]], [[darts]], [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]], [[rounders]] and [[cricket]] originated or were substantially developed in the UK, with the rules and codes of many modern sports invented and codified in late 19th-century [[Victorian Britain]].{{efn|In 2012, the President of the IOC, [[Jacques Rogge]], stated, "This great, sports-loving country is widely recognised as the birthplace of modern sport. It was here that the concepts of sportsmanship and fair play were first codified into clear rules and regulations. It was here that sport was included as an educational tool in the school curriculum".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Games_London_2012/London_2012_Opening_ceremony_Speech_Jacques_Rogge.pdf |title=Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXX Olympiad |website=Olympic.org |access-date=30 November 2013 |date=27 July 2012 |archive-date=19 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819135346/http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Games_London_2012/London_2012_Opening_ceremony_Speech_Jacques_Rogge.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oly-preview-ad-idUKBRE86M0I720120723 |title=Unparalleled Sporting History |work=Reuters |access-date=30 November 2013 |last=Mehaffey |first=John |location=London |archive-date=25 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525164121/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-oly-preview-ad-idUKBRE86M0I720120723 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

A 2003 poll found that football is the most popular sport in the UK.<ref name="sports poll">{{Cite web |date=22 December 2003 |title=Rugby Union 'Britain's Second Most Popular Sport' |url=http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/928/Rugby-Union-Britains-Second-Most-Popular-Sport.aspx |access-date=28 April 2013 |publisher=Ipsos-Mori}}</ref> England is recognised by [[FIFA]] as the birthplace of club football, and the [[Football Association]] is the oldest of its kind, with the [[Laws of the Game (association football)|rules of football]] first drafted in 1863 by [[Ebenezer Cobb Morley]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rudd |first=Alyson |date=7 April 2008 |title=The father of football deserves much more |work=The Times |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article3694775.ece |url-access=subscription |access-date=29 January 2015}}; {{Cite web |date=24 October 2007 |title=Sheffield FC: 150 years of history |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=621801.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025033006/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=621801.html |archive-date=25 October 2007 |access-date=29 January 2015 |publisher=[[FIFA]]}}</ref> Each of the [[Home Nations]] (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has its own football association, national team and [[league system]], and each is individually a governing member of the [[International Football Association Board]] alongside FIFA. The English top division, the [[Premier League]], is the most watched football league in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ebner |first=Sarah |date=2 July 2013 |title=History and time are key to power of football, says Premier League chief |work=The Times |location=London |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/ceo-summit/article3804923.ece |url-access=subscription |access-date=30 November 2013}}</ref> The first international football match was contested by [[England national football team|England]] and [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] on 30&nbsp;November 1872.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchell, Paul |author-link=Paul Mitchell (broadcaster) |date=November 2005 |title=The first international football match |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/sportscotland/asportingnation/article/0012/index.shtml |access-date=15 December 2013 |publisher=BBC Sport Scotland}}</ref> England, Scotland, [[Wales national football team|Wales]] and [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] usually compete as separate countries in international competitions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harlow |first=Phil |date=5 August 2008 |title=Why is there no GB Olympics football team? |work=[[BBC Sport]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/football/7529807.stm |access-date=31 December 2010}}</ref>

In 2003, rugby union was ranked the second most popular sport in the UK.<ref name="sports poll" /> The sport was created in [[Rugby School]], Warwickshire, and the [[1871 England versus Scotland rugby union match|first rugby international]] took place on 27&nbsp;March 1871 between [[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-25946757 |title=Six ways the town of Rugby helped change the world |work=BBC News |access-date=29 January 2015 |date=1 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Godwin |first1=Terry |last2=Rhys |first2=Chris |year=1981 |title=The Guinness Book of Rugby Facts & Feats |page=10 |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |isbn=978-0-85112-214-4}}</ref> England, Scotland, [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]], [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]], [[France national rugby union team|France]] and [[Italy national rugby union team|Italy]] compete in the [[Six Nations Championship]], which is the premier international rugby union tournament in the northern hemisphere. [[Sports governing bodies]] in [[Rugby union in England|England]], [[Rugby union in Scotland|Scotland]], [[Rugby union in Wales|Wales]] and [[Rugby union in Ireland|Ireland]] organise and regulate the game separately.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Louw, Jaco |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-IiowvNomMC&pg=PA95 |title=The Girlfriends Guide to Rugby |last2=Nesbit, Derrick |publisher=South Publishers |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-620-39541-0 |location=Johannesburg}}</ref> Every four years, the Home Nations make a combined team known as the [[British and Irish Lions]] which tours Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The United Kingdom hosted the [[Summer Olympic Games]] in [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]], [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948]] and [[2012 Summer Olympics|2012]], with London acting as the host city on all three occasions. Birmingham hosted the [[2022 Commonwealth Games]], the seventh time a [[Countries of the United Kingdom|constitute country in the United Kingdom]] hosted the [[Commonwealth Games]] (England, Scotland and Wales have each hosted the Commonwealth Games at least once).<ref>{{Cite news |title=The journey of India in Commonwealth Games in 2022 |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/allaboutsports/the-journey-of-india-in-commonwealth-games-in-2022-44477/ |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref>

=== Symbols ===
{{Main|Symbols of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man|l1 = Symbols of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 - Platinum Pageant (52123378222).jpg|thumb|Union Jack flags on [[The Mall, London|The Mall]], London]]
The [[flag of the United Kingdom]] is the [[Union Flag]] (also referred to as the Union Jack).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Union Jack or Union Flag? |url=https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/uk-flags/the-union-jack-or-the-union-flag |access-date=26 September 2022 |website=The Flag Institute |language=en-GB}}</ref> It was created in 1606 by the superimposition of the [[flag of England]], representing [[Saint George]], on the [[flag of Scotland]], representing [[Saint Andrew]], and was updated in 1801 with the addition of [[Saint Patrick's Flag]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=college-of-arms.gov.uk |url=https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/union-flag-approved-designs |access-date=14 January 2022 |publisher=The College of Arms}}</ref> Wales is not represented in the Union Flag, as Wales had been conquered and annexed to England prior to the formation of the United Kingdom. The possibility of redesigning the Union Flag to include representation of Wales has not been completely ruled out.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 November 2007 |title=Welsh dragon call for Union flag |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7114248.stm |access-date=17 October 2008}}</ref> The [[national anthem]] of the United Kingdom is "[[God Save the King]]", with "King" replaced with "Queen" in the lyrics whenever the monarch is a woman.

[[Britannia]] is a [[national personification]] of the United Kingdom, originating from [[Roman Britain]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Britannia on British Coins |url=http://www.24carat.co.uk/britanniaframe.html |access-date=25 June 2006 |publisher=Chard}}</ref> Beside [[The Lion and the Unicorn]] and the [[Welsh Dragon|dragon]] of heraldry, the [[bulldog]] is an iconic animal and commonly represented with the Union Flag.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Steve |title=Picturing the Beast |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-252-07030-3 |page=52}}</ref> A now rare personification is a character originating in the 18th century, [[John Bull]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=Who is John Bull |url=https://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/jan04/johnbull.html |access-date=11 January 2022 |publisher=The Library of Congress}}</ref>

[[National symbols of England|England]], [[National symbols of Wales|Wales]], and [[National symbols of Scotland|Scotland]] each have a number of their own national symbols, including their national flags. [[National symbols of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland]] also has a number of symbols, many of which are shared with [[Republic of Ireland]].