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SLIDESHOW: 40 Brits Who Mattered in 2011

By Kevin Wicks | Posted on December 12th, 2011

: For better or for worse, these 40 Brits kept the world in their thrall in 2011. Click the photo above to advance in the gallery. (AP Photo/John Stillwell, Pool)

: The unlikely pop star from London was just named Billboard’s artist of 2011, scoring two U.S. No. 1 singles, a multiplatform album, and six Grammy nominations, appealing to a broad audience with her retro, blue-eyed soul. Unstoppable. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)

: The 85-year-old voice of God for BBC’s natural history hits remains a national treasure, and his latest program Frozen Planet received almost breathless critical acclaim. (Press Association via AP Images)

: Not since Cher‘s heyday has a piece of headgear caused so much controversy. At the royal wedding, Fergie‘s daughter Princess Beatrice wore a Philip Treacy-designed distraction that inspired Photoshop projects, internet memes, and even a Disney homage. It was later auctioned off for charity, making the ridicule well worth it. (Press Association via AP Images)

: Sorry, Natalie Portman: the arrival of the first female sprog for David and Victoria Beckham was the most-feted celebrity birth of the year. (AP Photo/Victoria Beckham/Twitter via PA)

: The News of the World hacking scandal tarnished the career, forcing her to vacate her role as chief executive of Rupert Murdoch‘s News International. We don’t know what got more attention: the golden parachute she received upon her exit, or her Carrot Top-esque mane, providing ample material for comedians worldwide. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: The lady’s still got it: after a six-year hiatus, music’s leading explorer of the sensual world unveiled some of her more daring work to date with 50 Words For Snow.

: Between the global economic crisis, the phone-hacking scandal, and the riots that threatened to send the country into chaos, the Prime Minister has had a challenging year, all on the eve of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Summer Games in London. (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

: After her BAFTA win and Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The King’s Speech, Hollywood is finally showing appreciation for the eccentric talent. Her devotees needed no extra push: she was voted Anglophenia’s Woman of 2011 in our fan favorites tournament. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

: 2011 was supposed to be the year of Cheryl, and it was, for all the wrong reasons. The beloved former judge of the British X Factor was ferried across the pond for Simon Cowell‘s American version, only to be handed her walking papers within days.(Press Association via AP Images)

: American Idol, the show that made him a household name, appeared to thrive this past season in his absence (with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler), and the U.S. version of his British show X Factor launched to good but not great viewership. Meanwhile, he’ll return to Britain’s Got Talent to help plug that show’s bleeding ratings. (Photo by Michael Becker/Fox/PictureGroup)

: The Sherlock star’s talent has been known to fans of UK television for years, and finally Hollywood has come calling: in this year alone, he’s had roles in the Oscar-bait films The Whistleblower, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and War Horse. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

: Thor provided a huge leap on Idris’s inevitable march to movie stardom, but it was his Emmy-nominated part as an obsessive, hard-living cop on BBC America’s Luther that most demonstrated his potential. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

: The matinee idol — whose drenched undergarments in Pride & Prejudice titillated a generation of Austen devotee — finally saw his acting talent validated with a Best Actor Oscar for playing King George VI in The King’s Speech. (Photo by Evan Agostini/PictureGroup)

: With a BAFTA for Sherlock and the lead role in The Hobbit in his possession, the longtime funnyman has crossed over to drama with aplomb. (AP Photo/Paul Jeffers)

: He was THISCLOSE to taking over Charlie Sheen’s spot on the CBS hit comedy Two and a Half Men. (And how amazing would that have been?) But this year’s phone-hacking scandal provided the Four Weddings and a Funeral star with his best role yet: as an alleged victim, he seized the opportunity to rail against the UK press (with whom he has had a strained relationship for years). (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

: The Scottish producer and sometime singer hitched his prospects to Rihanna, and it paid off handsomely: “We Found Love” has been the smash of fall 2011. (Press Association via AP Images)

: In 2011, he reportedly caused a well-received ruckus at the royal wedding dance, dumped his lingerie-model girlfriend, and began training for a return to active duty in Afghanistan. The Prince Who Will Not Be Tamed continues to zig when royal followers expect him to zag, which makes him so fun to watch. (AP Photo/Kai-Uwe Knoth)

: She made England shake with her eighth proper album and took home the Mercury Prize for the second time, the first artist to every pull off such a feat. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: The most-boosted British newcomer of the year conquered the UK charts but could not repeat those successes stateside. Still, “Price Tag” became a minor radio hit in America, and the willingness of U.S. artists (like B.o.B.) to work with her suggests a bright future. (AP Photo/Mark Allan)

: If 2009 belonged to Carey Mulligan and 2010 the year of Andrea Riseborough, 2011 firmly belonged to Brit It girl Felicity Jones, whose totally improvised performance in the Sundance hit Like Crazy is eliciting serious Best Actress buzz. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

: Those on this side of the pond know her best of the hedonistic Ivana Trump-lookalike Patsy Stone on Absolutely Fabulous, a role that she’ll reprise next month. But her political activism has kept her in the news in recent years, including a callout in the Radio Times against the “slack morals” of British children. (Ian West/PA Wire)

: How the Beatle got his groove back: Sir Paul married third wife Nancy Shevell and put the drama of Heather Mills well behind him. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

: The media circus surrounding their nuptials turned all eyes on London in a way not seen since the last major royal event, the 1981 wedding of Charles and Diana. We know how that one ended, but with William and Kate, we’re still caught up in the fantasy. Will 2012 bring an addition to the royal family? We’ll be watching, along with the rest of the world… (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, file)

: If the royal wedding produced a new star, her name was “Pippa.” Kate’s sister donned a form-fitting white gown that provided ample eye candy for male viewers, some of whom we’re sure were coerced into watching the early-morning festivities. (AP Photo/Clara Molden, Pool)

: The Doctor Who visionary brought the 48-year-old sci-fi series to film in the U.S. for the first time — saw the show’s American profile skyrocket as a result. His success is not going unnoticed by Hollywood: Steven Spielberg handpicked him to write The Adventures of Tintin. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/PictureGroup)

: Between creating the Mad Men-era British drama The Hour and penning the scripts for the sexually explicit Shame (with Steve McQueen) and the Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady, was there a screenwriter with more diverse output this year? (AP Photo/Jonathan Short)

: As the replacement for Larry King Live, Morgan’s CNN show entered 2011 with the winds of a publicity machine behind it. Those breezes have failed to keep Piers Morgan Live aloft: it has struggled in the ratings. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

: If Adele was Britain’s most successful musical export commercially in 2011, indie electro band Metronomy, led by songwriter and frontman Joe Mount, proved the country’s anointed critical darling of the year. The band’s subtle, dreamy pop album The English Riviera has sauntered onto dozens of year-end lists. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: The news exec became the story himself this year as the Murdoch empire was engulfed in a phone-hacking scandal that resulted in the closure of the News of the World tabloid. And the young Murdoch bore witness to one of the most farcical moments of 2011, as his 80-year-old father Rupert was smashed in the face with a pie during a government hearing. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

: Overlooked so many times for awards while his showier, equally talented contemporary Daniel Day Lewis collected trophy after trophy, Oldman might finally have a shot at the podium for his feverishly lauded performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

: It may have been William and Kate’s year, but the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also took center stage in 2011, with the Queen making an historic visit to Ireland and the Duke celebrating his 90th birthday in epic fashion. The party will continue into 2012, as Her Majesty will mark 60 years on the throne with her Diamond Jubilee. (Press Association via AP Images)

: The lucrative Harry Potter franchise may be ending, but Radcliffe is well-prepared for a post-Hogwarts future. He impressed denizens of Broadway with a show-stopping, heel-kicking performance in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

: Anglophenia’s Man of 2011 has Oscar buzz for his final Harry Potter film and Tony talk for his Broadway work in the comedy Seminar. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

: The conclusion of the Harry Potter begged the question: what will Ms. Rowling do as a follow-up to the one of the most successful book series in history? One answer: more Potter, as in a new website called Pottermore. (Ian West/PA Wire)

: She’s one of Britain’s most revered actresses, but her sharp-tongued turn on Downton Abbey has refreshed our appreciation of the soon-to-be 77-year-old star. She won an Emmy for her efforts this year. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: The lean, unconventionally handsome Eleventh Doctor has reached rock star status, defeating a slew of more “famous” film stars at the fan-voted Scream Awards and demonstrating his range as pioneering gay author Christopher Isherwood in the BBC telefilm Christopher and His Kind. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

: Not even the tabloid sensationalism of her struggles could eclipse the enormity of her talent. A huge loss. (Agencia Estado via AP Images)

: Winslet won an Emmy for Mildred Pierce and has Carnage coming out this week, but it was her real-life role rescuing Richard Branson’s mother in a towering, hurricane-fueled inferno that makes her Superheroine of the Year. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

: Let us know in the comments below. (Press Association via AP Images)

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