Gallery: The Brits Who Defined 2012

With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics, Bond’s 50th anniversary, and Doctor Who putting all eyes on the UK in the past twelve months, who were the British celebrities who made 2012 the remarkable year that was? Click on any of the photos below to launch our gallery.

: Queen Elizabeth II: Is there a stronger candidate for Brit of 2012? Britain mobilized behind their 86-year-old monarch to celebrate her 60 years on the throne. And her appearance as a Bond girl in the Olympics opening ceremony only heightened her cool factor. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

: Danny Boyle: The Oscar-winning maestro may have received the best reviews of his career for his expert shepherding of the London Olympics opening ceremony, which set the tone for the hugely successful Games. With its Voldemort/Mary Poppins battle and ambitious embrace of British history in its entirety, Boyle’s set was as much of a fever dream as ‘Trainspotting,’ with even better music. (Photo by Jonathan Short/Invision/AP)

: Matt Smith: The now 30-year-old ‘Doctor Who’ actor cemented his status as a star of his generation, his face and iconic bowtie appearing on the front covers of both Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide Magazine. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

: One Direction: Consisting of four Brits and an Irishman, this boy band revivified teen pop and, sorry Beatles, became the first U.K. group to land their first two albums at the top of the Billboard 200. And don’t pretend like you didn’t love the sun-dappled “That What Makes You Beautiful.” (Press Association via AP Images)

: Mohamed “Mo” Farah: The Somali-born British long-distance runner pulled off the Olympic double of winning gold in 5,000 and 10,000 meter races. Farah’s signature ‘Mobot’ rivaled Gangnam Style as a dance craze in the UK. (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge: News of a royal pregnancy was greeted with jubilation, eclipsing the topless photo ordeal that rocked the royal couple. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: Daniel Day-Lewis: The two-time Oscar winner made his own case for the title of “Best Actor Alive” with his performance as the 16th President in Steven Spielberg’s highly regarded “Lincoln.” An unprecedented third Best Actor Oscar seems almost a foregone conclusion. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP Images)

: Tom Daley: The 18-year-old, oft-shirtless pinup proved he’s more than just a Pepsodent smile and a relief map of abs: he became the pride of England with a surprise bronze medal in individual men’s diving at the London Olympics. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: Daniel Craig: Sean Connery may remain widely revered, but Daniel Craig suggested he just might be the best Bond ever with his hard-edged performance in the latest and most successful 007 flick, ‘Skyfall.’ (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

: Dame Judi Dench: News that the Oscar winner was suffering from a degenerative eye disorder may have sparked some fears about her career, but the 78-year-old actress defied the industry’s ageism and sparkled at the center of the two biggest British films of 2012, the Bond film ‘Skyfall’ and the ensemble drama ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.’ (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

: The Wanted: A more adult alternative to One Direction’s post-pubescent innocence, this laddish quintet defied odds and scored an inescapable dance hit with ‘Glad You Came.’ And they even achieved some social media notoriety with a well-publicized feud with Christina Aguilera. Very glad they came, indeed. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP)

: Andy Murray: And they said it would never happen. After a Wimbledon defeat at the hands of nemesis Roger Federer, the Scotsman put the haters in check, first avenging that loss with Olympic gold over Federer and securing his first Grand Slam title with a hard-fought victory over Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open finals. He’s the first British man in three-quarters of a century to win a Grand Slam singles championship. (Rex Features via AP Images)

: Tom Hiddleston: The RADA-trained thespian can boast appearances in the year’s biggest blockbuster (‘The Avengers’) and one of 2012′s most respected films, ‘The Deep Blue Sea.’ His fans – who call themselves ‘the Hiddles Army’ – led him to victory over Benedict Cumberbatch in Anglophenia’s annual Anglo Fan Favorites tournament back in July. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

: Robert Pattinson: The “Twilight” movie probably wouldn’t have been enough to land on him on the list, but being the victim of the year’s juiciest sex scandal certainly does. When photos appeared of girlfriend/”Twilight” co-star Kristen Stewart cavorting with her “Snow White and the Huntsmen” director Rupert Sanders, Pattinson received an outpouring of sympathy and ice cream consolation from Jon Stewart. (AP Photo/Starpix, Dave Allocca)

: Adele: And we thought she couldn’t top 2011. The British chanteuse emerged stronger than ever after a throat surgery that jeopardized her career, winning six Grammys, seeing her ’21′ album gain diamond status from Billboard, recording a James Bond theme that could land her an Oscar, and garnering the biggest title of them all: mom.

: Prince Harry: What happened in Vegas certainly didn’t stay in Vegas. The ginger-haired prince, who had rehabilitated his wild child image over the years, faced fresh controversy when TMZ published nude photos of him in a Las Vegas hotel. (Agencia Estado via AP Images)

: EL James: ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ was the naughty book we saw everywhere – on subways, in coffee shops, in the possession of celebrities – and author EL James became 2012′s JK Rowling, Britain’s latest critic-proof literary phenom. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Invision/AP)

: Plan B: The talented British rapper reaped success on the big screen – appearing opposite Ray Winstone in the movie remake of the popular British cop series ‘The Sweeney.’ And he released the most vividly realized song of 2012, the hard-hitting ‘ill Manors,’ which dramatized last year’s London riots. (AP Photo /Mark Allan)

: James Corden: The ‘Gavin and Stacey’ star would seem an unlikely Best Actor in a Play Tony winner against James Earl Jones, Frank Langella, John Lithgow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Unlikely, only if you hadn’t seem his revelatory, hilarious work as Francis Henshall in the Broadway farce “One Man, Two Guvnors.” In his Tony speech, Corden charmed the socks off the audience, thanking his “baby mama.” (AP Photo/John Marshall JME)

: Ed Sheeran: The gangly singer-songwriter with a perpetually mussed ginger ‘fro received a huge global platform for his boyish brand of folk: the pimp slot at the Olympics closing ceremony. His Song of the Year Grammy nomination for ‘The A-Team’ shows his growing U.S. following. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file)

: Damian Lewis: Claire Danes may score the loudest plaudits as star of the critically slobbered-over ‘Homeland.’ But Brit star Damian Lewis’ contributions to the gripping Showtime series are undeniable, and he was recognized with a well-deserved Emmy back in September. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

: Bradley Wiggins: the 32-year-old cyclist became the rare champion to be proud of in a time when his sport has been widely disgraced. Wiggins triumphed at this year’s Tour de France, becoming the race’s first British winner ever, and followed that victory up with Olympic gold. A knighthood awaits. (AP Photo/Jerome Prevost, Pool, File)

: Benedict Cumberbatch: When did busy busy Benedict have time for sleep this year? In addition to his Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Sherlock, he starred in ‘Parade’s End’ and voiced Smaug in ‘The Hobbit.’ And that’s not counting his villainous part in the upcoming ‘Star Trek,’ reported roles as Beatles manager Brian Epstein and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and a bit of Oscar bait opposite Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in ‘August: Osage County.’ (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

: Ben Whishaw: The prodigiously talented Englishman saw his career take full flame this year, as he created a Zuckerbergian take on gadget guru Q in ‘Skyfall,’ received some of the best reviews from ‘Cloud Atlas,’ and anchored a second installment of BBC AMERICA’s ‘The Hour.’ (Photo by John Shearer/Invision for AMC/AP Images)

: Andrew Lincoln: ‘The Walking Dead’ became the biggest drama in all of television, trouncing all of the series on broadcast TV in the 18-49 demo. And the show’s zombie-fighting ensemble hinges upon Lincoln, a British actor who has fooled many a viewer with a flawless Southern drawl. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision for AMC/AP Images)

: Jessica Raine: ‘Call the Midwife’ rivals ‘Downton Abbey’ in viewership in the UK, and the plucky Raine, unknown until this year, carries ‘Midwife’ largely on her shoulders, serving as our way into a 1950s world of feminine camaraderie and the delicate and sometimes treacherous field of midwifery. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

: Jessica Ennis: If Gabby Douglas was the sweetheart of America’s Olympic team, the midriff-baring Ennis was the pinup of Team GB, scoring gold in the grueling heptathlon. (Express Newspapers via AP Images)

: Jennifer Saunders: She fought her way back from a breast cancer diagnosis, launched the well-received 20th anniversary specials for ‘Absolutely Fabulous,’ and won a BAFTA in the process. (Photo by Jon Furniss/Invision/AP)

: Rachel Weisz: In a year of bold performances, few were bolder than Weisz’s complicated and modern portrayal of a wife who takes up with a vain soldier in Terence Davies’ ‘The Deep Blue Sea.’ Critics loved her, and she may have a shot at her second Oscar, her first for Best Actress. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

: Martin Freeman: The face of our dear Watson was splashed over billboards around the world as Bilbo Baggins in the already record-breaking first film of the ‘Hobbit’ series. Few actors deserve mainstream exposure as much. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

: Stella McCartney: The rock royalty scion designed the duds for Team GB at the Summer Games and was named Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

: Ellie Goulding: With a voice that suggests Bjork and Stevie Nicks as influences, Goulding had a belated Billboard smash hit with her chirpy 2010 dance hit ‘Lights,’ solidifying the current British Invasion of U.S. radio. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

: Cher Lloyd: With a grunt that would make Serena Williams run for cover, the British ‘X Factor’ alum stormed the Billboard singles chart with the catchy ‘Want U Back.’ (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

: Zadie Smith: The New York Times called Zadie Smith’s fourth novel ‘NW’ ‘that rare thing, a book that is radical and passionate and real.’ (Jimi Celeste/PatrickMcMullan.com/Sipa USA)

: Jenna-Louise Coleman: The reaction to her announcement as Matt Smith’s newest ‘Doctor Who’ companion was immediate and powerful, and her introduction as Souffle Girl Oswin in the Season 7 opener was a stroke of genius, sparking a mystery that carried over into the Christmas special and setting up an intriguing 50th anniversary year in 2013 for the sci-fi franchise.

: Karen Gillan: We said farewell to Amy Pond on ‘Doctor Who,’ but Karen Gillan shows no signs of disappearing. She quickly scored several post-’Who’ film roles and became a dazzling presence on the talk show circuit. This sexy Scottish ginger has legs. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Gallery: The Brits Who Defined 2012

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