Meghan Markle [1], Taylor Swift [2], and Jennifer Connelly [3] have discovered a secret: British men make great dates. Forget what you might have heard about our men being old fashioned (or worse, laddish), the truth is Brit blokes make brilliant boyfriends and even better husbands. Take longstanding couples like Christian Bale [4] and his American wife of 18 years, Sibi, or Colin Firth [5], who wed his Italian spouse, Livia, in 1997. Clearly it's time to snap up our boys before the rest of the world does! If you need more persuading, here are 27 reasons British men are definitely worth a second look.
1. Everything sounds better in an English accent.
2. Or a Scottish, Northern Irish, or Welsh one.
3. Or any of the hundreds of regional dialects that make up the "British" accent. Even Brummie [7].
4. British men have no problem saying sorry. In fact, they use it like punctuation.
5. He understands the solution to most problems begins with a cup of tea. And maybe a Jammie Dodger.
6. You will never run out of things to talk about, because there's always the weather.
7. He will never say no to wearing a costume, no matter how embarrassing.
8. You can go to the pub any time, and you don't have to order food to legitimise the decision.
9. Because there will always, always be time for a "quick drink."
10. Even when he's angry, he'll express it in a polite, measured way. The first time, at least.
11. He will unwittingly do a number of old-fashioned, chivalrous things without thinking, like walking closest to the road to shield you from traffic.
12. He will somehow cook a steak better than you, even if the only other thing he can prepare is beans on toast.
13. When presented with a barbecue, he will become strangely Australian.
14. He is able to pull off tails or morning dress and look dapper, not like an idiot.
15. His no-nonsense approach to male grooming means you'll never have to worry he'll start using your Clarins moisturiser on the sly.
16. You always get Saturday afternoons to yourself (unless you support the same football team as him).
17. There's a tiny chance he might be related to royalty, or have a "country pile" in the family that you can escape to on bank holiday weekends.
18. When he's not being polite, he's being sarcastic, and sometimes that's even sexier.
19. He'll hold your umbrella and give you his coat. But under no circumstances will he hold your handbag for more than 10 seconds. What if someone sees and thinks it's his?
20. He will tolerate a lot more than other men, because he simply "didn't want to cause a fuss".
21. He will pay for dinner. But that's fine, because he probably earns more than you [8] (if you're a woman).
22. His teeth will be absolutely fine, because that myth is entirely untrue.
23. He knows how to tie a tie and put on cufflinks and, if you're very lucky, iron his own shirts.
24. He will instantly endear himself to all men in your life by calling them "mate" and buying them a pint.
25. You'll never have to open a door for yourself again. At least not if he's been brought up properly.
26. His internal dictionary of swear words and the many uses he finds for them will astound you.
27. British men love to travel abroad, even if they usually need to be reminded to slather on the SPF 50 to avoid turning into a lobster.