Undercover Brits: The 'Alien' Franchise

The Alien series has many originators, but a crotchety British director bears responsibility for the serene but chilling atmosphere that helped propel the slasher-in-space original to global, enduring franchise status. Ridley Scott had only made one other film when he took us onboard the USCSS Nostromo, a towing spacecraft populated by squabbling blue-collar crewmates who must confront the absolute inhumanity of outer space when the face-hugging contents of an alien egg board their ship and grows into a movie monster of such potent strangeness that it hasn’t been topped since.

Alien is a masterclass of production design, a stunning slice of ‘70s stillness and anxiety that begs for return visits – even though no sequel, spin-off, or prequel captures the first film’s perfect alchemy, they all have something exciting to offer. Depending on your own personal canon, FX’s Alien: Earth may or may not be the first time the Xenomorph has visited Earth, but Noah Hawley’s series is the first time we’ve seen Xenomorphs on television.

Crucially, Alien: Earth honors a 45-year-plus tradition for the series – casting British actors in leading roles and then tearing them into bloody chunks. To honor one of the most dependable franchises proving its (acid) blood is still pumping, here are ten Brits undercover in the most quintessential sci-fi horror series ever made.