2. Ralph Fiennes
If it weren't for the top choice, Ralph Fiennes would be the greatest British villain actor currently working, and very possibly of all time. Over an illustrious career, the actor has played iconic villains in the Harry Potter franchise, Schindler's List, In Bruges and Red Dragon while his Hades is one of the few redemptive points of the Clash/Wrath Of The Titans mess. It isn't simply that Fiennes is particularly suited to playing villains, as his personal rogue's gallery of characters is hugely varied, with larger than life monsters like Voldemort and Francis Dolarhyde balanced with brilliantly characterised creeping evils like Amon Goeth, and pantomime villains like Harry from the brilliant In Bruges. While Daniel Day Lewis is correctly lauded for his ability to inhabit characters completely, Fiennes doesn't get the acclaim he deserves (perhaps thanks to the haunting legacy of The Avengers) and the idea of his dark charisma opposite Peter Capaldi is almost irresistible, even if his profile feels slightly too high now.