# Hostages (2025 film)
**Hostages** is a 2025 British comedy thriller directed and written by Jim Owen, in which five strangers shelter in a London hotel room during an unfolding terrorist attack while the media and social media frenzy outside grows out of control.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) It stars [Charlotte Ritchie](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-ritchie), Tanya Moodie, and Nicholas Asbury, premiered at the Manchester Film Festival in March 2025, and was released in the United Kingdom in December 2025 by Signature Entertainment.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Jim Owen (both roles)[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) |
| Main cast | Charlotte Ritchie (Charlie), Tanya Moodie (Rochelle), Nicholas Asbury (Keith), Raj Ghatak (Himmat), Luke McQueen (Security Guard)[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/cast_crew/) |
| Genre | Comedy thriller[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) |
| Runtime | 89 minutes (BBFC home-entertainment version 89m 53s)[3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hostages-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0mtq3) |
| UK premiere | 20 March 2025, Manchester Film Festival[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) |
| UK release | 22 December 2025, distributed by Signature Entertainment[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) |
| Age rating | BBFC 15, for strong language; classified 17 November 2025[3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hostages-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0mtq3) |
| Production | Rawk Pictures, produced 2024; producers Ben Gallop and Tim Heath[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
When explosions rock the London Bridge Hotel, three strangers fail to join the evacuation and instead barricade themselves in the room of a fellow guest, Himmat (Raj Ghatak). They are told to "just sit in the middle of the room and be quiet", which proves harder than it sounds.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/)
The three central characters are Charlie (Charlotte Ritchie), a wannabe influencer; Rochelle (Tanya Moodie), a sharp-suited American executive; and Keith (Nicholas Asbury), a jaded ex-journalist turned Uber driver. An inept security guard (Luke McQueen) stumbles into the room, and the situation spirals into absurdity. Outside, a weary police negotiator barks orders; inside, Charlie livestreams the group's "ordeal" to a growing audience. The film poses the question of who is really in control: the terrorists outside, or the fame-hungry hostages inside.[4](https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/hostages/umc.cmc.4ua9ufqo6e2ory0f2502ok2p9)
## Themes
The film is framed by its makers as a comedy about the 24-hour news cycle, self-proclaimed "experts", and whether social media matters more than people's lives.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) Letterboxd's synopsis describes it as satirizing the news cycle, experts, and society's obsession with social media over human life, with gossip spreading that the blast was a terrorist attack as the characters gain attention online.[5](https://letterboxd.com/film/hostages-2025/releases/)
## Cast and crew
Also featured are [Nick Helm](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-helm) as Gareth, Rachel Stubbings as Kathy Woods, Toby Williams as Alex Potter, Jack Barry as a Plumber, Sy Thomas as Nervous Guy, Alistair Green as Nigel, and news presenter [Simon McCoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-mccoy) in a self-portrayal.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/cast_crew/)
Behind the camera, Jim Owen served as both director and writer, with Ben Gallop and Tim Heath producing, Pete Rowe as director of photography, [James Righton](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-righton) as composer, Owen Oppenheimer as editor, and Emily Jacobs as casting director.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/cast_crew/)
## Release and availability
The film was produced in 2024 and premiered in the United Kingdom at the Manchester Film Festival on 20 March 2025.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/) The British Board of Film Classification classified the 89-minute home-entertainment version on 17 November 2025, awarding a 15 certificate for frequent strong language, with content advice noting moderate bloody images and flashing images that may affect viewers susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.[3](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hostages-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0mtq3) It reached UK streaming on 22 December 2025.[1](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/)
As of late 2026, the film streams on Now TV Cinema (listed under the [Sky Cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-cinema) label) and can be bought as a download on Amazon Video, Sky Store, and the Apple TV Store.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/hostages-2025)
## Other works of the same name
The title Hostages attaches to several unrelated 2020s projects. *iHostage* is a 2025 Dutch crime thriller directed by Bobby Boermans for Netflix, based on the February 2022 hostage-taking at the [Apple Store](https://www.edgepedia.org/apple-store) in Amsterdam's Leidseplein.[7](https://www.horizonfilm.nl/work/hostage) *Hostages* is also a 2024 Israeli documentary series directed by Duki Dror that revisits five decades of prisoner-exchange deals between Israel and terrorist organizations in light of the October 7, 2023 hostage crisis.[8](https://go2films.com/films/hostages/) A separate American feature titled *Hostage*, shot in Versailles, Kentucky, in February 2025, is a political thriller set during a Kentucky governor's race.[9](https://www.productionlist.com/production/hostage)
## References
1. [Hostages, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/)
2. [Hostages cast & crew, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/hostages/cast_crew/)
3. [Hostages, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/hostages-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdm0mtq3)
4. [Hostages, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/hostages/umc.cmc.4ua9ufqo6e2ory0f2502ok2p9)
5. [Hostages (2025), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/hostages-2025/releases/)
6. [Hostages (2025) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/hostages-2025)
7. [iHostage, Horizon Film](https://www.horizonfilm.nl/work/hostage)
8. [Hostages (documentary), Go2Films](https://go2films.com/films/hostages/)
9. [Hostage, Production List (FTIA)](https://www.productionlist.com/production/hostage)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2025–2026 films › Crime, heist, and gangster films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license