Editing Lewis Gilbert (section)

===Later career===
In the 1980s, he returned to more small-scale dramas with film versions of [[Willy Russell]]'s plays ''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]'' (1983)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F00E3D71138F932A1575AC0A965948260 |title=Movie Review – Film: 'Educating Rita,' school days | newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
| author=Janet Maslin
| author-link=Janet Maslin
| date=21 September 1983}}</ref> and ''[[Shirley Valentine]]'' (1989).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950DE7D61F3AF933A0575BC0A96F948260|title=Movie Review – Review/Film; Shirley Valentine Talks With Others | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | author=Caryn James | author-link=Caryn James | date=30 August 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19890915/REVIEWS/909150303/1023|title=Shirley Valentine Movie Review (1989) – Roger Ebert|first=Roger|last=Ebert}}</ref> Gilbert also directed the film ''[[Stepping Out (1991 film)|Stepping Out]]'' (1991).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CE5DC113CF937A35753C1A967958260 |title=Movie Review – Review/Film; Turning Klutzes Into Tap Dancers | newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
| author=Stephen Holden
| author-link=Stephen Holden
| date=4 October 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-03-ca-4608-story.html|title=Lewis Gilbert Taps Minnelli's Talents for 'Stepping Out' : Movies: On heels of 'Shirley Valentine,' the director wraps his third film that caters to women—on the set and in the audience.|first=David|last=Gritten|date=3 October 1991|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

Gilbert was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1997 Birthday Honours]] for services to the film industry.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54794 |date=13 June 1997 |page=8 |supp=y}}</ref> In 2001, Gilbert was made a [[British Film Institute Fellowship|Fellow of the British Film Institute]], the highest accolade in the British film industry.<ref name="BFI_biography"/>

In June 2010, he appeared on the [[BBC Radio 4]] programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]''. In it, he said that his 1970 film ''[[The Adventurers (1970 film)|The Adventurers]]'' was a disaster, and that he should never have made it. On working with [[Orson Welles]] on ''[[Ferry to Hong Kong]]'', he said that it was: "dreadful, it was my nightmare film. It was a dreadful film, and everything was wrong with it; principally him [Welles]." He also said that his biggest mistake was failing to direct the film version of the musical ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]''. Its composer [[Lionel Bart]] had assured Gilbert that nobody else would do the film, but Gilbert was contractually committed to Paramount to make a film (that he has since refused to name), which caused him to withdraw from the project.