The Ruling Class is a 1972 British black comedy film. It is an adaptation of Peter Barnes' satirical stage play of the same title which tells the story of a paranoid schizophrenic British nobleman (played by Peter O'Toole) who inherits a peerage. The film co-stars Alastair Sim, William Mervyn, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews, Carolyn Seymour, James Villiers and Arthur Lowe.