In that case I'd guess you best bet would be to look at doing some kind of internship somewhere first to gain some professional experience, and also work on you

In that case I'd guess you best bet would be to look at doing some kind of internship somewhere first to gain some professional experience, and also work on your own sideprojects. It doesn't really matter what your background is - if you can show that you're able to produce decent projects in your own time then this is a pretty hot indication. The other issue would be where in the UK are you? The obvious place to try and get internships would be London, but if you're not already there moving there would probably be prohibitively expensive (on an in salary, or lack thereof). If you're still living at home and can afford to just hold up in your room for a few months, it might be worthwhile putting some time into building something substantial. Without a formal background you need to prove your worth, so maybe look at a few companies you're interested and try building something related to their product (browser extensions?). Also any connections through programming competitions. Hate to say it, but you'd be amazed how often jobs come from knowing someone. As I've said though, before you start applying, have something to show off.