The UK has a separate driving license for auto and manuals. If you pass your test with an automatic car, you get an automatic only license. If you pass eith a manual car you get a licence to drive both types, so most people decide to drive manual (although there is a slow increase of people getting auto only licenses). I prefer manual because they're more fun to drive in my opinion.
What's crazy is that you can come from a country like the US, having never driven a manual car before, and go legally rent and drive a manual car on the roads in the UK.