Thousands more pupils also took religious studies and sociology this year while traditional subjects such as German, French and Geography joined physics among those seeing large falls.
And more than 50,000 young people took A-level psychology – now the fifth most popular subject – as students increasingly focus on giving themselves the best chance in the fight for university places.
Last night the Government – already under pressure over the A-level standard as the pass and grade A rates rose for the 23rd time – was urged to take action.
The pass rate was 96.2 per cent – up 0.2 per cent on last year – and 22.8 per cent got A grades.
Regional director of the Institute of Directors John Thompson said: "I think there has been a perceptible shift away from young people studying languages and sciences at A-level.
"The arts are of course invaluable, but I think the fact that many are opting for these subjects above all else could potentially spell trouble for our future economic prosperity."
Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering Dr Peter Cotgreave added that the long-term consequences would be a "disaster". "I am afraid that at Government level they don't really seem to want to grasp the problem," he said.
"A lot of students are told that if they do English, history and French they could be the next Jeremy Paxman.
"They are not being given the information that if they do study physics, or chemistry or other sciences for that matter, it is a route to a huge range of different jobs."
The latest figures show the number of entries for media, film and TV studies rose five per cent to 28,261 while physics fell by two per cent to 28,119 and fewer than a quarter of candidates were girls.
There has been a 35.2 per cent drop in A-Level physics entries since 1991, a period which has also seen a 12.1 per cent rise in A-levels taken.
Maths, chemistry and biology, which have suffered in recent years, did however this year show signs of recovery.
Director of the National Science Learning Centre in York Prof John Holman said: "The answer to this continuing problem may lie with the number of girls taking physics.
"We need a powerful drive to make physics more appealing to girls, for example, by showing how physics research in areas such as medical imaging is leading to better health care."
He also called for the science content of psychology A-level to be made tougher and warned it was often taught by teachers without a degree in the subject.
The picture of foreign languages was less clear with French and German seeing significant falls in interest but more students taking up Spanish. Business leaders warned not enough schools were replacing languages like German with those that are going to be important in the future like Russian and Mandarin.
Head of modern foreign languages at York St John College Ann Gregory said: "Languages are no longer compulsory in all schools, even at GCSE option level, and this decline in visibility and 'value' has a knock-on effect on A-level study.
"It is also relevant to consider the impact of choice at A-level, where subjects such as media studies, drama, psychology and child care – all perceived as 'easier' – are on offer."
The Government has already promised to include new "extension questions" in future A-level exam papers in an attempt to help the strongest students shine.
One striking figure in this year's results was a huge increase in the number of students taking the extra test, the Advanced Extension Award (AEA) – up by 28.4 per cent. Next year students who pass the AEA will be awarded extra Ucas points, which are used by many universities to make offers of places.
Across the region, schools and colleges celebrated record results and a host of individual success stories.
State schools in Leeds are thought to have seen a five per cent increase in the A-level pass rate with the independent Leeds Grammar boasting a 78.4 per cent pass rate at grades A and B and more than a third of girls at Leeds Girls' High School gaining three As.
All Saints' Catholic High School, in Sheffield, saw a six per cent rise in its A-level passes while schools in Rotherham matched last year's 97 per cent pass rate, staying above the national average.
Ermysted's Grammar School, in Skipton, saw 14 of its 82 students going to Oxford or Cambridge while schools in Barnsley had more A and B grades than ever before.
Signs of the predicted scramble for university places also began to emerge last night as next year students will face top-up fees.
Bradford University report-ed calls to its clearing hotline up almost a third compared to the same time last year.
Ucas said that within the first hour of its Internet clearing service going live, about 64,000 searches were conducted compared with 46,000 in 2004.
james.reed@ypn.co.uk