2. The BBFC was established in 1912, however back then
it was called the British Board of Film Census. It was
renamed the British Board of Film Classification in
1985. The organisation is independent and was given
the responsibility to classify films before releasing into
the British cinemas. However, due to statutory
regulations, local authorities can still change a film
rating for their local areas.

3. The BBFC work to protect the public from harming
images, especially for children. These age ratings must
be strictly kept to at cinemas for the risk of offending
the public audiences. The age ratings can also be used
to guide people to what content the film will include
and whether they think it is suitable for them or not.
Films tend to have the BBFC ‘classification for cinema
exhibition’ title page before the film starts, to prove and
make the audience aware of the age classification.

4. There are six different BBFC categories:
 Universal
 Parental Guidance
 12/A
 15
 18
 R18

5. U films are suitable for all audiences. In these films,
there shouldn’t be anything that could upset or offend
any of the audience. U films are mainly suitable for
children of the age of four and older. They are films
with good morals, absolutely no violence at all and are
quite often of an education to a child. There is no bad
language in these films; the worst case of bad language
being ‘bloody’ or ‘bugger’, and this is scrutinised by the
BBFC to make sure that it is suitable for a young
audience and needed in the film’s context.

6. There are no scenes that can be imitated
by the younger audience, for example
drugs and discrimination are not allowed
in a film of U classification. The only
violence that can be used in these films
include a character being put in slight
danger, the villain carrying a weapon but
there is no emphasis allowed on this
activity, and small battle scenes which
will be resolved afterwards very quickly.
Films in this category will contain
friendship and honestly, as these themes
will be easily picked up by children. Films
in this category include Toy Story 3 and
Dumbo.

7. PG films are for general viewing, but they aren’t always
suitable for a younger audience, unlike U films. These
films are mainly suitable for children over the age of
eight years old, as some scenes could upset children
younger than this age boundary. It is the parents’
responsibility before their children watching a PG film
to decide whether it is suitable for them. Not all PG
films have a child audience in mind as some non-
violent, non-sexual films are made for adults as their
target audience. The main difference between a U film
and a PG films is the themes that can be included in a
PG.

8. These films are able to explore the more
challenging themes, including racism and
bereavement. However, illegal behaviour is
still prohibited from these films. Smoking
and drinking, whilst relatively
influential, can still be shown as long as it is
shown that it is bad and harmful and it is
not glamorised. There is an increase in the
bad language that can be used, as long as the
context has been checked and allowed by the
BBFC and it is not allowed to be used in an
aggressive manner. Violence and gore are
allowed in small amounts, for example if
there is a bloody wound, the film cannot
show how the injury was inflicted. Films in
this category include Finding Nemo and
Johnny English.

9. The difference between a 12 film and a 12A film
is that 12A’s are for cinema films, whilst 12’s are
for DVD’s, Blu-Rays and videos. Anyone over
the age of 12 can go to the cinema
unaccompanied and watch a 12 film. If a child
younger than 12 is accompanied by a person
over the age of 18, then they can also watch the
film. It is the parents’ decision whether a child
under the age of 12 should see these films as the
content may upset a younger audience. There
can be occasional strong language in the films
in this category along with a reasonable
amount of violence. Films in this category
include The Woman in Black and Avatar.

10. No one in cinemas under the age of 15 years old
are allowed to watch the 15 rated films, and they
are not allowed to buy these films as they are not
considered suitable for an audience younger than
this. These films are allowed to show drugs being
taken, high amount of violence and a lot of strong
language. Terms that may be considered
discrimination can be used, but they should not
be really glamorised and still be shown to be a bad
thing; it should not be encouraging. Most of the
horror films are classified as 15 as they are able to
use menacing ways and lots of threats to the
victims. Self inflicted pain should not be dwelled
upon as it can be impressionable to this audience.
Films in this category include Ted and The Last
Exorcism.

11. 18 films are not allowed to be seen at the
cinema or bought by any children; they
must be 18 or over. These films are allowed
to show all types of violence including
sexual violence, lots of blood and gore
including sadistic scenes. There isn’t a limit
to the language used in these films.
Discrimination is allowed to be a main
theme of a film and there isn’t a limit to the
types of discrimination used.
However, themes with really impressionable
behaviour that can be copied by the
audience could not be allowed. Films in this
category include SAW IV and Futile
Attraction.

12. This category is mainly for very explicit films of sex.
These films can only be shown in a cinema if it has
been specially licensed to show them and video, DVD
and Blu-Ray copies can be supplied to only adults in a
licensed sex shop. No one under the age of 18 can
watch these in a cinema or buy them. These films are
for adult sexual arousal.