FILM CENSORSHIP IN THE UK

The theatrical censorship was eliminated in 1968 and it is basically impossible to censor the written words. Moreover, there has never been any systematic control of other creative forms. Anybody wishing to put a stop must file a private prosecution, which is very time consuming and expensive.

Film and television releases in the United Kingdom are one of the most heavily governed in the Western world. Theoretically, local authorities, primarily county councils and borough have the legal authority to authorize any cinema to play any movie. But in reality, the councils generally adopts the classifications for films given by Board of Film Classification (founded as the British Board of Film Censorship). In certain circumstances, classification can be used to impose age limits, which may necessitate the removal of certain scenes or the alteration of the film in order to comply with their rules.
 

So, what is British Board of Film? Established in 1912, BBFC is technically an independent body that charges film distributors for the classification function it performs.

It is made self regulatory in order to avoid government intervention. Parliament in 1984 made it a body to oversee the video classification in the United Kingdome. It bestowed formal legitimacy to the BBFC, but it also made it more susceptible to central government pressure.

Despite common perception, it is not a government agency. In reality, central government do not play direct role in film censorship except from enacting laws that impacts the operation of BBFC. Local governments have far more authority than the BBFC, such as the last word as to whether or not particular films may be screened, but they often accept the decision made by BBFC.

What is the BBFC's decision-making process and when is a movie cut?

The board follows a list of guidelines available that are available on its website. It has long made difference between what it calls manners and morals. Manner means public’s changing view about things like obscene language and nudity and moral means unchanging standards of behavior. This enables it to easily modify the classifications if it determines that public opinion has shifted.

BBFC also emphasizes the importance of the public engagement while making decisions and also hosts “road shows” in order to solicit feedback from public and explain on why it made certain decision.

The board cuts movies openly and only few times a year. The detail of the reduction such as duration and reason for reduction are all specified in the website. The majority of edits are performed at the distributor's request in order to fit movies into a lower age category (lower age categories result in higher box office receipts.). Films rated 18 are seldom censored, and when they are, it is usually to prevent punishment under the Obscene Publications Act.