Age Rating: 15 and 18

15: No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a "15" rated DVD. No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15year olds. 15 works could include any of the following:

• Strong Violence
• Frequent Strong Language
• Portrayals of Sexual Activity
• Strong Verbal References to Sex
• Sexual Nudity
• Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
• Discriminatory Language Or Behaviour
• Drug Taking

There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and the work could explore themes relating to this. Many horror films are rated 15, there can be some strong threat and menace (as long as it is not sadistic or sexualised), although the strongest gory images are unlikely to be accepted.

18: Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed at see a 18 at the cinema or buy/rent an 18DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. No theme is prohibited at 18. Adults are free to pick their own entertainment within the law. 18 works are for adults can contain strong issues such as:

• Very strong violence
• Frequent strong language and/or very strong langauage
• Strong portarayals of sexual activity
• Scenes of sexual violence
• Strong horror
• Strong blood and glore
• Real sex
• Discriminatory language and behaviour

The strongest horror works are passed at 18, they may contain strong horror, gore, or sustained threat and menace which exceeds the boundaries of 18.

Age Rating: U, PG and 12A

U: The symbol U stands for Universal. This type of film should be suitable for audiences aged four and over. These films or videos are aimed at very young viewers, such as the children's TV program The Teletubbies. The films/DVDs that are rated as so should raise no significant issues such as discrimination, drugs horror, language, sex or violence.



At a U there will be mild bad language such as bloody or bugger. Characters may be seen cuddling or kissing, few references to sexual behaviour but no focus or sexual language or innuendo.
A U film may contain brief fight or action scenes where the character is in danger, a few brief scary scenes, characters may use weapons but not much emphasis on them. No potential dangerous situations or imitable behaviour. There is normally no reference to drugs, unless it is anti-drugs or educational message for a younger audience to understand.


PG: PG stands for Parental Guidance.This film is suitable for general showing, but some films may be unsuitable for younger viewers, e.g. a child eight and younger. Sometimes films are given a PG certificate but the film is not made with a young audience in mind. An example of this would be The Artist.

No theme is prohibited at PG, as long as it is treated in a appropriate manner. PGs will cover issues such as domestic violence or racism. There may be mild language in the film but the context and delivery are always important. Refereneces to sex is acceptable but if it is talked about it is implied and lacking in detail. There should be no violence in the film, but there will be some blood. There could be passing references to illegal drugs or misuse in a PG but there should be no strong focus.

12A: 12A means that anyone aged 12 and over can go see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for "accompanied" or "advisory. " If a child younger than 12 wishes to see if they have to be accompanied by an adullt or person who is over 18. 12 is the certificate for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema only.

There may be strong language at the 12 or 12A, but it must be infrequent. There is some allowance on strong language. Sex may be briefly and discreetly portarayed. There may be nudity in 12A films but sexual nudity should only be brief and discreet. At 12A, moderate violence should be allowed, but should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted. Dangerous behaviour (e.g. hanging, suicide and self-harming) may be present in this rating but will not dwell on detail.

British Board of Film Classifiction

The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-government body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.

The BFFC was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of films nationally. Statutory powers on films remain with the local council, they may overrule any of the BFFCs decision, passing films they regret, banning films the BFFC passed, waiving cuts, instituting new ones, or altering categories for films exhibited.

In 1984 the Video Recordings Act was passed. The act stated that videos subject to certain exemptions, video recordings offered for sale or hire in the UK must be classified by an authority designated by the Secretary of State. The President and Vice President of the BFFC were so designated and charged with applying the new test of suitability for viewing in the home. At this point the Boards Title was changed to the British Board of Film Classification to reflect the fact that the classification plays a far larger part in the BFFCs work in censorship.

The BFFC is a not for profit organisation and its fees are adjusted only to cover its costs. In order to preserve its independence the BFFC never receives subsidies from either the film industry or the government. Its income is solely from fees it charges, calculated by measuring the running time of films or DVDs submitted for classification. The BFFC consults the Department of Culture, Media and Sport before making any changes to its fees.