History of British film certificates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article chronicles the history of British film certificates.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The UK's film ratings are decided by the British Board of Film Classification and have been since 1913. Previously there were no agreed rating standards, and local councils imposed their own - often differing - conditions or restrictions. For cinema releases, the BBFC has no legal power (technically, films do not even have to be submitted for classification), as it falls to councils to decide who should be admitted to a certain film, but they generally apply the BBFC's certificates, effectively making them legally-binding. In exceptional cases, councils may impose their own conditions, either raising or lowering a certificate, banning a certified film outright, or awarding their own certificate to films that have never been submitted for BBFC certification or have been refused a certificate by the Board.
Prior to 1985 there were no legally-binding ratings on video releases, although publishers would generally apply existing cinema certificate for feature films. The BBFC was given legal powers to certify video releases idenpendently from any existing cinema certificate (if any), and are obliged to rate every new video release that is not exempted from classification under the Video Recordings Act 1984. Video ratings determine the age of the person to whom the recording can be supplied, whether by sale or rental. It is a criminal offence to supply within the UK any uncertified and non-exempt prerecorded video, whether by sale, rental or as a gift, regardless of age of the recipent or the nature of the contents.
The following list chronicles the BBFC's ratings system from its inception to the present. Note that what is allowed in a film has greatly changed over time. A film rated A in 1913 would probably be rated PG now.
In each section, italics indicates when a certificate has changed since the previous system.
[edit] 1913–1932
At first, there were just two advisory certificates.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 |
Universal | Suitable for children |
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Adult | Some councils ruled that children must be accompanied by an adult |
[edit] 1932–1951
A H (Horror) certificate was added to alert parents to horror-themed material.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Universal | Suitable for children |
|
Adult | Some councils ruled that children must be accompanied by an adult |
 |
Horror | Some councils ruled that only those aged 16 or over could be admitted |
[edit] 1951–1970
For the first time, a compulsory certificate, X, was introduced allowing only those aged 16 and over to enter. This replaced the H certificate.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Universal | Suitable for children |
|
Adult | Some councils ruled that children must be accompanied by an adult |
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X | Suitable for those aged 16 and over (enforced by all councils) |
[edit] 1970–1982
On 1st July 1970 the A certificate was split into two: The A certificate now allowed those aged five and over to be admitted, but warned parents that they may not wish children under 14 to watch the film. AA allowed only those aged 14 or over to be admitted. As there was now a mandatory certificate at 14, the X certificate was modified to raise its age from 16 to 18.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 |
Universal | Suitable for children |
 |
A | Those aged 5 and over admitted, but parents advised that they may not wish children under 14 to watch the film |
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AA | Suitable for those aged 14 and over |
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X | Suitable for those aged 18 and over |
[edit] 1982–1985
On 1st November 1982 the ratings system was completely overhauled with only the U certificate remaining unchanged (though its description was slightly modified). The A certificate was replaced by PG, which was now completely advisory. The age of AA was raised a year and the certificate was renamed 15. The X certificate was unchanged but renamed 18 due to the lewd reputation that the letter X had acquired. A new R18 certificate was introduced for sexually-explicit films. In order to show R18 films, cinemas must be licenced members-only clubs (previously, a loophole allowed these clubs to show such films unrated).
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 |
Universal | Suitable for all |
 |
Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but parents are advised that certain scenes may be unsuitable for small children |
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15 | Suitable for those aged 15 and over |
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18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over |
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Restricted 18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over and only available at licensed cinemas |
[edit] 1985–1989
The Video Recordings Act 1984 gave the BBFC the legal responsibility to rate all videos. The current certificates were all used, though a new Uc certificate was introduced for videos only to indicate a recording that is especially suitable for young children to watch on their own. Those under the age of a certificate could not buy or rent a video with that certificate. Shops wishing to sell or rent R18 videos had to apply for a licence.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 |
Universal Children | Suitable for all, but especially suitable for young children to watch on their own (video only) |
|
Universal | Suitable for all (now also covers videos) |
|
Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but parents are advised that certain scenes may be unsuitable for small children (now also covers videos) |
|
15 | Suitable for those aged 15 and over (now also covers videos) |
|
18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over (now also covers videos) |
|
Restricted 18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over and only available at licensed cinemas and shops (now also covers videos) |
[edit] 1989–1994
Due to the large gap between PG and 15 and industry pressure regarding Batman, a 12 certificate was introduced on 1st August 1989. However, it was for cinema use only and did not cover videos. 12 films released on video would typically be rated 15, though they were sometimes edited to fit the PG category.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Universal Children | Suitable for all, but especially suitable for young children to watch on their own (video only) |
|
Universal | Suitable for all |
|
Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but parents are advised that certain scenes may be unsuitable for small children |
 |
12 | Suitable for those aged 12 and over (cinema only) |
|
15 | Suitable for those aged 15 and over |
|
18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over |
|
Restricted 18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over and only available at licensed cinemas and shops |
[edit] 1994–2002
The 12 certificate was also introduced for videos on 1st July 1994.
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Universal Children | Suitable for all, but especially suitable for young children to watch on their own (video only) |
|
Universal | Suitable for all |
|
Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but parents are advised that certain scenes may be unsuitable for small children |
|
12 | Suitable for those aged 12 and over (now also covers videos) |
|
15 | Suitable for those aged 15 and over |
|
18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over |
|
Restricted 18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over and only available at licensed cinemas and shops |
[edit] 2002– Present
The cinema 12 certificate was modified and renamed 12A. Those under 12 could now be admitted to 12A films, provided that they were accompanied by an adult. Contrary to popular belief, the certificate was not introduced for the film Spider-Man, although it and other films still on general release at the time were reclassified as 12A. Introduction of the 12A followed two years of consultation and a trial period in Norwich, during which time the certificate was known as PG-12 (see below). The video 12 certificate remained unchanged. All of the symbols were graphically modernised but retained all their main features (colour, shape, etc.).
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 |
Universal Children | Suitable for all, but especially suitable for young children to watch on their own (video only) |
 |
Universal | Suitable for all |
 |
Parental Guidance | All ages admitted, but parents are advised that certain scenes may be unsuitable for younger children |
 |
12 Accompanied/Advisory | Suitable for those aged 12 and over (cinema only); under 12s admitted, but only if accompanied by an adult |
 |
12 | Suitable for those aged 12 and over (video only) |
 |
15 | Suitable for those aged 15 and over |
 |
18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over |
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Restricted 18 | Suitable for those aged 18 and over and only available at licensed cinemas and shops |
[edit] Non-standard certificates and ratings
| Symbol | Name | Definition/Notes |
|---|---|---|
 |
PG-12 | Suitable for those aged 12 and over (cinema only); under 12s admitted, but only if accompanied by an adult.
This experimental certificate was used during a short BBFC trial in Norwich from October 2001 to January 2002, in which all 12 certificate films on release were classed as PG-12. Norwich was chosen due to its relative isolation from other large towns, in order to avoid significant numbers of children travelling there to specifically take advantage of the relaxed controls. The results of the trial led to the adoption of the 12A later in 2002.[1] [2] Between the end of the Norwich trial and the actual introduction of the 12A, a PG-12 rating was used by Tameside Council in June 2002 for Spider-Man, over-ruling the BBFC's 12 certification of the film. In addition, some other councils awarded the film a PG certificate [3]. |
 |
Exempt | The 'E' in a square, triangle, circle, or similar (examples shown), is not a BBFC rating certificate, but rather a statement from the distributor certifying that they believe a video recording is exempt from classification under the Video Recordings Act 1984 (e.g. educational material and sport). |
