A comprehensive summary of the BBFC’s history from 1912 to the present day can be found in our popular Student Guide.
Areas of notable interest include T.P. O’Connor’s 1916 list of 43 grounds for deletion, intended as a guide for Examiners; the shifts in public opinion and changes in the law over the decades; and the classification of various controversial films from Straw Dogs and A Clockwork Orange to the ‘video nasties’ of the 1980s.
Case studies for the classification history of some of the more well-known films including some of the films below can be found on Students’ BBFC.
- Caligula
- Cannibal Holocaust
- The Last House on the Left
The History of the Category System
The chart below shows the evolution of the BBFC category system from 1913, when only the ‘U’ and ‘A’ certificates existed, to the present day.
| Year | Media | Unrestricted category | Advisory category | Restrictive category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | film | U – Universal | A – More suitable for aduls (no film certified that was not clean and wholesome) | None |
| 1921 | film | London County Council – no entrance to young people at ‘A’ films, except with parent or guardian | ||
| 1932 | film | H – Indicated horror and was advisory | ||
| 1951 | X – incorporated old ‘H’ and limited audience to those over 18 years | |||
| 1970 | film | U – Universal | A - advisory, parents cautioned that film may be unsuitable for young children | AA – admission to children of 14 years or over X – raised from 16 to 18 years |
| 1982 | film | U – Universal | PG – Parental Guidance – general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children | 15 – no person under the age of 15 to be admitted. 18 – no person under the age of 18 to be admitted. R18 – for films containing more explicit sexual depictions |
| 1985 | video | Uc – Universal particularly suitable for young children U – Universal | PG – Parental Guidance – general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children | 15 – suitable only for persons of 15 years and over18 – suitable only for persons of 18 years and over R18 – restricted to distribution in licensed premises. No one under 18 to be admitted |
| 1989 | film | 12 – no person under the age of 12 to be admitted | ||
| 1994 | video | 12 – suitable only for persons of 12 years and over | ||
| 2002 | film | 12A – no-one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied throughout by an adult |