The British Board of Film Classification is pleased to announce the appointment of Andreas Whittam Smith as its next President, the appointment to take effect from 1st January 1998. He succeeds Lord Harewood, who has retired after twelve years.
The Home Secretary, Jack Straw MP, has announced that he is laying a notice before both Houses of Parliament designating Mr Whittam Smith under the Video Recordings Act 1984 as the authority responsible for making arrangements for the classification of videos and, where appropriate, video games. The designation cannot take effect until the notice of intention has lain before both Houses for 40 days.
The Board classifies films, videos and digital games in the United Kingdom.
Mr Whittam Smith said: "I am honoured to be asked to undertake such an important task. One of the main purposes of the Board's work is to help parents protect their children from material which might harm them. I shall have that objective constantly in mind.
"The nature of the task is spelt out in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which, in relation to video works, requires the Board to have special regard to any harm that may be caused to potential viewers or, through their behaviour, to society by the manner in which a video work deals with criminal behaviour, illegal drugs, violent behaviour or incidents, horrific behaviour or incidents or human sexual activity.
I am setting in hand an immediate review of the Board's policy for classifying films, videos and digital games. It is sensible from time to time to examine whether the guidelines are set in the right place. In carrying out thisreview, the Board will consult widely with interested parties and will seek to gauge public opinion".
Mr Whittam Smith is 60. He founded The Independent in 1986, the only successful launch of a broadsheet national newspaper this century, and was its first editor from 1986-94. He remains a non- executive director of the newspaper's publishers, Newspaper Publishing plc. Mr Whittam Smith is a chairman of The Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust, which owns the Churchill papers, including those bought with the help of a National Heritage lottery grant. He has also recently chaired an Inquiry into Youth Homelessness which was commissioned by ten charities working in the field. The report was published in the autumn of 1996.