Following fresh legal advice and consultation with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the BBFC is happy to be able to introduce new flexibility with regard to previously classified video works.

In the past, any new video submission which was identical to a previously classified video work could only be classified at the existing category. This led to works being classified at categories which were no longer appropriate under current guidelines. It also meant that distributors had to artificially add or subtract material in order to 'work around' the restriction. This was not in the interests of the industry, the public or the BBFC. Distributors wishing to rely on an existing classification will still be able to choose to make use of our 'Distributor Change' or 'Technical Comparison' services but from 14th April 2008 all new video submissions will be viewed and classified according to current guidelines and policy, unless the 'Distributor Change' or 'Technical Comparison' box on the submission form has been ticked and the technical comparison confirms that the work can be processed as such. All viewed works are charged at the fee set in the video tariff (currently £75 per submission plus £6 per minute of running time)