“No sex please, we’re British.”
A phrase that should be familiar to anyone who has seen the London West End show or the 1973 British comedy of the same name starring Ronnie Corbett.
And if you’re not acquainted with this outdated farce, you may be au fait with the reputation the UK has for being a traditionally chaste nation compared to its less pearl-clutchy European neighbours.
While somewhat outworn, the UK is living up to its reputation, which is coming back in full force via the BBFC (the British Board of Film Classification).
You see, the BBFC – which is responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas, TV programmes, adverts (the lot) – is introducing stricter guidelines for sex scenes and nudity in 12/12A productions, saying the public are concerned about the amount of explicit content to which young people are being exposed.
Before we get into that, a quick refresher.
The UK has some of the most precise – some might say illiberal – classification systems in Europe when it comes to film ratings.
It goes something like this:
“U-rated content is suitable for audiences of all ages, although not all U-rated content is aimed at children.”
No discriminatory language or behaviour; no references to drugs; no sexual context; violence limited to injuries.
“PG-rated content is suitable for general viewing. A PG should generally not unsettle a child aged around eight, although parents and caregivers should be aware that some scenes may be unsuitable for more sensitive children.”
Cautionary messages when it comes to drugs, violence; mild bad language only; nothing scary.
“No one younger than 12 may be permitted to attend a 12A cinema screening unless they are accompanied by an adult.”
Infrequent use of violence, strong language or drugs (with no instructional details); discreet nudity; nothing graphic.
“No one younger than 15 may see 15-rated content in a cinema.”
Some discriminatory language and themes are permitted but must not be endorsed; dangerous behaviour is not dwelled upon; drug use can be shown but not promoted; no graphic details regarding sex.
“No one younger than 18 may see 18-rated content in a cinema.”
Anything goes - unless in breach of criminal law, sadistic violence, explicit images in the context of pornography.
“The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops.”
Does what it says on the tin.
It all seems rather quaint – maybe not compared to the US classification system, granted. But certainly compared to France and its 12 / 16 / X ratings (knowing that you really need things to be intense for a 16 rating, which features scenes of a very sexually explicit nature and gore galore – the last memorable one being Julia Ducournau’s mind-meltingly brilliant Palme d’Or winner Titane); Spain and the 12 / 16 / 18, which feels more of a guideline to parents with kids rather than strictly enforced; Italy and the 6 / 14 / 18 ratings; and Germany with its 6 / 12 / 16, which are rarely seen nowadays.
Still, the UK take it very seriously (you can find out more on their process here \- you may be interested to discover that for cinema releases, the film needs to be seen by "at least two of our Compliance Officers"), and in the BBFC’s first major audience research for five years, sexual violence remained the biggest area of concern.
A more "cautious" approach
The BBFC’s president, Natasha Kaplinsky, said there had been no “seismic shift” since the last research in 2019, although there were some significant changes.
After surveying 12,000 people – who were showed 151 clips and 33 films – including the James Bond film Goldfinger – the organisation found that public opinion had shifted on sex, nudity, violence and drug use on screen, with respondents calling for a more cautious approach to sex scenes that could feature in 12/12A films.
The survey suggested parents are also concerned about the normalisation of bad language, especially terms with sexual or misogynistic connotations such as “bitch”, “dick” and “son of a bitch”.
Such language may now also require a higher age rating.
"Going forward, a higher rating may be required for violence across all age-rating categories, especially when particularly intense or impactful scenes occur," the BBFC said.
The organisation should it would "continue to highlight suicide and self-harm in its content advice", as research showed audiences want to be warned of this type of content.
But before the words “nanny state” escape your lips, they have said they would take a "less restrictive" approach to depictions of cannabis use in the future.
Kaplinsky said: "At the BBFC, we're dedicated to ensuring what we do is responsive to the ever-evolving world around us. Since we last asked people across the country what they thought about our standards, society has changed, and opinions have followed - it's fascinating how this vast body of new research reflects this.”
The standards are updated every five years or so, and are often described as a barometer of public opinion as the studies gauge “public sensitivity.”
Judging by modern standards
One aspect that some have found potentially irksome is the use of contemporary guidelines to reclassify older films - meaning that older productions are judged by modern standards.
For instance, the beloved classic Mary Poppins was reclassified for its 60th anniversary, with its rating raised to PG due to discriminatory language - specifically the use of the derogatory term “Hottentot”, referring to the Khoikhoi, a group of people who were among the first inhabitants of southern Africa.
Then, according to the BBFC’s 2022 annual report, the 1978 animated film Watership Down was upped to a PG rating as classifiers sought to “remain in step with societal standards”.
They said: “In their exile, the rabbits meet various challenges, some of which result in bloody bite and claw injuries caused by animals fighting. In one scene, a bird tells one of the rabbits to ‘piss off’.”
Earlier this year, UK filmgoers looking to rewatch a James Bond film were being warned about potentially offensive content ahead of a retrospective at the BFI, 'John Barry: Soundtracking Bond and Beyond'.
"Please note that many of these films contain language, images or other content that reflect views prevalent in its time, but will cause offence today (as they did then),” read the events page. “The titles are included here for historical, cultural or aesthetic reasons and these views are in no way endorsed by the BFI or its partners."
In particular, You Only Live Twice came with an additional warning: "Contains outdated racial stereotypes."
To be fair, that 1967 adventure did overdo it - and then some - with regards toorientalism and the “In Japan, men come first” levels of cringe. License to trigger, not revoked.
