Film censorship in the United Kingdom began with early cinema exhibition becoming subject to the Disorderly Houses Act 1751.[1] The Cinematograph Act 1909 was primarily concerned with introducing annual licensing of premises where films were shown, particularly because of the fire risk of nitrate film.[2]: 497 After the Act began to be used by local authorities to control what was shown, the film industry responded by establishing a British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) in 1912, funded by an Incorporated Association of Kinematograph Manufacturers levy.[2]: 499
Example of a BBFC certificate
The Cinematograph Exhibitors Association sought to have the BBFC film certification recognised over local decision-making. The case of Mills v London City Council in 1925 (1 KB 213) established that a Council could make its licensing conditional on the exhibitor complying with the BBFC certification.[3] Local Councils did continue to refuse showing of particular films which had been certificated by the BBFC: examples are the bans on The Devils[4] and Life of Brian[5] in Glasgow.
Currently, Section 4 of the Video Recordings Act 2010 (previously the act of 1984) requires that videos for sale in the UK should be certified by an authority.[6] The BBFC (by this time renamed as British Board of Film Classification) became that designated authority in 1985.[7] The film censorship that exists in the UK today is in the form of an Age-Rating system, which is an advisory tool used by local councils when deciding to grant viewing permission to film productions.[8]
^Kuhn, Annette (1988). Cinema, Censorship and Sexuality 1909-1925. Routledge. p. 15. ISBN 9781317267270. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^ abBohlmann, Julia (September 2018). "A Licence Not to Censor: The Cinematograph Act 1909 in Scotland" (PDF). Journal of British Cinema and Television. 15 (4): 491–512. doi:10.3366/jbctv.2018.0439. S2CID 158105979. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-04-27. Retrieved 2019-12-11 – via Edinburgh University Press.
^Bailey, S. H.; Jones, Brian L.; Mowbrey, Alastair R. (2005). Cases, Materials and Commentary on Administrative Law (4 ed.). Sweet and Maxwell. p. 470. ISBN 9780421900707. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^Davidson, Roger; Davis, Gayle (2012). The Sexual State: Sexuality and Scottish Governance 1950-80. Edinburgh University Press. p. 284. ISBN 9780748645602. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^"City lifts ban on Life of Brian". BBC News. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^"Video Recordings Act 1984". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^"The Video Recordings Act". BBFC. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^"Home". www.bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2021-05-08.
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