BBFC Classification

damm, hell, God, sod

bloody, bastard, piss, pissed, shit, son-of-a-bitch, bugger, bollocks, screw, crap, arse, shag, slag, slut, whore, arsehole, tosser, Jesus, Christ

wanker, prick, bitch

fuck

stronger sexual swearwords are described as coarse

Universal

Suitable for all

Uc Universal

Particularly suitable for young children

Parental Guidance

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children

A 'U' film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. Works aimed at children should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.
 

• Treatment of problematic themes must be sensitive and appropriate to a younger audience

• More serious issues may be featured, eg crime, domestic violence, racism (providing nothing in their treatment condones them).

• Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.

• Mild bad language only

• Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.

• Natural nudity with no sexual context.

• Mild sexual behaviour (e.g., kissing) and references only (e.g., to 'making love').

• Sex may be suggested, but should be discreet and infrequent.
• There may be mild sexual innuendo.

• Mild violence only.
• Occasional mild threat or menace only.

• Violence must be justified by the story, but more will be allowed in a historic setting or in a comedy or fantasy film.
• There will be no emphasis on combat techniques or realistic weapons

• No emphasis on realistic weapons

• No glamorisation of realistic, contemporary weapons. No detail of fighting or other dangerous techniques.

• Horror effects should be mild and brief and should take account of the presence of very young viewers. The outcome should be reassuring.

• Exciting horror scenes may be allowed in a fantasy context, but there will be no prolonged focus on gory images or suffering.

• No references to illegal drugs or drug use.

• No references to illegal drugs or drug use unless entirely innocuous.

Suitable only for persons of 12 years and over

Suitable only for persons of 15 years and over

• Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.

• No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.

• The use of strong language (eg 'fuck') should be rare and must be justified by context.

• There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms (eg 'cunt') are only rarely acceptable.
• Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.

• Nudity is allowed
• Nudity in a sexual context will be brief and discreet.

• There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

• Sexual activity may be implied.
• Sexual references may reflect the familiarity of most adolescents today with sex education through school.

• Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail.
• The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly.
• There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.

• Violence must not dwell on detail.
• There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood.
• Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly indicated and without physical detail.

• Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries.
• Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.

• Dangerous techniques (examples include: combat, hanging, suicides) should contain no imitable detail.
• Realistic and contemporary weapons should not be glamorised

• Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable.
• There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).

• Sustained threat and menace is permitted. Occasional gory moments only.

• Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.

• Brief and occasional references to, and sight of, 'soft' drug-taking (eg cannabis) are allowed, but must be justified by context and should indicate the dangers.
• No instructional elements are permitted.

• Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable.
• The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use.

Suitable only for persons of 18 years and over

• any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts which is likely to promote the activity. This includes also instructive detail of illegal drug use
• the more explicit images of sexual activity - unless they can be exceptionally justified by context

• Where sex material genuinely seeks to inform and educate in matters such as human sexuality, safe sex and health, exceptions to the normal constraints on explicit images may be made in the public interest. Such explicit detail must be kept to the minimum necessary to illustrate the educational or instructional points being made.

• Material which appears to be simulated is generally passed '18', while images of real sex are confined to the 'R18' category.