BBFC Cuts Notes

The list of video includes all videos that have been cut by the BBFC or MPAA, or else have different version for other reasons

Only cuts and bans since 1960 are included on the Melon Farmers cuts lists.

See also the BBFC site which now lists all cut films and all home video (VHS, DVD, Blu-ray)

Notes

• Running Times are for the cut video version running on a PAL TV (25 frames per second). Note that video runs 4% faster on PAL TV compared with either American TV (NTSC) or cinema versions (24 frames per second). This means that the UK video running time is generally 4% shorter than both the cinema release or US video. Running times shown in maroon are 24 frames per second for cinema or US NTSC video. To add to the complexity, it is possible to telecine from 24 to 25 frames a second but retain the original running time, but this technique is uncommon though.
   
• Versions Versions submitted to the BBFC are noted in maroon . Versions that are identical to previous classified versions, and have therefore not been submitted to the BBFC are noted in standard text colour.
   
• Cuts Where two cuts are specified in the Cuts column the 1st relates to BBFC cuts and the 2nd to pre-cuts by distributors or MPAA cuts
   
• Pre-cuts are those made by the distributor prior to submission to the BBFC and are only occasionally provided.
   
• Unofficial pre-cuts are estimated from comparison with uncut versions obtained from more enlightened countries.
   
• Cut Versions Noted by the BBFC as Uncut: The BBFC generally refer to uncut as meaning that the BBFC hasn't made any cuts on this occasion. If a previously cut film is submitted in its cut form, then the BBFC will make no further cuts and note it, slightly misleadingly, as uncut.
   
• Cuts by Substitution. The BBFC specifies material to be removed. However it is up the the distributor to implement the required cuts. Sometimes this can be done by replacing the censored material by something else more acceptable to the censors. This is noted on the BBFC site as cuts by substitution. The BBFC record the running time of the material that has to be cut out OR altered (not the difference in running time before and after cuts). So a film could be cut by substitution by eg 2minutes without actually changing the running time of the film.

Alphabetic rules

• A ny leading 'a' or 'the' is ignored (foreign language equivalents are used though)
• Numbers are spelt out in main list, but numbers come before letters in adult video lists
• Movies in a series with the same basic title eg Demons 1 Demons 2 Demons 3 are presented in chronological order
• A bbreviations are sorted according to their truncated letters. Eg Mr. is sorted as 'mr' not 'mister'
• Hyphens, apostrophes, periods are ignored from within words, other punctuation marks are treated as a space
• mnemonics are ordered as if single word eg F.I.S.T. is ordered as if spelt FIST

Abbreviations

• aka also known as
• ASA Advertising Standards Authority
• ATVOD Authority for Television on Demand. Defunct UK Video on Demand censors
• BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
• BBFC British Board of Film Classification
• CBFC Central Board of Film Certification, Indian film censor and also the Pakistani film censor
• CPS Crown Prosecution Service
• ESRB Entertainment Software Ratings Board, US games rating
• FSK Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft, German film censor
• ICO Information Commissioner's Office
• IFCO Irish Film Classification Office
• IMDb Internet Movie Database
• ITC Independent Television Commission, UK TV censor now replaced by Ofcom
• ITV Independent Television
• MPA Motion Picture Association A new name for the MPAA from 2019.
• MPAA Motion Picture Association of America, US movie censor. Now MPA or MPA America
• NTSC American TV System
• Ofcom Office of Communications, the TV regulator
• OFLC Office of Film and Literature Classification, New Zealand censor but also a previous name for the Australian censor
• OPA Obscene Publications Act
• PAL European + Australian TV system
• Pre-Cert VHS videos released in the UK before BBFC certification was required from 1985
• R0 region free R1 region 1 (US) DVD, R2 region 2 (Europe) DVD, RA region A (US) Blu-ray, RB region B (Europe) Blu-ray
• Secam French TV Systemr
• VoD Video on Demand
• VRA Video Recording Act

BBFC Advice Viewings

A distributor may submit works for advice at any stage of the production process. Advice given in such circumstances is not binding and the BBFC reserves the right to reach a different decision when the work is submitted for classification in finished form. If the version of the work submitted for classification differs in any significant respect to that seen for advice, and if the changes appear to reflect advice given by the BBFC, then details of the changes will be noted on the main BBFC website.