BBFC Podcast

What do Trolls World Tour, Bloodshot and The Invisible Man have in common? They’ve all been released to streaming services early so that you can watch them from the comfort of your own home during lockdown.

Want to know more? Listen to this podcast, which takes you through some of these releases and gives you all of the classification knowledge you need, so you can sit and watch them either by yourself or with your family.

To mark our 100th podcast, we have teamed up with film critic, journalist and host of BBC’s Kermode and Mayo's Film Review, Mark Kermode, for a very special episode.

So sit back and enjoy an open discussion between Mark and the BBFC’s Head of Compliance, Craig Lapper - as they delve into Mark’s relationship with film classification and discuss how the BBFC has changed over the years.

The two also discuss the classification decisions for recent film releases such as Jojo Rabbit (2019) and 1917 (2019), alongside historic decisions of Mark’s favourite horror films including The Exorcist (1973) and The Last House on the Left (1972).

Teachers, are you looking forward to your last week of term? Together with our friends at Into Film, we've produced a podcast and some lesson plans with some ideas about how you can watch the beloved festive tale A Christmas Carol with your class.

Whether you're a fan of Scrooge (1951), the Muppet's Christmas Carol (1992), or Jim Carey's A Christmas Carol (2009) we talk about the classification and history of each film, and give you some discussion points and lesson ideas.

http://www.cbbfc.co.uk/grown-ups/christmas-carol-worksheets

“The 18 replaced the X in 1982, which in turn absorbed the H which stood for ‘horrific’ in 1951.”

In the last episode of our mini series, we look at the history of the 18 category and its key classification issues. From ‘H’ films being restricted during WW2 to the 18 as it is today.

“More films are rated 15 today than at any other category.”

In 1982 15 replaced the AA category and the category system as we know it today was created. What was different about the AA and why did it change? In the 15 podcast, we discuss exactly this and compare older 15s such as Poltergeist (1982) with more recent releases such as Hereditary (2018).

“The 12 was introduced, on film only, in 1989 to cover the large gulf between PG and 15.”

Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985) and Ghostbusters (1984) all have something in common, and it isn’t that they all start with G. All of these films were rated 12 or 12A. In this podcast, we discuss both categories and the wide range of audience they capture discussing classification issues such as discrimination, humour and threat.

Introduced in 1982, the PG replaced the old A classification that had existed since 1913.”

In this episode, join us as we discuss the PG category. Find out why it was established and how best parents and families can navigate PG films. We also talk about a wide array of classification issues, from violence in films such as Horrible Histories (2019) to threat in Goosebumps (2015) and Lion (2016).

“The U category is the only classification to survive from the inception of the BBFC to now.”

In the first of our mini series, we discuss the U category, how it has changed over the years and how we address historically classified U films such as Watership Down (1978) and Disney classics such as The Lion King (1994).

'I'll have what she's having'

Rom Coms have given us some of the most memorable lines in cinematic history over the years. Whats your favourite? This podcast, we discuss some of the greats - When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill and It Happened One Night - and give you some insight into the classifications of each film.

With exam season upon us, we have released a podcast to support students, teachers and parents in the lead up to this years media studies exams.