BBFC: 1912 - 1949

The BBFC prides itself on the facts that the basis for its guidelines are a reflection of current views in society. Although there were no published guidelines in the early days of the BBFC, T.P O'Connor and the early examiners came up with 43 grounds for deletion in 1916 which they felt reflected what was correct and decent to be shown publicly in cinemas. These were:

1. Indecorous, ambiguous and irreverent titles and subtitles
2. Cruelty to animals
3. The irreverent treatment of sacred subjects
4. Drunken scenes carried to excess
5. Vulgar accessories in the staging
6. The modus operandi of criminals
7. Cruelty to young infants and excessive cruelty and torture to adults, especially women
8. Unnecessary exhibition of under-clothing
9. The exhibition of profuse bleeding
10. Nude figures
11. Offensive vulgarity, and impropriety in conduct and dress
12. Indecorous dancing
13. Excessively passionate love scenes
14. Bathing scenes passing the limits of propriety
15. References to controversial politics
16. Relations of capital and labour
17. Scenes tending to disparage public characters and institutions
18. Realistic horrors of warfare
19. Scenes and incidents calculated to afford information to the enemy
20. Incidents having a tendency to disparage our Allies
21. Scenes holding up the King’s uniform to contempt or ridicule
22. Subjects dealing with India, in which British Officers are seen in an odious light, and otherwise attempting to suggest the disloyalty of British Officers, Native States or bringing into disrepute British prestige in the Empire
23. The exploitation of tragic incidents of the war
24. Gruesome murders and strangulation scenes
25. Executions
26. The effects of vitriol throwing
27. The drug habit. e.g. opium, morphia, cocaine, etc
28. Subjects dealing with White Slave traffic
29. Subjects dealing with premeditated seduction of girls
30. 'First Night' scenes
31. Scenes suggestive of immorality
32. Indelicate sexual situations
33. Situations accentuating delicate marital relations
34. Men and women in bed together
35. Illicit relationships
36. Prostitution and procuration
37. Incidents indicating the actual perpetration of criminal assaults on women
38. Scenes depicting the effect of venereal disease, inherited or acquired
39. Incidents suggestive of incestuous relations
40. Themes and references relative to 'race suicide'
41. Confinements
42. Scenes laid in disorderly houses
43. Materialization of the conventional figure of Christ
1918-39

• Major concerns for the board at this time were horror and gangster films, as well as those that dealt with aspects of sexuality.
• Some councils started banning children from seeing films classified 'A' even after having been cut to get a certificate.
• The certificate 'H' (for horror) was agreed in 1932 to indicate films potentially too scary for children. This was in response to such films as 'Frankenstien' (1931)

1948 - Arthur Watkins

• Arthur Watkins was appointed secretary of the board in 1948, under the Presidency of Sir Sidney Harris.
• Both men had a background in politics

The two men came up with new terms of reference based on 3 principles

• was the story, incident or dialogue likely to impair the moral standards of the public by exentuating vice or crime or depreciating moral standards?
• Was it likely to give offense to reasonably minded audiences?
• What effect would it have on children?