British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)

About the BBFC:

The BBFC is an independent media content regulator that was established in 1912  by the film industry, they have exercised responsibilities over cinema for over 90 years. They are self-financing and  are not set up to make a profit, their fees are only adjusted to cover the costs needed to be able to run. The BBFC are a trusted guide to media content. They protect the public, in particular children from viewing content that might not be suitable for them for many reasons, this is why certificate ratings are shown on films.

BBFC certificates:

U rating

U: universal - this is suitable for all. Although it is impossible to predict what could upset a certain child a U rated film is aimed at and should be suitable for audience aged four and over. These films will only use mild bad language such as a character might say 'damn'. Characters in these film may be shown kissing or cuddling but their will be no focus on sexual behaviour or language. Finally their may be very mild violence in these films and their could be points where the characters are placed in danger, however any  threats or moments of emotional stress will be resolved quickly and the outcome will always be reassuring.

PG rating

PG stands for Parental Guidance, these films will not contain any themes that are unsuitable for a child to watch. PG films are suitable for general viewings however parents should consider that some scenes may be unsuitable for young children and then decide if they wish for their child to watch the film. There could be some bad language used in a PG film such as a character might say 's***' or 'son of a b***h' but the context and delivery are always important. Sex references in PG films are very unlikely  and if there are any they are undetailed and infrequent. Any violence in the films would be very mild, you may see some blood but you would not see how the injury was inflected.

12 and 12a rating

12 and 12a rating films are suitable for an audience aged 12 or above, no one younger than 12 can view these films unless they are accompanied by an adult who believe that the film is suitable for that child. Any adult who is planning on a child that is under the age of 12 to a 12a film should check
the BBFC insight for the particular film in advance.strong language may be used in a 12 or 12a film
for example a character might use the word 'f**k' and there may be moderate language such as a character saying the word 'b***h' or 't**t'. 12 and 12a films may briefly contain sex and there could be nudity although nudity in a sexual context will only be brief and discreet. Any violence in a 12 or 12a film should not go into detail however their may be some gory moments if they are justified by their context. 

15 rating

No one under the aged of 15 can view a 15 rated film at the cinema or by buying/renting . Some things that may be in a 15 rated film are:

• Strong violence
• Frequently used strong language such as 'f**k'
• Portrayals of sexual activity
• Strong verbal references to sex
• Sexual nudity
• Brief scenes of sexual violence
• Drug taking
• Discriminatory language and behaviour

18 rating

No one under the age of 18 can view a 18 rated film at the cinema or by buying/renting. Some things that may be in a 18 rated film are:

• Very strong language
• Strong horror 
• Frequent strong and very strong language such as 'f**k' and 'c**t'
• Scenes of sexual violence
• Strong portrayals of sexual activity
• Strong blood and gore
• Real sex
• Discriminatory language and behaviour

R18 rating

R18: Restricted 18. R18 films are in a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or fetish material involving adults. This films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas.

(Information taken from http://www.bbfc.co.uk/)