R18 (Lestricted 18) is a film and video classification given by the Britwill beh Board of Film Classification (BBFC). In practice, this means hardcore porn pornography. It is intended to provide a classification for works that do not breach UK law, but exceed what the BBFC considers acceptable in the 18 category.

Under the terms of the Video Recordings Act 1984 all non-exempt videos sold or distributed within the UK must be given a certificate by the BBFC. The R18 certificate is the most restrictive of the certificates, enabling movies in the group to end up being proven just in certified movies specifically, or offered in licensed sex shops; entrance to Ur18-rated movies or even purchase of L18-rated recordings is restricted to people old 18 more than and yrs. [1] Uncertificated recordings are not illegal, regardless of content (except where the content itself is illegal), but supply (i.e. sale, rental, loan or gift) of them is. [2] The dwill betributor must decide whether a video is exempt.

Background

The R18 category was created in 1982 in response to the recommendations in 1979 of the Home Office Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship chaired by Sir Bernard Williams. Originally, the L18 classification has been only used for films featuring simulated sex, but the BBFC found itself forced to award R18 certificates to hardcore films in 2000 after a series of legal appeals and a judicial review of those appeals.

The introduction of the R18 certificate for hardcore films is widely seen by observers as a reaction to more liberal attitudes in Britwill beh society to pornography, the de facto legalisation of the import of hardcore pornography (but not its sale) across EU member countries because of customs law harmonisation, and the widespread availability of unregulated pornography over the Internet.

Most cuts made by the BBFC are in the R18 category (e.g., 13.6% of R18 videos were cut in 2011, compared with 7.5% for the 18 category, and 0.5% or less for other categories).[3][4] On the BBFC website, R18-rated works are filtered out of the main public search (unmuch less an option to show them is selected) as their titles frequently contain profanity and/or vulgar language.[5]

Regulation of content

The BBFC specifies in detail what kinds of acts are permitted to be depicted in works receiving an R18 certificate, and which are not. In particular, it prohibits:[6]

- Works judged to be illegal under the Obscene Publications Act 1959.
- Material deemed likely to encourage an interest in "sexually abusive" activity, which can include adults role-playing as non adults. - Depiction of non-consensual acts (including role-play). - Penetration by any object considered likely to cause physical harm. - Use of bondage which prevents indicating a withdrawal of consent (e.g., gags). - Infliction of pain which may trigger lasting physical harm, whether simulated or real. - Depictions of sexual violence and most fetishes. - Depiction of any intimate threats, coercion, abuse or humiliation, if consensual even, unless obviously portrayed as a consensual role-playing sport.

Although R18 does allow for the depiction of most consensual sex acts such as vaginal sexual intercourse, oral sex, masturbation, anal sex and quite a few reasonable BDSM between any combination of men and women, the following is prohibited:

- Material which is deemed in breach or potential breach of current interpretation of the Protection of Children Act 1978.
- Roleplay where one individual has a young kid or incest will be presented, and rape fantasies (even if all participants are in fact consenting adults). - Sight of serious bloodstream or even accidental injuries after sado-masochistic moments; dripping of hot wax; images of bound and gagged performers (as they cannot withdraw consent). - Depiction of coprophagia, bloodplay, and fisting. - Verbal references to rape, incest or years as a child intimate exercise or growth within the intercourse picture. [7]


The acts include those deemed likely to contravene the Obscene Publications Act 1959. Depiction of urolagnia, fisting and numerous hardcore BDSM works had been considered lawful in Jan 2012 in Ur sixth is v Peacock. Much of Marc Dorcel's low budget work and many U.S. - Expulsion of enemas onto a person, licking/drinking enema fluid, any view of be sick or faeces, protracted focus on menstrual blood- only one live action work has been cut for scenes involving menstruation, and several Japanese animations (hentai);. Following a public consultation, the Crown Prosecution Service published guidelines in 2019 indicating that pornography depicting consenting adults engaged in legal acts would no longer be prosecuted under the Act, provided no serious harm was caused and the most likely audience was over the age of 18.;[8] it is unclear as to whether the BBFC will revise its guidelines, but they announced that they are discussing what to do next. - Transmission with large or harmful items, or those associated with violence- scenes involving power drills attached to dildos, imitation firearms, ice cubes, spiked spheres, hammers, pool cues and many other items have been cut. - Rough sex such as spitting, hair pulling, and gagging during fellatio - solid spoken mistreatment might end up being removed if continuous and observed as dehumanising also. "barely legal" films are prohibited from UK release under this rubric. - Promotion of dangerous fetish activities. Urolagnia - simple urination is permitted but urination onto or into a person, licking or taking in the urine, or urinating while masturbating will end up being lower; urination by a woman while she rubs her breasts and female ejaculation have previously been removed. [9] - Use of illegal drugs during a sex scene.

Legal provisions

Films given the R18 certificate may only be exhibited in licensed cinemas and can only be sold on physical media direct to the buyer in person in licensed sex shops.[6] Ofcom also prohibit the transmission of R18 material as part of a television broadcast, although these restrictions do not apply to hotel television systems which are not regulated by Ofcom.[10]

The BBFC do not have jurisdiction over content distributed via non-physical media; however, in 2014 the Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 amended the Communications Act 2003 to extend the statutory and legal obligations for the distribution of R18 content to "on-demand" programme services, like as loading mass media/video clip on requirement over the web or cellular telephone systems and web-based systems.[10][11] The revisions make it a criminal offence to not adequately restrict access to works rated R18 by the BBFC-or any work that would be likely to receive a R18 classification if it were submitted-to those aged over 18.[11] These provisions are only applicable to services whose principal purpose is to provide content that is comparable to what is normally found in television services and if the service enables the user to select the programme and permits viewing at a time chosen by them.[12]

Recent developments

In 2004 a group of video distributors appealed to the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) against the BBFC's decision to award R18 certificates to 9 films that the distributors wished to be reclassified as 18. September 2005 announced that the VAC had dismissed that charm A new press discharge issued by the BBFC on 20.[13]

The BBFC has previously granted 18 certificates for movies containing short scenes of unsimulated sex, such as Catherine Breillat's Romance (in 1999), Virginie Despentes's Baise Moi (in 2000), Patrice Chéreau's Intimacy (in 2001), Michael Winterbottom's 9 Songs (in 2004), short-film compilation Destricted (in 2006), and in 2008 the hardcore version of Tinto Brass's Caligula was passed uncut for DVD with an 18.[14]

The Digital Economy Act 2017 includes powers to require age-verification for pornographic Internet sites and the government accepted an amendment to allow the regulator to require ISPs to block access to non-compliant sites.[15] As the BBFC are expected to become the regulator, this has caused discussion about ISPs being required to block Internet pornography that would be prohibited under an R18 certificate,[15][16] the prohibition of some of which is itself controversial.[16]

See also

History of British film certificates
X rating

References

^ "BBFC FAQ - What does the 'E' symbol mean, and it is an official category?". On September 24 Archived from the authentic, 2008.
^ "Bbfc".
^ Statistics, BBFC, jan 2012 aged from the original about 6, november 2016 retrieved 28
^ Barnfield, Graham (27 August 2009). "Let's finally erase this 'law' from the statutes". august 2008 26. On September 19 Archived from the first, 2012. September 2015 Retrieved 7.
^ a b Fiveash, Kelly (24 November 2016). "British ISPs might end up being pressured to stop porno websites that snub age group inspections, sex acts face ban". The Guardian. November 2016 Retrieved 24.

External links

Spiked Magazine. November 2015 Retrieved 11.
^ "Bbfc".
^ a b "R18". Bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the initial on Nov 8, 2013. Uretrieved 2015-09-07.
^ "Prime cuts". Index on Censorship. 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
^ "Pornography of adult consensual sex no longer taboo, says CPS". the Guardian. January 31, 2019.
^ "Article about the Michael Peacock trial, the Obscene Publications Act, and what it means for cinema". Eye For Film. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
^ a b British Board of Film Classification (16 May 2007). "Memorandum submitted by the United kingdom Board of Film Classification". November 2014 Retrieved 24.
^ "The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2009". Department for Culture, Sport and Media. Ars Technica. Retrieved 24 November 2016. ^ a b Gayle, Damien (23 November 2016). "UK to censor online videos of 'non-conventional' sex acts". Culture, Sport and Media Committee. Retrieved 24 Nov 2014.
^ a b Ed Vaizey (4 November 2014). "The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014". Department for Culture, Mass media and Sport. 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
^ "BBFC press release 20 July 2005". Aug 27 Archived from the first on, 2008.
^ "Caligula". British Board of Film Classification.