About the British Board of Film Classification

Established in 1912, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent media content regulator. It classifies theatrical films, home entertainment content including DVDs and VOD, and websites delivered via the UK’s mobile networks. Its mission is to help families choose content that is right for them, and avoid what is not, and to protect children and vulnerable adults from harmful content.

During 2025 the BBFC classified 1,315 features for cinema release, the highest number ever. 2025 also marked the fifth anniversary of the groundbreaking self-rating partnership work with Netflix. Aswell as setting the gold standard for how a regulator can work with a streaming service, it has been received very positively from parents. The most recent data has shown that 96% of parents find the age ratings on Netflix helpful when deciding what their children can watch on Netflix. The BBFC have continued with this self-rating partnership model with Prime Video and are working closely with Warner Bro/HBO Max to utilize their expertise in this area.

You can view our latest annual report.

You can see our classification guidelines.

The Board The BBFC Board is made up of seven Directors who each bring expertise from a variety of disciplines including the cinema, television, Video on Demand (VoD) and media industries and from public service, social welfare and charity roles.

The seven members currently include four Statutory Classifiers: our President, Vice Presidents and Chief Executive, who are designated by the Government to collectively classify films and series under the Video Recordings Act 1984 (VRA) and are responsible for all policies relating to classification. It also includes three Independent Directors, who advise us on our organisational strategy and the administering of our financial affairs.

Current members are: Natasha Kaplinsky OBE (President, BBFC and Chair, BBFC Board), Murphy Cobbing (Vice President), Lord Patel of Bradford OBE (Vice President), David Austin OBE (Chief Executive), Gloria De Piero (Independent Director), Darren Jobling (Independent Director) and John Stanley (Independent Director).

You can read more about the current Board.