18 (BBFC)

No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video work. Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.

–BBFC

18 is a certificate given by the BBFC determining that a particular form of media is suitable only for adults. Nobody younger than 18 can buy an 18-rated video, or see an 18-rated film in a cinema. It is the spiritual successor to the X certificate. The age restriction of the 18 certificate is enforced by councils, not the BBFC.

There are no official content guidelines at 18 (except for pornography), but the content exceeds the permissible limits at 15.

Although a direct equivalent to the NC-17 rating used for films in the United States, unlike the US NC-17 rating, films classified 18 in the UK are commonly shown in mainstream UK cinemas, as these films are normally rated R in the US.

It is as well an equivalent to the hard TV-MA rating used for TV in the United States.

Along with the 15 rating, the BBFC 18 rating was also used as an available classification for video games prior to 2012, when PEGI ratings became legally binding.

List[]

As of January 10, 2025, there are over 15,200 18 rated titles according to IMDb. (list)

Content of 18-rated works[]

Violence is often very strong and accompanied by revulsive gore. Highly gruesome imagery is allowed. There may be frequent, realistically simulated sex scenes. The strongest terms of language (example: 'c**t') can be used frequently or aggressively in 18-rated works, although the terms of language may not be stronger in some films but sometimes rather either the mildest or moderated terms of language. Promotion of, or hard drug use would fall into this category.

Depictions of violence vary considerably between 18-rated works, with some featuring relatively brief violence that is arguably less strong than that of some 15-rated works, while some, such as the Saw series, feature extreme, graphic, sadistic violence that undoubtedly warrants the rating. Contrary to popular belief, the frequent gory images in the Final Destination series is not caused by violence, and they are not particularly graphic, which means all of the films in the series were given 15 certificates rather than 18. In addition, The Witchfinder General; a 1968 historical fact drama based on the accounts of Matthew Hopkins who was a corrupt witch hunter appointed by Oliver Cromwell during The English Civil War; have no bloody violent scenes at all but rather having moderate scenes of violence like in PG/12A rated films despite being rated 18 in the present day.

It is rare for films and series to be rated 18 solely for very strong language, though it does sometimes occur (e.g. Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen and The Thick of It).

Pornographic works[]

While adults should be free to choose their own entertainment, exceptions apply to pornographic works.

A pornographic work is content that, taken as a whole, is designed primarily for the purpose of sexual arousal.
Some pornography can contain simulated sexual activity and that can be placed at 18.
Pornographic works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the R18 category.
A pornographic work that cannot be accepted at R18 also cannot be accepted at 18.
Some works with images of strong real sex were passed 18, given that those works are not pornographic works.