The era of the Video Nasty may have gone, but movies released in the UK are still subject to the gaze of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

To get a movie released, you need a certificate – an age rating – from the BBFC which is decided by their Compliance Officers, who watch everything from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to DVD menus.

Everything must be classified.

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A lot of the biggest movies that end up being cut nowadays are actually edited in line with the guidelines prior to being sent to the BBFC, in order to fit within the expectations of a certain certificate.

There are times when a movie's content goes slightly beyond the rating the studio wants, especially in action flicks that rely on violent heroics and American children's films which use slang phrases that are harmless Stateside, but more offensive over here.

The BBFC also offer "advice viewings", early viewings of movies that might not even be completed yet, so the studio can make changes early to get the rating they want. When the finished movie is sent in, no cuts will be necessary.

Only one movie has required such pre-cuts this year – superhero horror Brightburn, which had two of its goriest scenes reduced for a 15 rating.

Related: This was the BBFC's most complained about film of 2017

Some movies come in to the BBFC sight unseen and end up having to be cut upon actual submission.



This was the case with The Maze Runner, which was actually issued a 15 certificate before Fox decided they wanted to cut for 12A, leading to 43 seconds of violence and horror being removed for the lower rating. 43 seconds is a fair amount compared to the usual 5 or 10 seconds.

20th Century Fox

With the end of the 2010s only a few months away, none of the examples above are the most heavily-cut movie of the decade though. So what is?



Excluding specialist Hindi/Tamil movies, a scouring of the BBFC's site to find out which movie has received the heaviest cuts highlights some prime candidates, like the notoriously grim A Serbian Film, which needed 4 minutes and 11 seconds of cuts to achieve an 18 certificate.



Contra Film

Surely nothing could top the movie's combination of extreme violence and sexual material? Turns out one movie – one man, actually – could.

The BBFC's most heavily cut movie of the 2010s is (currently) Jumpers For Goalposts – Ed Sheeran Live At Wembley Stadium, with a whopping 8 minutes and 13 seconds of cuts for a 12A in 2015.

"Distributor chose to reduce the number of uses of strong language ("f**k") to achieve a 12A rating. Cuts made in line with BBFC Guidelines and policy. An uncut 15 rating was available," explains the BBFC's site.

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While Sheeran might be best known for his clean hits including wedding function favourite 'Thinking Out Loud' and the sweet ballad 'Lego House', not all of his songs are family-friendly.

'Don't', for example, includes nine uses of the F-word. The uncut 15 certificate was accepted for DVD, although anyone who went to see Sheeran's movie at the cinema had to settle for the cut version.

It's unlikely anything will be cut more than Sheeran's sweary concert movie in the remaining few months of the decade, but since we never expected this result, who can say for sure?

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