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Beyond the BBFC explores local film censorship activity across Britain and Northern Ireland, from the earliest days of cinema to the rise of home video in the 1980s. This study delves into the diverse and often idiosyncratic systems used to regulate film at the local level, highlighting the motivations and mechanisms behind these efforts.
Drawing on archival material from regions including Aberdeen, Bexhill, Belfast, Wakefield and Cheltenham as well as across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Cornwall, Glamorgan and Berkshire, the book uncovers the wide variation in censorship practices. Local approaches ranged from independently appointed censors to committees who provided stringent scrutiny of all contentious titles. It charts how thesedifferent interventions operated, the reasons they endured or why they came to an abrupt end. Placing local censorship within the broader context of national bodies like the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the Home Office, the Greater London Council, and The Public Morality Council, the book reveals how place and context uniquely shaped censorship practices.
This detailed, historical exploration provides new insights into British local film censorship and how it contributed to debates about film and cinema taking place across the 20th century.