The director of the British Board of Film Classification, David Cooke, is to retire after 12 years in the post.
Cooke, 60, will step down from the role in March 2016. The former civil servant has overseen a number of controversial ratings of high-profile movies, including the decisions to hand 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2012’s The Hunger Games 12A certificates.
“Being director of the BBFC is a wonderful job,” said Cooke in a statement. “It comes with superb colleagues and an endlessly fascinating subject matter. The danger is that you will outstay your welcome because you cannot bring yourself to leave. That’s why I decided, some time ago, that I would retire when I was 60.
In 2014, the BBFC rewrote its rules on horror movies after the 12A certificate for supernatural chiller The Woman in Black received a high number of complaints. In October, the organisation was also forced to revamp its BBFCinsight policy, which aimed to alert viewers to upsetting content via the traditional black title cards preceding a film, after complaints that it often gave away essential plot details. The board said it would work harder not to reveal spoilers after viewers of the Cannes hit Two Days, One Night complained that the film’s title card revealed a key character’s suicide attempt.
“The right time for reflection on my decade in the post will be when I actually go, in March next year,” Cooke said. “For now I’ll simply say that I’ve tried, with the presidential team and the council of management, to make the BBFC more open and informative, more approachable, and above all more useful to the public at a time when the proliferation of online outlets for audiovisual content means that the need for a trusted guide in support of child protection is greater than ever.”
The BBFC will now begin the process of finding a replacement for Cooke, who previously worked as a civil servant at director level in the cabinet office, Northern Ireland office and home office.
