The latest controversy, if it can be called that, is that the upcoming DVD releases will be given a “12” Certificate in Britain, that is it’s not to be shown to children under 12. According to Outpost Gallifrey the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) did this based on the episodes The Unquiet Dead and Dalek—the latter being particularly slated for its scenes where the Doctor taunts the Dalek. This apparently sets a bad example where “violence and cruelty [is] a way of dealing with problems”.

As producer Russell T Davies points out, it does seem a bit unfair since the stories on here don’t have the swearing and violence that many things that get this classification. Even the Times have an editorial criticizing the BBFC for this ruling.

But…weren’t we here almost a decade ago? Back when the last Doctor Who revival was happening (you remember it, the one that lasted a month or so in 1996 and yet took up the next nine years of books), the BBFC offered the video of the TV movie a 12 certificate only if it actually cut—like the televised version in Britain—scenes of violence during the shoot-out when Chang-Lee’s friends are killed and during the operating room scene when the Seventh Doctor dies. It was a month or two after the Dunblane massacre and people were very spooked about gun violence. The threat was that if cuts were not made it would receive a 14 certificate, which would have wreaked havoc with the BBC’s plans to air the TV Movie on the May Bank Holiday in a pre-watershed timeslot by releasing a version on video with stronger violence content than the version televised. So the videos—which were going to be released a month or so before (indeed it was meant to be a way for BBC Worldwide to make some money back on their investment in the TV movie)—had to be reduplicated which meant they were now only available days before the TV movie aired. (The local East London supermarket I used to go to when I lived there for two years had two lonely unbought copies the entire time I was there).

So here we are again. Compared to what happened in 1996, I think this is hardly a tragedy or a scandal at all. I frankly think those DVDs should wear those 12 certificates like a badge of honour.