In 1975, Jaws was passed by the British Board of Film censors (as they then more accurately called themselves) with an ‘A’ certificate – the then-equivalent of the PG. It was again passed PG uncut for video release in 1987, 1993 and 2000. So it’s been available for viewing by people of all ages – with the proviso that it may be unsuitable for younger children – for almost forty years, without evidence of trauma, damage of public outrage.

But now, the film has been re-classified 12 for the upcoming Blu-ray edition. And while it might not matter much in the grand scheme of things, this is further evidence of both censorship creep and the increasing uselessness of the PG rating. While the old ‘A’ and its replacement used to allow for a certain level of adult content – brief nudity (think Carry On films), action movie violence (think James Bond) and mild swearing, now all those things are likely to see a film given the 12/12A rating.

The PG now sits, rather pointlessly, between the U and the 12, and countless films have been pushed from heir original A rating to 12 or even 15 over the years – The Monster Club, The Eagle Has Landed, Saturn 3 and various nudist films spring immediately to mind. Jaws presumably escaped reclassification for so long because of its high profile, much like the Bond films. But no more.

UPDATE: Thanks to Marc Morris for pointing out that the current reclassification is actually to the cinema rating of 12A (which is a 12 on video).