Censorship Milestones

1896
First public film screening in Britain when the Lumiere Cinematograph is demonstrated at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London.

1909
The Cinematograph Act is passed by Parliament in response to fears about public safety due to the fire hazard from highly flammable early film. It requires all cinema premises to be licensed by the local authority and forms the basis for subsequent film censorship in Britain.
1913
Due to exhibitor's fears of official intervention, The British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) is established by the film industry itself, with the promise that "No film will be passed that is not clean and wholesome and absolutely above suspicion". Films are given either 'U' (for universal exhibition) or 'A' (more suitable for adults) certificates.

The BBFC has no legal powers to censor films, but its advice is generally followed by local authorities, which have the power to withdraw cinema licences. This is still the case today. Videos of course are another matter.

1917
In response to a growing lobby in favour of state censorship, new BBFC president T.P. O'Connor, a Liberal MP, publishes "O'Connor's 43" - a list of the grounds on which films might be cut for the guidance of film examiners. These provide the basis for BBFC policy until World War II.