Censors clear most sexually explicit film yet

Censors have approved the most sexually explicit film ever released in Britain to go to screens - uncut.

16:32 19 October 2004

Censors have approved the most sexually explicit film ever released in Britain to go to screens uncut.

Given an 18 rating, 9 Songs will be released next year in UK cinemas containing scenes of real, on-screen sex between actors.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the movie was deemed fit for public consumption by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) because the sexual content is "exceptionally justified by context".

The movie caused uproar when it was first screened in Cannes earlier this year because it contains unsimulated sex scenes between the two main characters.

However the BBFC maintains it is "sensitive" to public concern, adding that its guidelines "are based on extensive consultation".

Despite including scenes such as oral sex between actors Kieran O'Brien and Margo Stilley, distributer Optimum Releasing describes the film as "sensual, not sexual".

Winterbottom, who directed the low-budget hit 24 Hour Party People, says his latest offering is a reaction against "prudish" films currently being made.