CENSORS would have been "overwhelmed" with complaints from parents if they had allowed the hit North-East movie Billy Elliot to be seen by children under 15, the president of the British Board of Film Classification said yesterday.

The decision to award the film, about a young County Durham boy's ambitions to become a ballet dancer, a 15 rather than 12 certificate was one of the most controversial made by the BBFC this year.

But its president Andreas Whittam Smith said the British public was more concerned about bad language than those in any other country, and would not have tolerated young children seeing a film with more than 50 uses of the F-word.

"The British public, unique amongst countries, remains very sensitive about bad language. I am perfectly sure that if this was passed at 12 we would have been overwhelmed with complaints about the bad language."

Research showed that swearing and violence were increasingly of greater concern to the public than sexually explicit scenes, he said.

''We have just changed our guidelines after the most extensive programme of research any broadcaster or cinema body has done.

''The public told us three things. It said, as far as the lower age category is concerned, we want you to be tougher on violence, weapons and language. We have done those three things."

Earlier this month community leaders in Easington Colliery, where the film was made, said pit workers would never have sworn in front of women or children.

Even Jamie Bell, the film's 14-year-old star, who lives in Billingham, Teesside, is legally barred from seeing the film.

Last night, Jamie appeared as a guest on ITV's Frank Skinner Show.