Alison Hastings: the press editor turned BBFC vice-president

Overview

Alison Hastings is a British media figure who was appointed a vice-president of the British Board of Film Classification in November 2008, after an open competition; she sat on the board’s Presidential Team that jointly refused The Bunny Game a certificate in October 2011, blocking its UK supply (Screen Daily; JoBlo). Before the BBFC she edited the Newcastle daily The Chronicle from 1996 to 2002 and was a founding trustee of the BBC Trust (HoldTheFrontPage).

From the Chronicle to the BBC Trust

Hastings edited the Newcastle daily The Chronicle for six years, from 1996 until 2002, having been made editor at 29 after more than 18 years as a journalist in the local press (HoldTheFrontPage). She served as a Press Complaints Commissioner and became a founding trustee of the BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body (HoldTheFrontPage; Prolific North). As the Trust’s member for England she chaired Audience Council England, its advisory body for English audiences (Screen Daily). Based in Liverpool, she worked as a media consultant (Screen Daily; Prolific North), and in 2023 she joined the board of the regional publisher Archant as a non-executive director (Prolific North). Her career arc — regional press editor, press regulator, broadcast governor — made her the working journalist’s voice in British media regulation, the practitioner among policy-makers.

The BBFC vice-presidency

After an open competition, Hastings was appointed a vice-president of the BBFC in 2008, taking up the post that November alongside Gerard Lemos as Janet Lewis-Jones and Lord Taylor of Warwick stepped down after ten years (Screen Daily). President Sir Quentin Thomas said the pair would bring “a depth of highly relevant experience and expertise to the Board” (Screen Daily). In October 2011 she sat on the Presidential Team that, with Director David Cooke, formally refused The Bunny Game a certificate — a joint decision meaning the film could not be legally supplied anywhere in the UK (JoBlo). The refusal rested on the board’s view that the film’s unremitting sexual and physical abuse was so pervasive that cuts were impractical (JoBlo). Whether she remains a vice-president is not confirmed by the sources read for this profile.

Career at a glance

Period	Role
1996–2002	Editor, Newcastle Evening Chronicle — appointed at 29 (HoldTheFrontPage)
—	Founding trustee, BBC Trust; Chair of Audience Council England (HoldTheFrontPage; Screen Daily)
Nov 2008	Appointed vice-president, BBFC, with Gerard Lemos (Screen Daily)
2023	Non-executive director, Archant board (Prolific North)

Named editor of a major regional daily at 29 (HoldTheFrontPage) — meaning Hastings reached the top editorial job before 30 after more than 18 years in local journalism, then carried that press-side experience into broadcast governance and film classification.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Alison Hastings? Alison Hastings is a British media figure: former editor of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle (1996–2002), founding trustee of the BBC Trust, Press Complaints Commissioner, and a BBFC vice-president appointed in 2008. She sat on the Presidential Team that refused The Bunny Game a certificate in 2011.

What was her journalism career? Hastings spent more than 18 years in the local press and was made editor of the Newcastle Chronicle at 29, leading the daily from 1996 to 2002. She later worked as a Liverpool-based media consultant and in 2023 joined the board of regional publisher Archant as a non-executive director.

What was her role in The Bunny Game ban? As a BBFC vice-president, Hastings sat on the Presidential Team that jointly took the October 2011 decision with Director David Cooke to refuse The Bunny Game a certificate. The board found its sexual and physical abuse so pervasive that cuts were impractical, making the film illegal to supply anywhere in the UK.

Is she still a BBFC vice-president? The sources read for this profile confirm her appointment in November 2008 and her presence on the Presidential Team through the 2011 refusal, but none documents when — or whether — her term ended. Her 2023 Archant board appointment confirms she remains active in media governance.

What this profile does not claim

• It does not give a birth date — 14 August 1965 appears in secondary references but was not confirmed by any full-read source.
• It does not date her Press Complaints Commission service or BBC Trust trusteeship to specific years.
• It does not state that she is still a BBFC vice-president.

Timeline

• 1996 — made editor of the Newcastle daily The Chronicle at the age of 29 (HoldTheFrontPage).
• 2002 — steps down as editor of The Chronicle after six years (HoldTheFrontPage).
• 2008-11 — appointed a vice-president of the BBFC after an open competition, taking up the post alongside Gerard Lemos (Screen Daily).
• 2011-10 — sits on the Presidential Team that, with Director David Cooke, refuses The Bunny Game a certificate (JoBlo).
• 2023 — joins the board of the regional publisher Archant as a non-executive director (Prolific North).

What we could not verify

• The end date of her BBFC vice-presidency — or whether she still holds the role; no full-read source documents it.
• The exact years of her Press Complaints Commission membership and her BBC Trust founding trusteeship.
• Her birth date (14 August 1965 in secondary references, not verified here).

Sources

• Screen Daily — Hastings, Lemos named VPs at British ratings board (tier1; 2008 VP appointment, media consultant, BBC Trust, Audience Council England, PCC veteran)
• HoldTheFrontPage — Ex-Newcastle Chronicle editor becomes Archant director (tier2; Chronicle editorship 1996–2002, editor at 29, 18+ years, founding BBC trustee, PCC)
• Prolific North — Alison Hasting joins Archant board (tier3; Liverpool media consultant, 2023 Archant appointment)
• JoBlo — Adam Rehmeier’s The Bunny Game banned by British Board of Film Classification (tier2; Presidential Team membership in the joint October 2011 refusal)