'The character of Ming himself of course comes from the Flash Gordon comic strips of the 1930s and let's just say that attitudes towards the acceptability of discriminatory racial stereotypes have moved on considerably since then, and rightly so, of course. 'Flash's arch-nemesis, Ming the Merciless, is coded as an east Asian character due to his hair and make-up, but he's played by the Swedish actor Max von Sydow, which I don't think is something that would happen if this were a modern production and is something we're also aware that viewers may find dubious, if not outright offensive. In doing so, we came to the conclusion that for modern audiences its much more appropriately rated 12A than PG. He added: 'Things we have moved on since 1980 and we had to look at Flash Gordon with fresh eyes. In a podcast released a few days ago, BBFC senior policy officer Matt Tindall said the film was originally classified A, or advisory - the equivalent of a PG. 'The character derives from the film's dated source material, but some viewers may find the depiction offensive.' On its website, the BBFC warns: 'An alien character is coded as 'Asian' due to his hair and make-up, although he is portrayed by a Caucasian actor. The British Board of Film Classification has added a warning about Ming the Merciless
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