Patrick Swaffer (born 12 February 1951) is a British lawyer who has worked in a wide variety of media organisations. Formerly a legal advisor to the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

(BBFC), he was appointed its president by the BBFC's Council of Management after an open competition on 17 October 2012, serving in the role for a decade. Swaffer is known for his input to the Media/Entertainment industry.http://www.gdlaw.co.uk/profiles/patrick-swaffer

Career

Patrick Swaffer was born and raised in London. He graduated from the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

with a law degree in 1973. In 1974, he joined Goodman Derrick solicitors as a senior and managing partner and completed his training for this position in 1976; he became a partner to the firm in 1979 in the Media department, in 2009 he became a consultant to that firm.http://www.chambersandpartners.com/uk/Firms/99999999-72900/10386 Swaffer also sits as a recorder in the Crown Court on the South Eastern Circuit. He is currently a partner in Media Compliance Services LLP. Formerly a legal advisor to the

(BBFC), Swaffer became president in 2012, succeeding

Sir Quentin Thomas Sir Quentin Jeremy Thomas (born 1 August 1944) is a retired United Kingdom, British civil servant, and former president of the British Board of Film Classification. He attended the Perse School in Cambridge and Gonville and Caius College, Cambr ...

. It was announced in September 2022 that after a decade in the role Swaffer would be stepping down as president of the BBFC, to be replaced by

Natasha Kaplinsky Natasha Margaret Kaplinsky (born 9 September 1972)The Donor, News and information for blood donors, Winter 2009, National Blood Service, England, page 55 is an English newsreader, TV presenter and journalist, best known for her roles as a st ...

, effective from 17 October. Swaffer chairs the board of the

Bill Douglas Cinema Museum The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum (formally the Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture) is a public museum and an academic research facility on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter in England. Founded in 1994 an ...

Personal life

Swaffer married his wife Niroo in 1986 and they have three sons: Andrew, Matthew and Nicholas.

References

External links

* Mark Allison
"An interview with Patrick Swaffer; president of the BBFC"
''Exeposé'', 10 October 2016. * http://hanleyltc.org.uk/hanleyabout.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Swaffer, Patrick 1951 births Living people 20th-century British lawyers Alumni of the University of Exeter English solicitors