Film 'turns dissection into entertainment'

A DVD of an autopsy - the first to be available in British shops - is due to be released in April if the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) awards it a certificate.

The 50-minute film, Autopsy, shows a US pathologist, Thomas Noguchi,carrying out the procedure on an unidentified man. Footage shows the former Los Angeles chief medical examiner removing and cutting up organs.

The film has been condemned for turning a body dissection into entertainment. John Beyer of the campaign group Mediawatch-UK said: "I hope the BBFC will not grant this a certificate so that it doesn't even get on the market and be made into nothing more than entertainment."

The DVD firm Revolver signed a deal 10 days ago to distribute the film. The marketing director, Jezz Vernon, said: "We felt there was a demand - a curiosity to explore a previously taboo part of death."

A BBFC spokeswoman said: "Just because something is shocking doesn't mean it can't be classified.