Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film, Bruno, will not be seen by a large portion of its likely target audience after it was given an 18 rating.

Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film, Bruno, will not be seen by a large portion of its likely target audience after it was given an 18 rating.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) decided that strong sexual content in certain scenes meant the movie was only suitable for adult audiences and not for a 15 certificate.

The surprise ruling means that when the movie is released at the cinema on July 10, huge numbers of teenagers will not be able to see the outrageous escapades of Bruno, the gay Austrian fashion journalist.

Baron Cohen's two previous films, Ali G Indahouse and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, were both given 15 ratings.

Like Borat, Bruno is a mock documentary in which the lead character, played by Baron Cohen, exposes the prejudices and bigotries of people he interviews while pushing boundaries of good taste to their limit. The BBFC said three scenes in particular made the film unsuitable for a younger audience: one involving Bruno's pygmy flight attendant boyfriend; one in which Bruno mimes a sex act with a dead member of German dance act Milli Vanilli; and one in which Bruno attends a real swingers' party.

A spokeswoman for the BBFC said it had suggested cuts that could be made to Bruno to get a 15 rating, but the film-makers had declined.

Baron Cohen attended the film's London premiere last night in character, dressed in a mock guard's outfit, complete with leather hotpants, cropped red military jacket, knee-high boots and bearskin-style hat.

His blond fringe poking out from under the bearskin, Bruno had some advice for Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "The guy needs a total makeover," he said.

"He needs a fake tan, he needs to wear some tight slacks ... Gordon, click those heels and say hello."