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Culprit of Leaked Doctor Who Episode Found

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-thats-to-bad dept.

marekk writes "The person responsible for leaking the premeire episode of the new BBC Doctor Who series has reportedly been uncovered and fired according to BBC . Looks like the speculation over possible viral advertising by the BBC didn't pan out. "

8 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. One Less to Cut? by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Interesting
    One less to cut?

    If you're not a regular follower of the BBC, there are large structural changes and job cuts afoot. Remember those glorious days you could catch the World Service via shortwave in North America? I still can, from the Carribean. But where am I supposed to watch the latest Dr. Who? Are there BBC TV channels carried via satellite? Will I be able to download it? I get blocked from live sports casts, which usually say 'to UK only'

    Note to /. ed: 'too-bad'

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    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. too bad.. by grub · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was hoping the rumours of it being an intentional leak were true. That leak generated a lot of interest in the new series. (and Rose is a good episode ;))

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:too bad.. by buckhead_buddy · · Score: 2, Interesting
      There was a quote from Russel T. Davies (the co-producer, and writer of the leaked episode) that I'll paraphrase because I can't track it down right now. But the essence of it was that despite others panic about the leak, he didn't see it as a bad thing.

      His logic was that only the hardcore fans will go to the trouble to download the episode, and that if it doesn't meet their expectations they'll only watch it 20 times instead of 30. New viewers will not be motivated to download it in the first place, and it's the opinion of these new viewers that will judge whether any version of Doctor Who is a success.

      It sounds like Mr. Davies really "gets" both the mentality of ardent series fan(atics) as well as the potential uses of the internet. I know he didn't have anything to do with the leak itself, but I bet he's glad that it wasn't just ignored. There'd be more worry if the show was leaked and people said "Don't bother with it". The leak did stir things up and should give him a wonderful headstart into editing, marketing, and leverage of the rest of the season.

      As a disclaimer, I am a Dr. Who fan. A friend tricked* me into watching the new episode. And, though I think it will stir up controversy among fans of older Doctors, I think it will be a wonderful new show that has the potential of rivaling Babylon 5 in terms of pacing, subtlety, and a larger tapestry of story arcs. (Seeds were planted in "Rose" but I have no idea how they'll be followed up in later episodes though).

      * I really don't like to listen to spoilers or see things in advance, but when my friend told me that he had the Fox movie (which I still hadn't seen) and I watched it. I firgured out early on that this wasn't the Fox movie, but I just couldn't stop at that point.

  3. Sounds like a cover up now more than before! by garcia · · Score: 3, Interesting

    BBC Worldwide said in a statement: "After a thorough investigation by BBC Worldwide's Canadian broadcast partner, the source of the leak of episode one of the new Doctor Who series has been traced to a third party company in Canada which had an early preview copy for legitimate purposes. The individual responsible for the leak has had their employment terminated by that company as a result.

    So basically they didn't like the possiblity of negative press over the viral advertising issue and decided to issue a vague statement that doesn't prove anything and instead leads me to believe even more now than before (I didn't care at all before) it's a cover up.

  4. Viral advertising at it's best by gothzilla · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Employee leaks episode
    Damage control team decides to leak story of viral advertising
    Millions download the first Dr. Who episode

    Why not?

  5. Re:No world service by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Because if you can hit the US with your shortwave, you can probably also hit most of Africa, some of South America, and good chunks of Asia as well. In these places, where there's power, its more likely to be running a radio than a computer with internet access.

    Some people just need to quit thinking of the world as US and Europe.

  6. Re:Scapegoat? by Scorchio · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'll never forget the time a salesman at a local electronics store tried to sell me a dodgy copy of a game I was still writing.

    I'm not sure if came from the publisher's test department, or a magazine preview copy, or what.

    He didn't work there for much longer.

  7. Re:BBC is not conservative! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The 'equal time' rule only applies when the BBC is reporting on news relating directly to the UK or its interests.

    The BBC *generally* applies the rule to everything, but there have been some notable cases where it has fallen by the wayside in the name of sensationalism. The Michael Jackson trial is an example.