A small story from the world of Doctor Who, and one that seems to be snowballing somewhat in a negative way for the BBC as they seek to squash the creative endeavours of fans in a what could be construed as unacceptably high-handed manner.
A Doctor Who fan who is known only as Mazzmatazz has fallen foul of the BBC’s legal arm for posting some really very cute knitting patterns on the internet, giving instructions on how to knit your very own Ood or adorable Adipose. The Beeb, not so much an Auntie in this case, more Big Brother, has ordered the knitting patterns be taken down as people have been stitching the critters and sticking them up on Ebay for cash money.
The BBC has said it is merely protecting its copyright, but I think they’re being a miserable bunch of old bean counters who should know better than to stamp all over the creative enjoyment of a fan of one of its shows.
I’m not going to get into the whys and wherefores of how this highlights the precarious nature of our country’s public service broadcasting infrastructure and whether the BBC are being reasonable in choosing this commercially driven course of action. Where is the line drawn when we, the public, pay for the BBC?
I’m a Doctor Who fanboy from way back, I’ve never made any secret of that fact. I cut my teeth on reading early issues of Doctor Who Weekly and Monthly, hoovering up facts and figures and slowly learning about the world of TV production within these pages. It was during these years that I first realised you could write things for a job, create things, and scribble stuff down. I was soon writing my own Doctor Who fan fiction, it got taken up by a couple of shabby old fanzines - totally unauthorised by the BBC and photocopied on A5 paper. It was a labour of love, a fan endeavour of creativity, but I knew then and there I wanted to do this kind of thing for a living.
My point is that back in those days, in the late 80s and early 90s, you could do pretty much anything and the BBC would turn a blind eye. Blimey, some groups even made their own audio adventures for the good Doctor, advertised them and sold them to fans like me (on a non-profit basis, of course). Some of the fans that worked on those proto audio productions frequently crop up in the credits of Doctor Who on a Saturday night now.
“We need to recognise that there is a difference between selling knock-off hand-bags in the market, and fans who are making tributes and contributing to creativity in the future.”
Becky Hodge, executive director of the open rights group, has said in relation to this story. I agree - Mazzmatazz is just a fan who loves this show and is contributing to its legacy in a creative fashion. As a writer who has created works of fiction for commercial sale, I fully understand the importance of protecting copyright. But what about the Russell T Davieses of the future, having a court order slapped on him for writing a bit of fan fiction and sticking it on the Internet…?
And besides, I’m getting my mum to knit an Adipose!
I don't see how these knitting patterns are any different to the BBC's Blue Peter showing people how to make a Tracey Island! I think the BBC are just jealous that they didn't think of the idea first. It also says a lot about the channel's confidence if they are scared a few balls of wool could do them out of business!