BBC Studios filed a subpoena against Twitter regarding leaked Doctor Who Series 11 materials on August 3. The PDF of the court docket can be found here.
The two accounts are @VortexiaTweets and @MrWhelan101
The World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) covered the story on August 10.
"The BBC filed its subpoena against Twitter at the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday, August 3"
(It seems the the article is now archived and only available to subscribers.
The article mentions the two Twitter accounts targeted as "Vortexia" and "Mr Whelan 101".
"The BBC asked for any personal information held by Twitter on two of its users, including address, internet protocol location, and date of birth. The users are identified as Vortexia and Mr Whelan 101."
Both Twitter accounts have responded with statements after I tweeted them:
This is 100% bullshit but whatever, my ISP is masked anyway and i have just about every firewall you can think of protecting my privacy. Come after me all you want. You won’t get far. https://t.co/FT1yTAPuzJ
So you're all probably aware that @MrWhelan101 and myself are currently being investigated by the BBC because of lack of control on their leak culture.
Everything in @DoctorWhoPN 's article is correct, I'm grateful it was posted.
Twitter has so far been very cooperative with the DMCA to the point of permanently suspending Twitter accounts for infractions as small as posting companion character portrait images from merchandisers who posted images from Doctor Who 2019 calendars too soon.
Earlier today, I saw a photo on Facebook. The claim about the photo was it was of the TARDIS interior. I was skeptical because it was such a bad photo that I thought someone had photoshopped a fake TARDIS interior based on earlier leaked photos. It turns out the photo is genuine.
Just found out that there's a leaked photo of the Tardis interior, that alone makes me livid! The fact that it's a dreadful photo, taken by someone with no hint of artistry & unlit makes me absolutely effing incandescent with rage!
The photo lacked interior illumination of several of the set elements. The red glow of the "ribs" and central column was missing as was the lighting under the floor which allows some of the geometry and the Gallifreyan writing to show.
This marks the forth time there has been a significant leak of Series 11 content, whether by deliberate theft, mistaken early release or a poorly ordered website.
This reminds me or a quote from Princess Leia to Governor Tarkin Star Wars: A New Hope.
"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."
I'm not trying to compare BBC Studios or anyone who directs them to enforce extreme secrecy to the evil of the Empire nor depict anyone behind the leaks as virtuous. The deliberate leakers have patently broken the law and violated the trust of their employers.
I do think that the current atmosphere of extreme secrecy breeds this type of behavior, however. I've been frequently perplexed by the amount and kind of information which has not yet been released.
We do not even know the premiere date of the first episode two months before it delivers in October, according to a leak from an exclusive panel at the BBC Worldwide Showcase.
Doctor Who Magazine used to be a source of exclusive information about the series and now they are reduced to one photo exclusive in their last issue. The magazine used to be the source of knowledge of what writers and directors were hired for the upcoming series. None of the Series 11 writers (with the exception of Chris Chibnall) and only one of the directors were officially announced. The only reason we know the names of all four Series 11 directors is through diligent fan research.
None of the things I've mentioned contribute to spoilers for the episodes themselves so it's very perplexing that the fans aren't even allowed this information when they were in the past. All this secrecy is supposed to create a communal fan experience when Doctor Who premieres in the fall, but I've seen it cause fear and furtiveness among the fans.
It used to be fun to discover new things. Now the discovery of new material can be dangerous because the material itself is not alway what it seems. Fans do not always know when something that looks like an official publicity photo or images from a calendar offered for sale have been posted too soon or by accident. The increased vigilance of DMCA takedowns and the resulting consequences have led to the permanent loss of Twitter accounts. This creates much fear, bad will and resentment rather than a happy communal fan experience.
I will not post the leaked content on this page but I will describe it.
A video clip leaked of a scene which takes place on a train a half an hour after the Doctor regenerated. The Doctor, Yasmin and Ryan are present, walking through the train. Yasmin is PC Kahn of the Hallamshire Police, Yaz to her friends. Hallamshire is an historic district in the City of Sheffield. Ryan's last name is Sinclair.
The train is a potential crime scene and the driver's window was broken.
The Doctor is surprised to be called Ma'am, despite having briefly glimpsed her own reflection before she fell out of the TARDIS. Somehow this did not make her gender apparent, or perhaps it's post-regeneration confusion. In fact, she can't yet remember her own name.
That's all I dare to describe and, I assure you, the clip is a lot funnier and exciting than I have described.
There are also two photos of the Thirteenth Doctor in dark, "steampunk" goggles with what appears to be her new sonic screwdriver.
This material can be found on the @JoshBinns5 Twitter account, though I suspect the account will be suspended shortly.
There is a backstory to the leaks. At least one person received the materials in a Twitter DM from someone who claimed to be a BBC employee. The alleged BBC employee has now deleted that account and all traces of communication from it.
UPDATE June 27:
I think by now most people who wanted to see the leaked material have seen it.
Someone on Twitter said that on Tuesday, June 19 they were shown the leaked materials.
Based on what this person saw in the photos which contain images of the new sonic screwdriver, they created their own drawings of the device which have also been making to rounds. Some people profess astonishment that this fan-created artwork is also subject to removal due to copyright issues but I believe this is in line with ownership of the actual design the drawings were taken from.
About the photos featuring the new Sonic screwdriver; it's obvious these were stills taken from another clip, probably a clip which is also in the possession of the person who shared the train clip.
It is my opinion and guess that the train clip and another one featuring the new sonic screwdriver reveal are intended to be shown at San Diego Comic Con. I'll explain.
The train clip shows the Doctor a half hour after her regeneration and introduces Yasmin and Ryan by first and last name. It is my guess that this clip will be shown right before Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole take the stage for the Doctor Who Panel at San Diego Comic Con.
I also think that, at some point during the panel, the clip featuring the Doctor with her new sonic screwdriver will be shown after which the prop will be revealed on stage. This is a great way to promote new merchandise and I wouldn't be surprised if toys or replicas based on the new sonic screwdriver are offered for sale shortly after San Diego Comic Con.
I have further reason to believe the leaked materials are intended for San Diego Comic Con. To be fair to Beth Axford of the Doctor Who Magazine Time Team, she claims no inside knowledge. On June 25, she said, "Wait a few weeks. It's not long now." The San Diego Comic Con Doctor Who panel will likely occur on Sunday, July 22.
I'm not the only one who believes the clips are intended for San Diego Comic Con.
They don’t need to turn any attention away. It really isn’t something they need to do. UK fandom getting uppity about a couple of Comic Con clips need to be reminded that part of Doctor Who’s success today is down to the international appeal. Good for them if they get clips.
Tapatalk is primarily designed as a convenient way to access forums, yet my first encounter with the leak was via a YouTube video which was brought to my attention on Twitter. I'm told the forum in question is Reddit. I'll update this blog again if I find out more.
"It is understood the unfinished clip had temporary music and had not gone through the process which determines the final visual look of the scene.
That may help investigators identify the part of the production chain where the leak originated before it was uploaded to Tapatalk.
It also appears that a small number of individuals on a different online platform, Discord, which is often used by gaming communities, had seen and discussed the short scene almost a week before it leaked publicly.
BBC Studios moved quickly to ensure the Tapatalk link was disabled and to remove the clip from social media platforms and video sharing sites.
Some fans online have speculated that the BBC may have planned to show a finished version of the clip at San Diego Comic-Con."
That last part is interesting. The writer of the news piece, Lizo Mzimba, BBC News entertainment correspondent, often knows in advance when and where news and publicity will break but cannot reveal the information due to news embargoes.
Also, I've been told the forum name of the leaker on Discord:
Oh, you're good! Discord is a chat platform, and they have a Doctor Who community that's loosely attached to the Doctor Who Reddit. The person who first posted it on the Discord was called "FactionParadoxIsn'tCanon".
Now, in August, BBC Studios has filed a subpoena in Seattle, Washington to the headquarters of Microsoft to release information on the the owner of a Microsoft OneDrive account which had the leaked clip uploaded onto it. The information came from TorrentFreak. The article also states the footage in question was stolen from the studio.
So what do we know about this leaker? The leaker is likely a male member of the Doctor Who production team.
If the footage leaked from the studio, it likely originated from someone on the production team. Someone on Twitter stated that they were shown the clip by a person who told them that he was a BBC employee. I assume this was via Twitter DM since the person stated the leaker has since blocked them. The Twitter person also referred to the person who shared the clip with him as "the guy" and "he".
The Twitter person has not yet been questioned as part of the investigation. I wonder if the investigative team really knows what they are doing if they are only attempting to follow the digital trail to find the leaker.
FOURTH UPDATE August 9
The Radio Times has a bit more information about the investigation.
According to their sources, it seems the BBC Studios investigation will will now include questioning of people who claimed prior knowledge of the leak on social media.
"We understand that BBC Studios is currently determined to track down various figures who indicated on social media that they had received the leaked material prior to its wider circulation earlier this year…"
Their sources also claim that Tapatalk and Microsoft are fully cooperating with the court orders.
"At the moment, it’s difficult for the BBC to prevent further leaks without knowing the original source of the material, or how much material was taken, so the legal application – which sources say is an entirely amicable process between the BBC, Microsoft and TapaTalk and a fairly standard procedure that has to be enacted due to privacy laws – is their best shot at keeping the new series under wraps and protecting the BBC’s IP."
FIFTH UPDATE August 10
It would seem BBC Studios believes it has come closer to finding the individuals responsible, or at least their contact(s), having targeted two Twitter accounts, @Vortexia and @MrWhelan101, according to the World Intellectual Property Review.
"The BBC filed its subpoena against Twitter at the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday, August 3"
"The BBC asked for any personal information held by Twitter on two of its users, including address, internet protocol location, and date of birth. The users are identified as Vortexia and Mr Whelan 101."
Both Twitter accounts have responded with statements after I tweeted them:
This is 100% bullshit but whatever, my ISP is masked anyway and i have just about every firewall you can think of protecting my privacy. Come after me all you want. You won’t get far. https://t.co/FT1yTAPuzJ
Well, that's interesting. The account I mentioned was @Vortexia and I received a response from and account called @VortexiaTweets, which has now deleted all the tweets on its account.
