Showing posts with label Tapatalk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tapatalk. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Production Still Photographs Exposed

For the third time during Series 11 production, some revealing materials were "leaked".

It would be accurate to call only the first instance a deliberate leak. An entire Episode 1 clip was uploaded to Tapatalk and eventually made its way to YouTube, Twitter and other forms of public media along with two photos involving the thirteenth Doctor seeming to construct her new sonic screwdriver. I've described the materials on this blog post.

The second instance involved a merchandiser called Calender Club, who posted images of a Series 11 Doctor Who Calendar by Danilo. Those images were also distributed further on social media. The images consisted of character portraits of the Doctor and her companions, with a larger photo of Yasmin Khan. The images were removed from the website and the DMCA removed the images from tweets so it would seem Calendar Club must have posted the images too early. Danilo has now released some of the images and is offering the calendars for presale. Calendar Club has now re-released the images. 

The third instance is the result of the way a production stills photographer posted his portfolio online. One thumbnail from each of the categories in photographer Ben Blackall's Doctor Who Series 11 portfolio were visible when accessed via the mobile version of his website. The thumbnails have since been removed from public view, but two more thumbnails were revealed during the process of reprogramming his website. The photos are not in their final form with the background drape and actor's marks visible and color grading for alien worlds missing.

Blackall's portfolio was accessed by a curious fan who learned of the photographer's involvement via a photo credit in Doctor Who Magazine #528, which published Blackall's photo of the thirteenth Doctor standing on a rocky outcrop in what looks like a landscape from the filming in Granada Province in Spain. This photo appeared in Blackall's portfolio with the TARDIS photoshopped into the foreground on the right side.

Two of Blackall's thumbnails featured two photos the brand new interior of the Thirteenth Doctor's TARDIS!  Your best bet in finding the photos would be to search "new tardis" on Facebook, which doesn't seem to be subject to the same corporate copyright pressure as Twitter. It is likely the other photos can be found on Facebook as well. The http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk website has the photos in one of its posts under a spoiler tag.

The first photo shows the Doctor in the blue-shirt version of her costume inside the TARDIS, showing the entrance. This still is probably from late in Episode 1. Rather than the TARDIS doors opening directly into the console room, the entrance is three-dimensional with the two interior police box walls flanking the door visible from the inside. Only the wall of the police box facing the interior is missing, except the edges and the top with the "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" sign. So the TARDIS has a police box vestibule of sorts. This would explain why it was unnecessary to have a flat photo of the interior just inside the prop door during location filming.

The interior wall near the door is beige with circles within large hexagons. The circles each have two concave-curved tri-"spokes", one overlapping the other. It is not a regular pattern, however, with some of the hexagonal units seeming to merge in places and intertwine in a somewhat organic fashion. This design is also three-dimensional with an alcove leading to the police box portion with and opening with angled edges formed by the hexagons.

Another photo showed more of the TARDIS interior from the outside through the doors. The doors open inward. Four director's chairs face the opening to the TARDIS console set with the names, "JODIE", "MANDIP", "BRAD" and "TOSIN". Black curtains conceal some of the undressed set exterior. Though the door, crew can be seen working on the interior. The hexagonal motif continues on the floor and light red walls with blue and purple hexagons. Some of the hexagons in the floor light up to a warm white. The rotor platform consists of two concentric circles forming steps going up. The step-rings are rimmed in black with white Gallifreyan symbols. I don't think the rotor was visible through the doors because of the camera angle, some of the crew standing in the way or because the set was unfinished.

Another Episode 1 publicity shot shows the Doctor in the Twelfth Doctor's costume in front of the the large cranes at HTC Crane in Sheffield lit up at night. It is labeled from a November 21 album.

I can place only some of the photos in episodes or filming blocks.

One character photo of a young, asian woman in a tan shirt and black trousers from the episode in the finale block which involves hostages. Part of this finale block episode was filmed in the Tredegar area. I've previously blogged about it.

Another photo is a still from Block 3 filming in Sheffield on February 13 at the tram bridge. It is essentially this scene from a different angle. Tanya Fear is the guest star in this photo.
There are two photos of a young, red-haired man. One of the photos is a character shot in side view of him pregnant! Yes, a Doctor Who episode with a pregnant man! The character photo shows the man in an olive green jacket with many round black and sliver patches, blown, baggy knickers, brown tights, tan socks and hiking boots. The second photo is a still of the same man smiling while looking down at an infant swaddled in a gray quilted blanket in his arms. He appears to be in a hospital setting in a white t-shirt with one of the black/silver patches and a blue hospital gown.

There are three recognizable guest stars in the photos: Julie Hesmondhalgh, Mark Addy and Claudia Jessie. I cannot place any of them in any specific episodes.

Julie Hesmondhalgh is pictured in a production still in what looks like a vast storage facility. Her hair is short and blonde. She is wearing black-rimmed glasses and a grey shiny blouse and grey blazer of the types I would describe as futuristic. She is looking very businesslike holding a white tablet.

Mark Addy's character is dressed in tan and brown rugged clothing with a jacket, chaps, boots and lots of straps. He is holding a rectangular, hand-held instrument. He is pictured in two stills walking in a rocky setting (probably filmed in a quarry) with Graham, the Doctor, Yasmin and Ryan. The Doctor holds a translucent, white, irregularly-shaped object. There appear to be the ruins of a crashed flying vehicle in one of the photos somewhat resembling turbo engines.

Claudia Jessie is pictured in a character portrait wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt, black trousers and an open purple vest with three grey strips, vertical on the shoulders and horizontal at waist and hip.

Three of the photos show the Doctor in her costume with the burgundy shirt she wears in Episode 3. I think the Doctor wears this shirt for more than one episode. One photo is a character portrait of the Doctor walking. The second shows the Doctor with her companions at night surrounded by mounds of scrap metal. This is possibly from Episode 7 filming at HTC Crane in Sheffield. (There was definitely some Episode 1 filming at this location with the thirteenth Doctor in the twelfth Doctor's costume with her three companions plus Graham's wife, Mary played by Sharon D. Clarke.) The third photo is from the same episode as the second photo. It is a still of the Doctor, her companions and an unknown dark-haired actress dressed in a white, sleeveless futuristic outfit with trousers. All five people look down a white, circular corridor with astonished expressions on their faces. There is a damaged panel with dangling wires just behind the Doctor.

Some photos I can't place:

A still of the Doctor in a blue shirt with the companions in costumes I can't find in any other stills or video. They all look astonished as they peer down from a metal railing. In the background is a white wall with a large, circular doorway. Behind them on the wall through the doorway is a circular object with an unfamiliar (yet strangely somewhat familiar) red and black geometric design. It's possible this is a placeholder graphic for something which will be added to the photo later. I am unsure.

A still from an album titled "Dr Who Rumble" showing two men, one in a red tank top and another in a chef's uniform with raised fists about to engage each other. Graham can be spotted in the background.

Last, but not least, is a photo of Graham from an unknown episode. Graham is in a dark hallway lit by wall lamps. He his holding a copper-colored spherical object approximately a half meter in diameter which somewhat resembles the hovering security cameras in Silence in the Library, only more utilitarian and not quite so Art Deco.

That's it for the photo descriptions. A tantalizing glimpse into Series 11.


Monday, June 25, 2018

Series 11 Video and Photos Leaked SPOILERS!

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.

A post shared by Rubbertoeprops (@rubbertoeprops) on

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.


You can judge for yourself the logic behind this claim. Series 11 won't premiere until October.


I'm not the only one who believes the clips are intended for San Diego Comic Con.


UPDATE July 2:

On Friday, June 29, the BBC requested a clerk at the California federal court issue a subpoena to Tapatalk to identify the leaker. It is not known why they suspect the leaked material was distributed via Tapatalk.

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.

SECOND UPDATE July 2:

BBC News had more to say about the leak:
"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:


THIRD UPDATE August 7 

BBC Studios has now made two attempts to discover the identity of the leaker.

In July, BBC Studios filed an application with the California Federal Court to compel the owners of Tapatalk, a platform which facilitates access to multiple online forums, to release information on the Tapatalk account which uploaded the leaked materials.

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:
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.