An Unearthly Fuss

 

How one writer’s son stopped Doctor Who’s first four episodes appearing on the iPlayer

 It seems that the placing of all the extant classic Doctor Who being made available on the iPlayer will be missing four vital episodes.  Variously called `An Unearthly Child` or `The Tribe of Gum` this was the world’s first encounter with the Doctor and for a select few fans the series was all downhill from here. (I’m joking, aren’t I?) The son of the story’s credited writer Anthony Coburn- who is called Stef Anthony Coburn - has declined the BBC’s payment for the story meaning the episodes cannot be included in the iPlayer package. There’s quite a bit to unpack in this incident not least because X (aka Twitter) has been busy with messages ranging from sympathetic support to vituperative allegations as the drama frogs swarm. 

 

Fans have understandably reacted with anger and in some cases venom resulting in some classic burning the air abuse between Coburn and anyone who accuses him of anything other than the noblest intentions. The initial story was that he had turned down the BBC’s offer because it wasn’t enough which led to suggestions Coburn was being greedy. The offer was, he said, £20,000 which actually seems rather generous for the son of a writer who penned something over sixty years earlier.  He calls it a pittance though. The total amount the Corporation is paying estates and writers for the whole series must be massive if that is the standard for four episodes. Nonetheless he made them a counter offer, the amount of which he has not disclosed, which the BBC rejected.

 It is not all as clear cut as he would suggest though. It is an established fact that Anthony Coburn did not pen the whole story even though he is the credited writer. Various fans have filleted through the history of those early days of the series to unveil several people who had an input even going back to before Verity Lambert was on board as producer. The concept of the Doctor and the TARDIS was created by Sydney Newman while Verity Lambert apparently gave the ship that name. Donald Wilson, David Whittaker and CE Webber all contributed ideas for the format; Webber was actually listed as a co-writer in an early stage of development. Even Waris Hussein, the story’s director is known to have contributed to the script. It seems that the BBC had a practice that no more than two writers could be credited and in this case Coburn ended up as the sole credited writer even if anything up a third or maybe more was the collective work of others. Apparently Susan being the Doctor’s granddaughter was Coburn’s idea.

 What seems to irk Stef Coburn now even more than the money is the way the BBC treated his father. He says that in 1976, not long before Anthony Coburn's death that the Corporation registered his IP as their trademark effectively “killing him”. This was however thirteen years after the story was made. So there was a window for Coburn’s agent to tidy up the paperwork. Mind you he’s not the only person who feels aggrieved by the BBC’s rapacious legal wing of the 60s which seemed too willing to deny money to the creatives. If he really feels this move killed his father- and bear in mind we don’t know the illness he suffered from nor other circumstances – then behaving like this so long after that seems somewhat extreme. He does talk about other issues relating to “unfulfilled projects” though this is a writer’s life. As ever the BBC is being accused by all sides – of backing down by excluding the episodes or of giving in to Coburn by, erm, excluding the episodes. See the BBC is always the loser whatever they do.

Of course, the story is already widely owned and available having been released on DVD and most fans will have a copy. So, while the omission in the iPlayer collection will be disappointing it doesn’t suddenly make the story a `missing` one. Further problems may arise though when the blu ray Collection series reaches the first season- will Coburn refuse to allow the story to be on there? Can he do that? Well, he’s already said that is his intent and he seems aware of the power he holds. In fact, he has described what he is doing as an “act of revenge.”  If it were any other story, it would probably be a less toxic scenario but the first story is different, not only because of its historical importance but because it holds such a fond place in fans’ hearts.

If Coburn has a glimmer of an argument his stance has been undermined by his approach – hysterical statements on the issue which some fans have likened to rants by Davros with melodramatic turns of phrase and use of CAPITALS. He has even gone as far as to suggest that “if anything untoward happens to me” (I bet he thinks Ninjas are out to get him) he has given the rights to “an ENEMY of the BBC possessing ALL the resources required to act against them”. Who does he mean? ITV? The Conservative party? No, it’s the Russians!! Yikes.

His stance has also invited investigation of his wider social media interactions which appears to reveal an extremely prejudiced right winger. Who is he prejudiced against? Well more or less anyone by the looks of it. I would not give that side of him any further oxygen but suffice to say he comes across as a deeply prejudiced and unpleasant man. At times too his posts read like a parody because you cannot quite believe anyone in this day and age would think like that. People who have previously encountered him say he is also prone to exaggerations or even lies.

 Inevitably he has met the wrath of Ian Levine to whom petulant, abusive rants are par for the course. Shockingly for a change most fans seem to be siding with Levine. In fact he actually posted something funny about it the other day (and Ian Levine is many things but never funny) suggesting that Coburn has united fandom.  Levine also points out even more clearly how the story was divided up though his idea that Coburn wrote almost none of the finished story seems a bit much.

Latterly Coburn appears to have engaged in some damage limitation perhaps realising that his period of notoriety is going to be relatively fleeting by strongly denying he is trying to keep the episodes away from fans. Au contraire, he says, he is happy for people to share copies because the bad old BBC will not get any money. Perhaps he’s noticed that the dvd of the story is selling out on physical media platforms. 

The whole thing has shone a light on copyright- where and how it should apply. I do agree with Coburn on one matter which is that copyright may have been designed to protect writers but seems nowadays to be weighted against them and this seems to be something his father suffered at the hands of. However, the question of how long writer's descendents should hold such control and earn money from something they had nothing to do with is another matter.  Anthony Coburn died forty- six years ago, the story was written sixty years ago. The BBC could sit on this for another decade after which the copyright will expire (I think film or tv is seventy years but correct me if I’m wrong)  but that’s a long time and who knows what format we’ll be watching things on then. Besides some copyright can be extended or renewed. There is always the chance too that this will set a precedent as more and more vintage tv content ends up solely online. Will other writers start to challenge the payments they are being offered? 

PS The say after I posted this he said that if he could he would destroy Doctor Who and the BBC. He definitely has a lair doesn't he?

 Controversial Coburn – a few prize Stef Anthony Coburn quotes from the past ten days. (CAPITALS are all as he typed them) 

(Talking about the response to his first announcement) “A swarm of biting midges, regarding whose collective UNQUALIFIED crap, I care, not one tiny bit! The BBC behaved ABOMINABLY towards my late father (& his estate). I do NONE of this merely for money; but to right past wrongs.”

 “To those, who doubtless will not be able to help themselves: by all means, knock yourselves out, pushing your entitled outrage, &/or ignorant 'opinions' (to use the mildest word imaginable in the circumstances) back at me. You'll get MORE satisfaction, pissing into the wind.  (You will also get wet)

(to Ian Levine after he pointed out how the script came to be) “You know NOTHING WHATSOEVER about either Tony or Verity (with whom I spent 3 very convivial hours, at her home, the year before she died; recording our conversation, with her permission). You are also WRONG, in every other of your misinformed lefty PC 'speculations'. So fuck off!”

 “Vengeance!” (when asked by someone what he hoped to gain)

 (typical response to any argument against his actions) “You also know nothing about my motivations for acting as I do, but instead (proceeding from your manifest ignorance), clearly project your own dishonourable tawdry inclinations..”

(another choice one, remember these if you need to put someone in their place) “You are a presumptuous (& seemingly illiterate) fool, over-extending yourself to comment about matters you know nothing about, through resort to the most childish of possible means. I pity anyone forced to sink so low, to make their inability to communicate so painfully apparent”

 (Finally a word from Ian Levine) “You are a sick twisted hateful piece of scum.” (tbh he says this about a lot of people)