Trumpton's family say “Burn the Witch” breaches their copyright

The family of Gordon Murray, who created the children's series Trumpton, say the stop-motion video for “Burn the Witch” is a breach of their copyright. Murray's son-in-law, William Mollett, spoke for them in today's Mail on Sunday.

Trumpton was made by Murray's company and first shown on the BBC in 1967, the second of his Trumptonshire series after Camberwick Green. The video borrows the look of the programme's buildings and figures for four minutes of The Wicker Man, in which a cheery village ends with a man burned alive inside a giant wicker figure. Its director, Chris Hopewell, made the band's “There There” video in 2003, and the animator Virpi Kettu worked with him on both.

Mollett says the family would not have given permission if Radiohead had asked. Radiohead should have sought our consent as we consider this a tarnishing of the brand.² Radiohead and Hopewell declined to comment, and the family are deciding what to do next.

Murray turned 95 on 3 May, the day the video came out, and Mollett will not be showing it to him. Gordon would be appalled.¹