Doctor Who leak suspect is sacked

The new Doctor Who is played by Christopher Eccleston

The person who allegedly leaked the first episode of Doctor Who onto the internet has been sacked.

The 45-minute episode called Rose appeared on the internet on 7 March - three weeks before the series was due to start on BBC One.

BBC Worldwide said their broadcast partner in Canada tracked down the source, who had access to an early preview copy.

The first episode of the new series is on BBC One on Saturday at 1900 GMT.

Legal action

The BBC did not provide details about the individual, saying only that the person worked for a "third-party company in Canada".

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) - one of the BBC's international production partners - investigated the leak and found the person responsible.

In a statement, BBC Worldwide said: "After a thorough investigation by BBC Worldwide's Canadian broadcast partner, the source of the leak of episode one of the new Doctor Who series has been traced to a third party company in Canada which had an early preview copy for legitimate purposes.

"The individual responsible for the leak has had their employment terminated by that company as a result.

"BBC Worldwide is considering further legal remedies and takes extremely seriously any unlawful copying or misuse of its copyright material."