Summary
Overview
Marina Hyde and Richard Osman answer listener questions covering topics from plagiarism scandals in Apple TV shows to the secrets behind toy merchandising, the challenges of adapting beloved novels, and the logistics of filming reality TV in the Australian rainforest. The hosts provide insider knowledge about entertainment industry practices, revealing how creative decisions are made and how intellectual property challenges emerge.
The Hunt Plagiarism Scandal: How Apple TV Got Caught
Apple TV pulled their French thriller series "The Hunt" after allegations emerged that it plagiarized a 1973 novel called "Shoot" by Douglas Fairbairn. The show was ready to air when a French journalist noticed the plot was essentially identical to the book, which had even been adapted into a 1976 film. The scandal raises questions about due diligence in development and whether AI could prevent such issues in the future.
- Apple TV completely pulled the show "The Hunt" after plagiarism allegations emerged
- The show allegedly copied "Shoot" by Douglas Fairbairn (1973), which was translated into French as "La Traque" (The Hunt)
- Under French law, moral rights to work exist, making this a serious legal issue
- Apple will likely need to license the book from the author's estate to salvage the expensive production
- AI could potentially prevent such plagiarism by checking everything ever published
" If someone is not telling you the truth, and it's a 1973 novel and a movie from the 70s, you can't sort of check everything that's ever happened everywhere. Or can't you? Because I'm afraid my ultimate conclusion of this is that this is a role at which AI would be very, very good. "
Game of Wool: The Pun That Isn't
Listeners questioned why Tom Daley's knitting show is called "Game of Wool" when it doesn't actually work as a pun on "Game of Thrones." Richard reveals the producers were aware it wasn't really a pun but decided the name worked anyway. The show came out of meetings where they tried numerous actual puns before settling on something that just sounded good, proving sometimes branding trumps wordplay.
- The producers were fully aware "Game of Wool" isn't actually a pun on "Game of Thrones"
- Rejected pun titles included "Knit Happens" and "Watch Out Needles About"
- The name came from brainstorming sessions focused on puns, but they decided it worked despite not being one
- If the pun was too close to Game of Thrones, it might be considered "passing off" legally
" They are sitting in a room as I've done so many times before coming up with puns and in the end they go well let's not call it a pun but at some point the name Game of Wool had come out there and everyone's going well it's a game and it's about wool "
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