Until the first week of May, Trumpton was just a nice, classic kid’s show, beloved to those in Britain but relatively unknown to much of the world. Created by Gordon Murray, the show featured stop-motion animation and colorful characters in an idyllic setting. And then Radiohead had to get involved and co-opt the imagery for the “Burn The Witch” video, in which Trumpton-esque characters put a man in a giant wood statue and set it on fire. (The video’s animator said in an interview that the clip was inspired by the refugee crisis, and “the blaming of Muslims and the negativity.”)
Now the son-in-law of Murray has spoken out about Radiohead’s use of the Trumpton images, and he and his family aren’t too happy. The man, named William Mollett, spoke to the Daily Mail this weekend, saying, “Radiohead should have sought our consent as we consider this a tarnishing of the brand. It is not something we would have authorized. We consider that there is a breach of copyright and we are deciding what to do next.”
The laws around these types of things are blurry and enforcing them often involves years of litigation. It’s tricky business if Mollett actually tries to move things forward legally, though he claimed that he would never show Murray the “Burn The Witch” video because he would be horrified — and if the actual creator isn’t upset at the content, what legal grounds does one have for any kind of lawsuit, you’ve got to wonder?
No word yet as to what Donald Trump thinks of Trumpton, though I’m sure he loves it, thinks it’s a great place, the best name.
Watch a clip of Trumpton below:
Watch the video for “Burn The Witch”: