Early release 'devalues' licence fee

The BBC has been slammed for releasing the new series of Gavin And Stacey on DVD before it has finished its run on TV.

Critics say licence fee payers should be able to watch all the episodes first because they have funded the show.

And fans are upset because spoilers are being put on the internet a full month before the series finishes on air.

Liberal Democrat media spokesman Don Foster told the Daily Mail: “It slightly devalues the licence fee if you discover that others who have got perhaps a bit more money can now get something before you, as a licence fee payer, can see something that has been produced using your money.’

The BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, released the entire third and final series yesterday, after only two of the six episodes had been shown on BBC One.

A spokesman said the release had been scheduled to take advantage of the pre-Christmas boost in DVD sales, and that profits are ploughed back into programme making to the benefit of licence-fee payers.

The new series of Gavin & Stacey has an rrp of £20, but retailers such as Amazon are selling it for less than £13.

Published: 8 Dec 2009