David Farnor | On 23, Nov 2018

Amazon Prime Video in the USA accidentally released next week’s episode of Doctor Who online early, the BBC has confirmed.

The aptly time-warping mistake was spotted by users in America, where each episode of the show is available to buy on the online retailer’s video platform following its weekly broadcast.

Uhh, I guess I just watched next weeks episode of Doctor Who. Turns out Amazon attached next weeks episode to this weeks tag on Prime Video.

— cMarshallGo (@cMarshallGo) November 22, 2018

The mistake allowed US users on Thursday 22nd November to temporarily stream The Witchfinders, set for UK broadcast on Sunday 25th November. The episode will see The Doctor, Ryan, Graham and Yaz arrive in 17th century Lancashire and become embroiled in a witch trial, run by the local landowner. As fear stalks the land the arrival of King James I only serves to intensify the witch hunt. But is there something even more dangerous at work? Can the Doctor and friends keep the people of Bilehurst Cragg safe from all the forces that are massing in the land?

The episode was uploaded in place of last week’s episode, Kerblam!, but with Kerblam!’s description, picture and subtitles. The mistake feels ironically fitting given Kerblam!’s subject matter, which involves The Doctor and friends investigating goings-on at an online retailer’s warehouse, where automated delivery droids are used.

“A rollicking Whodunnit that more than lives up to its punctuation mark,” we wrote in our review, but noted: that “for those expecting a critique of certain retailers and their working practices, you don’t really get it”.

The BBC has now confirmed the reports of the slip, and says it is “investigating” the source of the error.

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