Knitters. Not a group of people one would traditionally associate with law-breaking hooligans, but it seems the BBC thinks differently.

You see, although the British TV company is grateful for the army of fans its top-rated sci-fi show Dr Who has spawned since it hit our screens (for the second time) in 2005, it's less happy that some of those fans have chosen to... knit their favorite characters.

The cheek! Imagine people actually using their creative self-expression in ways they choose, in a democratic society! Surely something can be done to stop them?

Apparently so. While the BBC has no recourse when people upload pictures of Who characters that they have knitted, publishing a self-created pattern on the interwebs is another thing altogether -- and according to Techdirt, BBC bods have already scolded one knitter for copyright infringement, telling him to remove all his patterns from the net, or... well, we guess legal action would be next.

We could understand the BBC's point if fans were selling the patterns or finished products for profit, but this just seems like obsessive fandom to us. And that's something that TV stations and production companies should be encouraging, not shutting down -- 'cos it's that kind of thing that keeps shows on the air.

If you're an obsessive Styledash fan and want to knit photos of us, we promise we won't complain.