Grand Theft Auto company sues BBC over drama

Take-Two Interactive has filed a lawsuit against the BBC over a forthcoming drama Credit: Reuters

The makers of Grand Theft Auto have filed a lawsuit against the BBC over a forthcoming drama based on the development of the popular video game series.

Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of UK-based Rockstar Games, has filed the lawsuit for trademark infringement regarding a BBC drama called Game Changer.

The one-off drama stars Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe as Rockstar president Sam Houser and looks at how the game was created.

Filming is already underway for the feature, which is set to coincide with a range of BBC programmes on the theme of computer coding, and a release is scheduled for later this year.

The show is said to be based around the creation of the game and the controversy it caused for its scenes of violence and crime.

On announcing the drama, the BBC said it was "the story of the controversy surrounding the computer game Grand Theft Auto - arguably the greatest British coding success story since Bletchley Park".