The BBC has gone to a US court in a bid to track down the source of a Doctor Who leak earlier this year and is asking technology giant Microsoft for information.

Footage from Jodie Whittaker’s upcoming debut as the first female Time Lord in the revered sci-fi franchise was leaked online.

The 53-second clip and two still images of Whittaker were shared in June.

According to legal documents lodged in Washington, the footage was stored and shared on Microsoft-operated file-hosting service OneDrive.

The documents say the BBC, referred to as BBC Worldwide Limited t/a BBC Studios (Distribution), is asking the court to subpoena Microsoft under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The BBC is looking to “identify an alleged infringer or infringers” of its copyright material, which was taken from episode one of Doctor Who season 11.

It means the corporation is asking Microsoft to hand over any information that could identify the user of the OneDrive account which leaked the footage.

In July, the BBC asked a court in California to force a company based in the state to produce records to identify the leaker. The leaked footage was shared on Tapatalk.

Doctor Who season 11 is set to arrive later this year.