diff --git a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneBuilderFrame.java b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneBuilderFrame.java
index 30db2731196424cab71cebaa47d7d484cdbe7f1e..1bcc11e409b7d51114a19193fd997b3be7159f7f 100644
--- a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneBuilderFrame.java
+++ b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneBuilderFrame.java
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ public class BasicGeneBuilderFrame extends JFrame
     {
       GFFStreamFeature transcript = (GFFStreamFeature) transcripts.get(i);
       tabPane.insertTab(GeneUtils.getUniqueName(transcript), 
-          null, new JPanel(new BorderLayout()), "", i);
+          null, new JPanel(new BorderLayout()), null, i);
     }
 
     tabPane.insertTab("+", 
diff --git a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneViewerPanel.java b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneViewerPanel.java
index 57ef3247bb5897e08e3aba01be76eb0975450840..c9bbac2605e36179e668ec94d59af4cbff84c69b 100644
--- a/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneViewerPanel.java
+++ b/uk/ac/sanger/artemis/components/genebuilder/BasicGeneViewerPanel.java
@@ -250,7 +250,6 @@ public class BasicGeneViewerPanel extends MapPanel
           {
             for(int i = 0; i < features.size(); i++)
               GeneUtils.deleteAllFeature(features.elementAt(i), chado_gene);
-            repaint();
           }
           else
           {
@@ -258,6 +257,11 @@ public class BasicGeneViewerPanel extends MapPanel
           }
           gbFrame.dispose(true);
         }
+        catch(NullPointerException npe)
+        {
+          // can't reopen
+          gbFrame.dispose(false);
+        }
         catch(ReadOnlyException e)
         {
           JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,