Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 1 hr ago
Russell T Davies criticises BBC boss over AI-generated Doctor Who episode
Russell T Davies criticised BBC director general Matt Brittin for calling an unofficial AI-generated Doctor Who episode “pretty good.”
Davies said the remark was clumsy because writers and artists could be among the first harmed by AI.
Brittin said he was discussing how quickly the technology is changing and stressed that human creativity would remain central to the BBC’s work.
Doctor Who’s future is uncertain after Disney+ stopped co-financing the show, Davies announced he would step back, and the BBC cancelled a planned Christmas special.
The BBC has invited producers to pitch ideas for a reboot, and Jed Mercurio is among those who have expressed interest.
Davies said a new series will move into production next summer with a new Doctor and companion, though he will not be involved.
Russell T Davies criticised BBC director general Matt Brittin for calling an unofficial AI-generated Doctor Who episode “pretty good.”
Davies said the remark was clumsy because writers and artists could be among the first people affected by AI.
Brittin said he was making a point about the pace of change and emphasised his belief in human creativity.
The BBC has cancelled a planned Doctor Who Christmas special, and Disney+ is no longer co-financing the series.
Davies said production of a new series with a new Doctor and companion would begin to appear in summer next year.
- Who
- Russell T Davies criticised BBC director general Matt Brittin.
- What
- Davies called Brittin’s comment about an AI-generated Doctor Who episode clumsy. He also said production of a new series was expected to appear next summer.
- When
- Davies made the comments in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show, reported on 14 October 2026. Brittin discussed the episode at a conference in September.
- Where
- The comments were made on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show. Brittin spoke at a Royal Television Society conference.
- Why
- Davies said Brittin’s remark could affect writers and artists, who may be among the first to take the impact of AI.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Matt Brittin told a Royal Television Society conference he had been sent a “pretty good” unofficial AI-generated Doctor Who episode.
Brittin told a BBC staff meeting he was trying to make a point about the pace of change and said he believed in human creativity.
Davies’s criticism and comments about the show’s future were reported by Variety and the BBC.
- AI episode
- 50-minute unofficial Doctor Who episode
- BBC director general
- Matt Brittin
- Davies’s return to Doctor Who
- 2023
- Planned Christmas special
- Cancelled by the BBC
- Next series production
- Expected to appear in summer next year
3 sources
What people are saying
That's a clumsy thing to say in an industry where he's got writers and artists and it specifically affects people, they're the first to take the blow
You’ll start to see production with a brand-new Doctor, a brand-new companion, summer next year
Humans are leading, and I believe in human creativity, enhanced by whatever tools