Russell T Davies, the writer and former Doctor Who showrunner, has criticised BBC director general Matt Brittin for calling an AI-generated Doctor Who episode "pretty good". Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The Media Show, Davies called the remark clumsy, saying writers and artists are the first to take the blow from AI. He added that Brittin has not worked in television long and may be less forthcoming in future.
“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”
Russell T Davies, writer and former Doctor Who showrunner, on BBC Radio 4's The Media Show, in the coverage · bbc.co.uk ↗
Brittin, who became director general in May 2026 after a career at Google, made the comment at the Royal Television Society convention in London in late September, saying someone had sent him a 50-minute AI-made episode. He did not name it; Davies's reply came on the radio programme about two weeks later. Cultbox and Doctor Who TV say it is thought to be the fan project The Unmade Season's "The Curse of Kilmorag", which ran about 55 minutes, drew close to 400,000 YouTube views before removal, and used an unauthorised synthetic likeness and voice of David Tennant.
BBC director general Matt Brittin, who took the post in May 2026
Reuters · Image: BBC News
Davies said he finds it shocking that some writers now use AI prompts to produce a first draft, a practice he regards as a step toward replacing them. He does not use it himself and worries that it will replace writers altogether. Fans and staff reacted angrily, and Cultbox reports some said they would quit the show over AI. At a staff meeting last week Brittin said he had been making a point about the pace of change, that humans lead, and that he believes in human creativity.
The BBC has cancelled the planned Christmas special and Disney+ no longer co-finances the series. Davies stepped away from the show earlier this year, and the BBC invited tenders for a 2028/29 production team, with a 2 October deadline. Davies says production on a new series with a new Doctor and companion starts next summer.
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