Russell T Davies Calls BBC Chief's AI 'Doctor Who' Remark 'Clumsy'

Russell T Davies has condemned BBC director general Matt Brittin for calling a fully AI-generated episode of "Doctor Who" "pretty good," telling BBC Radio 4's The Media Show the comment was careless toward the writers and artists it threatens most.

Brittin made the remark at the Royal Television Society conference last month. He said he had been sent a complete AI-generated episode of the show and described it as "pretty good," while adding it was "not going to replace humans." The wording drew immediate criticism, and Brittin later admitted he had "got into trouble" over the statement.

Now Davies — the man who revived "Doctor Who" in 2005 and returned to run it again in 2023 — has added his voice.

What did Davies actually say?

"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," Davies told The Media Show. "My inbox went ping ping ping ping ping, so God knows what his was like."

He did not stop there. Davies pointed to Brittin's résumé: the director general joined the BBC recently after a career at Google. "He hasn't worked in television for that long," Davies said, "and might not be so fruity with an opinion in future."

The barb lands because Brittin's praise for AI output came from the head of a broadcaster that employs exactly the writers and artists Davies names as the first casualties. Brittin's caveat — "not going to replace humans" — did little to soften the response, from his own admission of trouble to the inbox-flooding Davies describes.

What happens to 'Doctor Who' now?

The show's future is officially unsettled. Disney+ has exited as co-financier. This summer, Davies announced he would step back, and the BBC cancelled the planned Christmas special. Last month, the corporation launched a competitive tender inviting producers to pitch a reboot; "Line of Duty" creator Jed Mercurio is among those who have registered interest.

That is the unstable ground on which Brittin's AI comment fell — a 60-year-old BBC institution between financiers, between showrunners, and now offered to outside bidders.

When will the new series appear?

Davies, despite stepping away, insists the answer is: soon. He gave a concrete timeline on The Media Show.

"You'll start to see production with a brand-new Doctor, a brand-new companion, summer next year," he said.

What does this change for viewers? A date, for the first time since the Disney+ departure — production starting summer next year, with a new Doctor and companion cast under whoever wins the tender. Whether the BBC's next leadership comments on AI-generated episodes with more care is a separate question, and one Davies has now put publicly on the record.