Russell T Davies Slams BBC Boss's 'Clumsy' AI Doctor Who Remark — SkimNews
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- Russell T. Davies called BBC director general Matt Brittin's comments about an AI-generated Doctor Who episode 'clumsy,' saying such remarks land first on writers and artists in the industry
- Matt Brittin told the Royal Television Society conference he was sent a fully AI-generated Doctor Who episode he described as 'pretty good' but 'not going to replace humans,' later admitting he 'got into trouble'
- Davies noted Brittin 'hasn't worked in television for that long' and only recently joined the BBC after a career at Google, suggesting he avoid being 'fruity with an opinion in future'
- Doctor Who's planned Christmas special was cancelled and the series' future thrown open after Disney+ departed as co-financier
- The BBC launched a competitive tender inviting producers to pitch reboots of the 60-plus-year-old franchise, with 'Line of Duty' creator Jed Mercurio among those submitting interest
- Davies, despite stepping back, confirmed production on a new series with 'a brand-new Doctor, a brand-new companion' will begin summer next year
Why it matters: An AI remark from the new BBC boss — fresh from Google — triggered immediate pushback from Doctor Who's showrunner and a wave of writer inbox complaints, exposing how casually a senior figure can stoke labor fears in a creative industry. The controversy also coincided with a pivotal reset for the franchise: production on a re-pitch of the 60-year-old series is set to begin by summer 2026.
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