Russell T Davies criticises BBC boss for ‘clumsy’ AI Doctor Who comments

Russell T Davies has criticised BBC director-general Matt Brittin’s “clumsy” comments about an AI-generated episode of Doctor Who.

Mr Brittin, while speaking at the Royal Television Society conference in September, said he had watched an unofficial episode of the sci-fi show entirely made by AI and thought it was “pretty good”.

Davies served as showrunner and head writer for Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2023 to 2025.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show about Mr Brittin’s remarks, he said: “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 said Mr Brittin’s comments about an AI-generated episode of Doctor Who were ‘clumsy’ (Lucy North/PA)

PA Wire

“I want to be really clear: Humans are leading, and I believe in human creativity, enhanced by whatever tools.”

Mr Brittin, who was appointed as director-general in March 2026, was previously an executive at Google.

Davies said Mr Brittin “hasn’t worked in television for that long and might not be so fruity with an opinion in future.”

He added: “My inbox went ping ping ping ping ping, so God knows what his was like.”

Mr Brittin added during his interview at the Royal Television Society that AI is “not going to replace humans.”

Along with his work on Doctor Who, Davies is also known for creating the shows Queer As Folk, It’s A Sin, Years And Years and Doctor Who spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Davies added: ‘I want to be really clear: Humans are leading, and I believe in human creativity, enhanced by whatever tools’ (Ian West/PA)

PA Archive

Asked if writers should use AI when creating their scripts, Davies said: “I have heard stories of some writers using AI prompts to do a first draft which I find shocking because I think… What are you paid for otherwise? What are you there to do?”

Davies said he does not use AI when writing his scripts but “very much” worried it might start to replace writers in the future.

Elsewhere during the interview, Davies said he “used to dread going on a Doctor Who set” because of the special effects and “explosions going on, people pulling themselves in to prosthetics”.

He added: “It’s more difficult than any other set.”

Davies also confirmed the future of the series, after it was announced the planned Christmas 2026 special would not be made.

He said: “You’ll start to see production with a brand-new doctor, a brand-new companion, summer next year.”