Russell T Davies Calls BBC Boss’ AI ‘Doctor Who’ Comment ‘Clumsy’ and Teases Show’s Future: ‘You’ll Start to See Production’ in ‘Summer Next Year’

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Outgoing “Doctor Who” showrunner Russell T. Davies has criticized BBC director general Matt Brittin over recent comments he made regarding an AI-generated episode of the cult show.

Speaking at the Royal Television Society conference last month, Brittin said he’d been sent a fully AI-generated episode of “Doctor Who,” which he described as “pretty good.” Although he was quick to add it was “not going to replace humans,” his wording sparked instant criticism, and Brittin later admitted he had “got into trouble” over what he’d said. Now one of the biggest names in “Doctor Who” has spoken up.

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“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,” said Davies, speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show. “My inbox went ping ping ping ping ping, so God knows what his was like.”

Davies — who revived “Doctor Who” in 2005 and then returned again in 2023 — also said that Brittin, who only recently joined the BBC following a career at Google, “hasn’t worked in television for that long and might not be so fruity with an opinion in future.”

The future of “Doctor Who” — a BBC icon for more than 60 years — is currently up in the air following the departure of Disney+ as a co-financier. This summer, Davies announced he would be stepping back and the BBC cancelled the planned Christmas special. Last month, the BBC launched a competitive tender inviting pitches from producers to reboot the series. “Line of Duty” creator Jed Mercurio is among those to have submitted their interest.

But while fans wait to see what happens, Davies, despite no longer being involved in the show, assured that a new series was definitely happening and there wouldn’t be too long to wait.

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