The new BBC director-general, Matt Brittin (believed to be a Doctor Who fan on some level) has declared that he has seen an AI-generated episode of Doctor Who, and declared it “pretty good.”
Brittin was chatting at the RTS London Convention, with his comments reported by Deadline. Appointed to the post of Director-General of the BBC in March 2026, Brittin was previously Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business & operations president for Google, and has no showbusiness experience.
The comments obviously raise a number of issues, not least: how has a man with apparently no critical faculty ended up in charge of the nation’s broadcaster?
Brittin has also recently admitted to considering the idea of an AI-generated TV presenter.
On the matter of AI Doctor Who, Brittin revealed:
“Somebody sent me a 50-minute episode of Doctor Who that was AI-generated the other day. It’s pretty good. I mean, it’s not going to replace humans. So, everyone’s a creator.”
I didn’t want to have to come to this topic, if I’m honest.
Rick Lundeen has already written about the AI-generated “Unmade Season” and it has even featured in broadsheet newspapers. With James McLean, I’ve recorded a Kasterborous episode about the same thing — the latest in several discussions on the topic of AI use replacing creative arts.
Like Mr Brittin, I have watched the AI episode (I assume it is the same one based on duration) and while it is clearly accomplished, it is also clearly not very good. Its shortcomings are obvious in various ways that anyone experienced in watching TV drama and cinema would spot from the off.
I’m not in the habit of calling for people’s jobs, but this seems like a massive misunderstanding, a disconnect, if you like, with what people actually want to watch. That it comes from the person who has been tasked with ensuring the BBC’s survival is, I feel, somewhat mind-blowing.
I am confused that these words could be uttered by someone on a salary of £565,000. This is not a conversation that we should be having.
So, over to you.
