BBC Director-General Matt Brittin said he was recently sent a 50-minute AI-generated episode of Doctor Who, and he judged it “pretty good.”
According to Variety, Brittin told an audience at the Royal Television Society conference that AI is “not going to replace humans, and we’ll come on to that.” He added: “Everyone’s a creator. Not all the creativity is bad.”
Days earlier, Brittin had said in an interview that he would consider allowing a BBC program to be made and presented with AI, “within guardrails.”
Doctor Who returns to tender after Disney deal ends
The comments landed as the long-running sci-fi series, which first aired in 1963, was put out to tender after going on hiatus following the conclusion of a $220 million deal with Disney.
Brittin, who took the top role at the British public broadcaster after an 18-year run at Google, did not provide more detail about the AI-made episode. He did not say whether it had been generated by the BBC itself or sent in by an outside party. The BBC declined to comment.
Earlier Doctor Who AI push drew viewer complaints
This was not the first time the BBC had tried to connect Doctor Who with AI. Its previous attempt ended after a broad backlash from the show’s audience.
In 2024, the broadcaster said it had started using generative AI to create marketing materials for its flagship shows, beginning with Doctor Who. Within weeks, the BBC dropped the plan, saying it had “received complaints” about the use of generative AI to promote the show. It later described the effort as a “small trial.”
BBC has set AI principles and launched pilot projects
The reversal came only a few months after the BBC had laid out its “core principles” for generative AI. The broadcaster called the technology a “significant opportunity,” while also committing to a code of public interest, prioritizing talent and “human creativity,” and transparency.
Since then, the BBC has launched a series of pilot projects using generative AI, including a synthetic AI voice for weather reports and image enhancement.