BBC director-general Matt Brittin has reviewed a 50-minute episode of Doctor Who made with artificial intelligence and described it as “pretty good,” offering a cautiously positive assessment as the broadcaster weighs how far AI should enter television production.
Brittin’s view on AI in television
Brittin discussed the episode at a Royal Television Society conference, according to Decrypt, but did not say who created it or whether the BBC had commissioned it. The broadcaster declined to comment on the details.
He also said AI “is not going to replace humans,” while arguing that the technology can support creative work. Days earlier, Brittin had said he would consider allowing a BBC programme to be made and presented using AI, provided it operated “within guardrails.”
The comments place the BBC’s new director-general at the centre of an ongoing debate over how generative AI should be used in entertainment. Brittin joined the broadcaster after 18 years at Google.
Doctor Who’s changing production backdrop
The development comes as Doctor Who faces a fresh decision over its future production arrangements. The long-running science-fiction series, which first aired in 1963, was put out to tender after going on hiatus following the conclusion of a $220 million agreement with Disney.
Brittin’s remarks do not establish that the AI-generated episode is an official BBC production, nor do they indicate whether it could be broadcast. The length of the episode—50 minutes—was the only production detail disclosed beyond his assessment of its quality.
For viewers, the episode’s reported existence is significant because it involves one of the BBC’s best-known programmes, a show with a long-established audience and a history stretching across decades. It also illustrates the gap between experimenting with AI and using it in a finished television programme: questions around authorship, editorial control, disclosure and the role of human performers remain central to any such decision.
BBC’s earlier Doctor Who AI backlash
The broadcaster has already encountered strong audience resistance over a less ambitious use of the technology. In 2024, it said it had started using generative AI to create marketing material for flagship programmes, beginning with Doctor Who. After receiving complaints, the BBC abandoned the plan within weeks and described the work as a “small trial.”
That episode followed the BBC’s publication of core principles for generative AI. The broadcaster identified the technology as a significant opportunity but said its approach would be guided by the public interest, support for talent and human creativity, and transparency.
Since then, the BBC has continued with pilot projects involving generative AI. Those projects have included a synthetic voice for weather reports and image enhancement. Brittin’s comments suggest that the broadcaster is still examining possible uses in programme-making, although any future deployment would be considered against the safeguards he referenced.
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