The Media Show
An extended interview with acclaimed screenwriter and producer Russell T Davies.
By BBC News
Russell T Davies has criticised the BBC’s director general over comments about an artificial intelligence-generated episode of Doctor Who.
The screenwriter and producer made the comments during an extended interview for BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show.
Matt Brittin recently said someone had sent him a 50-minute Doctor Who episode created entirely by AI and described it as “pretty good”.
Davies called the remark “clumsy”, saying it affected writers and artists working in the media industry.
He said human creativity should remain central, while acknowledging that creators may use new tools to support their work.
Davies also said he found it shocking that some writers were reportedly using AI prompts to produce first drafts of scripts. He questioned what writers were being paid to do if the technology was producing their initial work.
During the interview, Davies discussed his time working on Doctor Who and admitted that he had sometimes dreaded going onto the set because of the cost and complexity of special effects, including explosions and prosthetics.
He also spoke about the programme’s future. Production is expected to begin next summer with a new Doctor and a new companion, according to details from the interview.
The Media Show interview is available on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.