Doctor Who fans horrified as BBC boss calls AI-made episode 'pretty good'

[Molly4]

BBC Director General Matt Brittin has stirred up a hornet's nest with Doctor Who fans. Speaking at the Royal Television Society Convention in London, he said someone had sent him a 50 minute AI generated episode of Doctor Who, and that it was pretty good. He went on to say AI will not replace human creators, and that when everyone is a creator, not all the creativity is bad. Fans have not taken it well

The episode in question appears to be The Curse of Kilmorag, made as part of a fan project called The Unmade Season. It was removed from YouTube after a copyright claim, and its creator has reportedly received death threats over it. That context makes the Director General's praise feel even more awkward, given the BBC itself is the copyright holder

Brittin's wider point was that generative AI has lowered the barrier to making professional looking content, and that billions of people could soon produce something close to Hollywood quality. He was clear that the BBC has no plans to make official AI episodes. However, the corporation does seem open to using AI in development, visual effects and pre-visualisation work

The reaction from fans is understandable. Doctor Who has always been about human imagination, and plenty of writers, actors and crew have worked on it for decades. Hearing the head of the BBC praise an AI version, even casually, sounds like a warning to the people who make the real thing. Given how uncertain the show's future has seemed lately, the timing could hardly be worse

Death threats against a fan creator are completely unacceptable, whatever anyone thinks of AI. That said, I can see why the comments touched a nerve. Would you watch an AI generated Doctor Who episode out of curiosity, or is it a line the BBC should never cross?

Doctor Who fans horrified after BBC boss claims AI episodemetro.co.uk

[FrostSquid]

The show's future has felt shaky for a while, so any hint of cost cutting spooks fans. AI production is cheaper than a full crew. That is what worries people most

The BBC needs to reassure them quickly. A clear statement would help

[Caitlin1]

Death threats over a fan film are absurd. Disagree all you like, but threatening someone over a Doctor Who project is disgraceful. Fandom has a toxic streak that does it no favours

[EmbeddingSpace]

Watched a few minutes before it was taken down out of curiosity. Visually impressive in places, but the dialogue was flat and the Doctor felt like a collection of catchphrases. Pretty good is generous

It had none of the warmth that makes the show special. AI can copy the look but not the heart

[FinnHalliday]

Would I watch one out of curiosity? Probably, the same way you would look at a car crash. Would I want it to replace the real thing? Absolutely not. There is a big gap between those two

[VoidSentinel66]

This will not be the last time a public broadcaster boss gets asked about AI content. Every broadcaster is quietly experimenting. The BBC just said the quiet part out loud, and the fans heard it. Transparency would help everyone

[Gary]

Everyone being a creator is not a bad thing in principle. Fan films have a long history in Doctor Who, and some of today's writers started out that way

The difference is effort and craft. Making something with friends over a summer is different from typing a prompt. Fans can feel that difference

[DigitalNomad]

Saying it was pretty good was a clumsy choice of words from someone in his position. The BBC has spent decades building the show with real writers and crews. The Director General should be championing them, not an AI copy. It was poor judgement

[ECWAlex98]

Copyright claim, then the boss says it was pretty good. You could not make it up. The BBC sending mixed messages again

[NWO_Hurricanrana]

Using AI for pre-visualisation and effects is fine by me, since that is a tool helping human creators, not replacing them. The line is the writing and the performances

[RicFlair04]

He did say AI will not replace human creators and that the BBC has no plans for AI episodes. People are reacting to a headline rather than the full comments

Still, words matter when you run the BBC. He should have known this would blow up