BBC Director General Tim Brittin has described a 50-minute Doctor Who episode generated entirely by artificial intelligence as "pretty good," and indicated that the technology is capable of producing content at the standard of a Hollywood studio.
Brittin, who took the helm of the broadcasting company in May after nearly two decades at Google, faces the challenge of implementing spending cuts while continuing to produce high-quality programming. Doctor Who, the BBC's flagship science fiction series, is currently on hiatus.
Fans have widely noted a decline in the show's quality in recent years, particularly over the last two seasons featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Russell T Davies as showrunner. The era concluded prematurely following a co-funding partner's departure, leading to Gatwa's exit and the cancellation of a planned one-off Christmas special. The BBC is now seeking a new production house, with new episodes anticipated in 2028 or 2029.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society conference, Brittin noted that "six billion people have" the ability to create content at a high standard using AI tools. While he did not specify which AI project he viewed, it is widely believed to be "The Unmade Season," a fan-made project featuring an AI-generated continuation of the series. This episode reportedly depicts a new incarnation of the Doctor regenerating from David Tennant's 14th Doctor, with an AI actor voicing the character and familiar monsters like the Slitheen and Ood appearing in scenes with various AI-driven anomalies.
The article's author, Tom Phillips, expressed reservations about the BBC's embrace of AI-generated content, especially considering its potential reliance on regurgitated copyrighted material. Despite budget constraints, the hope is that the BBC's engagement with AI in relation to Doctor Who will remain limited.