Russell T Davies rebukes BBC chief Matt Brittin for ‘clumsy’ comments about AI

Celebrated UK producer and screenwriter Russell T Davies has slammed BBC director-general Matt Brittin for his “clumsy” comments about being impressed by AI-generated episodes of Doctor Who.

Russell T Davies

At last month’s RTS London event, Brittin bemoaned the fact the BBC is now effectively in competition with online creators who can use generative technology to make content.

The former McKinsey management consultant told delegates: “Six billion people have the ability in their hands to create content at the standard of a Hollywood studio. Someone sent me a 50-minute episode of Doctor Who that was entirely AI-generated the other day; it was pretty good.”

However, those comments have not gone down well with former Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies. The multi-award-winning screenwriter and producer suggested the remarks were insensitive at a time when so many people in the industry were losing their jobs due to AI and said they reflect Brittin’s lack of experience in TV.

Davies told Radio 4’s The Media Show: “Do you think he regretted saying that afterwards? I think it’s a clumsy thing to say in an industry where [AI] specifically affects writers and artists. They’re the first to take the blow, as well as the people who create special effects, who I’ve worked with for decades.

“So perhaps he hasn’t worked in television for that long and might not be so fruity with an opinion in the future. My [email] inbox was going bing, bing, bing [after Brittin’s comments], so God knows what his was like.”

Matt Brittin

Photo: Matt Brittin

The Media Show presenter Katie Razzall asked Davies if he was concerned TV writers would be replaced by AI as the technology continues to improve.

Davies said creatives are now “like little ants in front of a tidal wave” as the industry continues to leverage the power of AI in the creative process. He also expressed concerns about the erosion of copyright and IP protections.

“The most interesting thing that we’re looking at is the end of copyright,” he said. “AI has gone and stolen every book ever written, they say, and authors object that they don’t stand a chance.

“You look at fans making episodes of Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars and if they’re doing that on a vast scale. I looked up the laws the other day and if your copyright is being broken on a vast scale, it’s almost impossible to get any redress, compensation or litigation.”

Davies attended last week’s Mipcom in Cannes, publicising his latest project, the Downing Street-set comedy-drama Number 10, produced by Hartswood Films for Channel 4 and distributed by ITV Studios.

He also penned another recent drama, Tip Toe, for Channel 4 where last month the public broadcaster’s CEO Priya Dogra confirmed 340 jobs are to be axed.

When asked if he was concerned about the latest round of job cuts at Channel 4, Davies replied: “I find it alarming that apparently drama and comedy commissioning are being collapsed into one job, more so for comedy than anything else.

“You spend 20 years following comedians, stand-up and people working on YouTube. The voices of comedy are very distinct and need help, so I’m surprised that’s being merged with drama. We all know what a good story is; it’s much harder to know what a good comedian is.”