The future of Doctor Who is in its most unsteady place that it’s been for some time. Though there’s been a certain level of consistency with new episodes and releases since the series returned in 2005, with no gaps longer than a year and a half, the next time that the time lord returns to television may still be years away. Doctor Who fans may have a bit of a grim view of the franchise’s future, but the BBC has been fielding pitches from production companies about what the next iteration might look like, meaning there’s at least a semblance of a plan.
While no official details have been confirmed about Doctor Who‘s future, a comment from one BBC Boss has fans in a fury. Speaking at the RTS London Convention (via Deadline), BBC Director General Matt Brittin commented on a fully AI-generated episode of Doctor Who that he watched, giving it the ringing endorsement of “Pretty good.” Brittin went on to make a note that he didn’t think AI would fully replace humans but made it clear he believed it had a place in the production pipeline in terms of bringing certain costs down. Though the episode in question has not been revealed to the public, they’re making themselves heard and slamming the very idea of AI-generated Doctor Who.
Doctor Who fans wasted no time roasting this half-hearted endorsement of AI for the new series. Though plenty used it as a reason to respond with GIFs of Kermit the Frog shaking his head, David Tennant’s Doctor standing in the rain, or even clips from the show where the Daleks deliver a scathing comment, others made their voices heard. “Tasteless f–king loser,” wrote one fan. “Don’t fucking let him anywhere near that fucking show then,” added another. The least crass reply wrote: “Jesus. If actual people in charge of creatives are saying this we are screwed.”
Have we not suffered enough as DW fans 
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“If Doctor Who ever uses generative ai I’d consider the show to be dead,” another fan added. “There’s plenty of classic, revival and expanded media for me to continue enjoying the franchise with.” One had a plan for bringing it into the show, but with a twist, posting: “The only case when Doctor Who and AI should be used in the same sentence is when destroying AI is part of the plot”
Naturally, it’s worth reiterating that the future of Doctor Who and the use of generative AI has not been confirmed in any meaningful way, especially when there’s no real news about what the show’s future looks like beyond fielding pitches. That said, Matt Brittin has only had his position at the BBC since May of this year, previously working at Google before he joined the broadcaster. As a result, it’s easy to see why fans would immediately default to doom-and-gloom at the first hint of the new boss having an interest in using generative AI for one of their landmark shows.
Though it’s certainly possible for a major company to use AI, get roasted by their fans, and then win them back (Marvel Studios previously did it with Secret Invasion in 2023, and just released the highest-grossing movie in the franchise with Spider-Man: Brand New Day), it’s proving to be controversial ground that should have others thinking twice.
