
- Julie Gardner, the head of drama at BBC Wales, said that working with Doctor Who show runner Russell T Davies informed the development of Merlin. "I learned so much about the 7pm slot from Russell T Davies' Doctor Who scripts and from his approach as an executive producer to that particular slot," she said. "Russell's been a huge supporter of Merlin. He immediately saw its potential and proved invaluable in early discussions about how to shape the series for Saturday night."