"That whole proposal was not true, did not happen. I can say that with authority because, as far as the BBC is concerned, I'm the voice of Doctor Who.
"So if I say it, it's true. The BBC own Doctor Who and, for the moment, I run it for them. So I can assure you definitively that was all nonsense."
The TV boss - who has also won acclaim for his Sherlock adaptations - said Yates had never been signed up to work on anything, although he had expressed an interest.