![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Radio-Times-Robert-Wilson-800x420.jpg\")
Robert Wilson <\/p>\n Robert Wilson <\/p>\n
A photographer behind a genius marketing campaign that\u2019s caused a stir online tells PetaPixel it is \u201cfrustrating\u201d that people immediately assume it\u2019s AI.<\/p>\n
British photographer Robert Wilson<\/a> created the conceptual shoot for Radio Times magazine about a TV show called Last One Laughing, in which U.K. comedians make each other laugh while trying to keep a straight face.<\/p>\n Wilson produced 12 individual Radio Times covers for this week\u2019s edition, and made a looping video from his high-res photos showing the comedians as they try not to laugh. <\/p>\n Who will be the first to crack a laugh and who will keep a straight face the longest? <\/p>\n Meet this year’s legendary line-up of comedians spotlit across 12 covers, as they compete to be the Last One Laughing. <\/p>\n Last One Laughing photographed exclusively for Radio Times by Robert\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/ppHORNTeIt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Radio Times (@RadioTimes) March 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n But the video, which consists of hyper-realistic, razor-sharp photos, caused many people to accuse it of being AI. Wilson tells PetaPixel that that is categorically not the case. <\/p>\n \u201cYou try and push boundaries of technology, then, because people aren\u2019t used to seeing it, they immediately think it\u2019s AI,\u201d Wilson says. \u201cThat is rather frustrating, but more frustrating is the fact that when it\u2019s pointed out to people that they\u2019re wrong, rather than embracing something that someone\u2019s created, they seem to double down on their accusations.\u201d <\/p>\n It was on X where the biggest vitriol towards Wilson\u2019s work was: U.K. podcaster Don McGowan declared<\/a>: \u201can established publication like the Radio Times, sinking to this AI garbage, is why print media has run its course.\u201d X slapped a Community Note on his post stating it was created by Wilson. But rather than admit he was wrong, McGowan writes: \u201cStill an odd choice to me to make something like an AI-generated video.\u201d <\/p>\n It was a similar story on Instagram<\/a> where Wilson explained to one person that he had taken 210 high-res photographs to make the video. \u201cThen that\u2019s an awful lot of work to produce something that looks exactly like AI,\u201d the snarky commenter replied. <\/p>\n How Did the Photographer Create the Radio Times Cover <\/p>\n Wilson explains to PetaPixel that for the moving footage, he locked off the camera and shot RAW photos at 30 frames per second. <\/p>\n \u201cI graded the RAW files with photography software rather than for moving footage as there\u2019s so much more latitude in the RAW file,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n \u201cOnce graded, the images were placed back into a 30 FPS timeline and voil\u00e0, you have moving footage that looks exactly like the stills\/print images that have a slightly hyperreal feel.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson says it\u2019s a new method and he wasn\u2019t planning to reveal his practical process, but says that after seeing so many people believe it was AI, \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve had to justify myself.\u201d <\/p>\n The accomplished photographer, who has shot for major brands and publications all over the world and visited Afghanistan as an official artist for the British Army, says he doesn\u2019t use AI in his work. <\/p>\n \u201cThe only way I use AI is when I\u2019m sketching ideas for a shoot,\u201d he explains. \u201cI sometimes give it the scenario and see what it comes up with. It might then give me ideas on lighting direction or composition that I hadn\u2019t thought of\u2026 but that\u2019s the only way I use it.\u201d <\/p>\n In a way, the AI accusations are a compliment to Wilson\u2019s original work. <\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s something people are not used to seeing and it\u2019s caught their attention, they immediately think it\u2019s AI, rather than thinking it might be a creative doing what creatives do\u2026 being creative!\u201d <\/p>\n More of Wilson\u2019s work can be found on his website<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n Image credits:<\/strong> Photographs by Robert Wilson <\/p>\n \n
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