Jump to content

John Nathan-Turner: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→Biography: ref to Survival (Doctor Who)
 
(484 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|British television producer (1947–2002)}}
{{otherpersons|John Turner}}
{{Other people|John Turner}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox Person
{{EngvarB|date=January 2020}}

{{Infobox person
| name = John Nathan-Turner
| name = John Nathan-Turner
| image = Jnt86a.jpg
| image = Jnt86b.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_size = 250px
| caption = John Nathan-Turner in September 1986
| caption = Nathan-Turner at Whovent in September 1986
| birth_name = John Turner
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1947|8|12}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1947|8|12}}
| birth_place = [[Birmingham]], [[England]]
| birth_place = [[Birmingham]], [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2002|5|1|1947|8|12}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2002|5|1|1947|8|12}}
| death_place = [[Brighton]], [[East Sussex]], [[England]]
| death_place = [[Brighton]], [[East Sussex]], England
| occupation = [[Television producer]]
| death_cause =
| partner = [[Gary Downie]] (long-term partner)
| occupation = Television producer
| parents =
| partner = [[Gary Downie]] (1972–2002; his death)
| children =
| children =
}}
}}
'''John Turner''' (12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002), known professionally as '''John Nathan-Turner''', was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running [[BBC]] science fiction series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and the final producer of the series' first run on television (from 1980 until it was cancelled in 1989). He finished the role having become the longest-serving ''Doctor Who'' producer and cast [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]] and [[Sylvester McCoy]] as the [[Fifth Doctor|Fifth]], [[Sixth Doctor|Sixth]] and [[Seventh Doctor]]s, respectively.<ref name=bbcdeath>{{Cite news|date=2002-05-03|title=Doctor Who producer dies|work=BBC News |language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1965981.stm|access-date=2023-01-05}}</ref>


==Early life==
'''John Nathan-Turner''' (born '''Jonathan Turner'''; 12 August 1947&ndash;1 May 2002) was the ninth [[television producer|producer]] of the long-running [[BBC]] [[science fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]'', from 1980 until it was effectively canceled in 1989. He was the longest-serving<ref name=bbcdeath>BBC (3 May 2002) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1965981.stm Doctor Who producer dies] BBC. Accessed 15 August 2008.</ref> and, at the time, the most widely known ''Doctor Who'' producer.
Born '''John Turner''' in [[Birmingham]], he adopted the [[Double-barrelled name|double-barrelled stage name]] ''John Nathan-Turner'' to distinguish himself from the British actor [[John Turner (actor)|John Turner]]. He was educated at [[King Edward VI Aston|King Edward VI School]], at Aston in Birmingham, where he showed an early interest in acting and theatre. His earliest television acting work was as an [[Extra (acting)|extra]] in TV productions for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], including ''[[Crossroads (soap opera)|Crossroads]]'' and ''[[The Flying Swan]]''. Both shows were made in Birmingham (the former at ATV's Aston studios). On leaving school, he initially worked as an actor and assistant stage manager at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/may/11/guardianobituaries.media|title=Obituary: John Nathan-Turner|first=Andy|last=Bodle|date=10 May 2002|work=The Guardian}}</ref>


Turner was later taken on by the BBC as a television floor assistant, working on every type of show (from light entertainment to news and current affairs), including–more importantly for his later career–drama. Shows produced by the BBC's drama department that he worked on included ''[[The Pallisers]]'',<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{Cite web|title=BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Season 18|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/season18.shtml|access-date=2020-06-25|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> ''[[How Green Was My Valley (TV drama serial)|How Green Was My Valley]]'', ''[[Angels (TV series)|Angels]]'', and ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]''. An assignment to the BBC's light entertainment department also led to him spending two years working on ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe and Wise Show]]'', prior to the act's move to ITV in 1978.
==Biography==
Born in the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] of [[England]], and educated at [[King Edward VI Aston]], Nathan-Turner showed an early interest in acting and [[theatre]]. He joined the BBC as a floor assistant in the 1960s,<ref name=press>{{cite press release | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/05_may/02/nathanturner.shtml | publisher= [[BBC]] | title= Death of former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner | date = 2002-05-02}}</ref> and first worked on ''Doctor Who'' in 1969 as part of the floor crew<ref name=bbcdeath/> at the time that the series was recorded in Studio D of the [[Lime Grove Studios]]. His first story was ''[[The Space Pirates]]'' in 1969, in which he was credited as John Nathan. He came from a nonpracticing Jewish family.


==''Doctor Who''==
He later served as production unit manager under Graham Williams from 1977-1979. He accepted the position of producer for Season 18, the last that featured [[Tom Baker]]'s portrayal of the central character, [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|the Doctor]]. He subsequently cast the next three actors to play the role &ndash; [[Peter Davison]] (1982-1984), [[Colin Baker]] (1984-1986), and [[Sylvester McCoy]] (1987-1996).<ref name=bbcdeath/>
Having joined the BBC as a floor assistant in the 1960s,<ref name=press>{{cite press release | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/05_may/02/nathanturner.shtml | publisher= BBC | title= Death of former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner | date = 2 May 2002}}</ref> he first worked on ''Doctor Who'' in 1969 as part of the floor crew<ref name=bbcdeath/> at a time when the series was recorded in Studio D at the BBC's [[Lime Grove Studios]]. The first serial he worked on was the [[Patrick Troughton]] story ''[[The Space Pirates]]''<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC One - Doctor Who, Season 6, The Space Pirates - The Fourth Dimension|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/47lxygbwmg2lbK5fjxvcMjk/the-fourth-dimension|access-date=2020-06-25|website=BBC|language=en-GB}}</ref> in 1969.


Nathan-Turner worked as an assistant floor manager on two serials in the [[Jon Pertwee]] era of ''Doctor Who'': ''[[The Ambassadors of Death]]'' (1970)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-08-30|title=John Nathan-Turner (1993)|url=https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/john-nathan-turner-1993/|access-date=2020-06-25|website=Doctor Who Interview Archive|language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Colony in Space]]'' (1971). He later worked on ''Doctor Who'' in the [[Tom Baker]] era as production unit manager under producer [[Graham Williams (television producer)|Graham Williams]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://drwhointerviews.wordpress.com/tag/john-nathan-turner/|title=John Nathan-Turner – Doctor Who Interview Archive|website=drwhointerviews.wordpress.com}}</ref> from 1977 to 1979. When Williams decided to leave the show after three seasons and the BBC management's first choice to replace him, [[George Gallaccio]], turned it down,<ref name="Who's 50">{{cite book |author1=Graeme Burk|author2=Robert Smith |title=Who's 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die|year=2013|page=197|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=9781770411661}}</ref> he accepted the post of producer for [[Doctor Who (season 18)|season 18]], which would also become the last to feature Baker as the [[Fourth Doctor]].<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>
Nathan-Turner's experience for Graham Williams helped form his views for the future of the series. He strongly felt that many people, both within the program and in the viewing public, no longer took ''Who'' seriously. It was also generally agreed that Tom Baker had been allowed too much influence of the direction of the series and that Williams was not willing to confront him. Nathan-Turner, along with the new Script Editor [[Christopher Bidmead]], decided that Baker needed to be reigned in and made to take the role more seriously.


Due to Nathan-Turner's relatively young age at 33 and lack of previous experience as a producer, the BBC brought former ''Doctor Who'' producer [[Barry Letts]] back to the series to act as executive producer for his first season.<ref name="Who's 50"/> Nathan-Turner's experience of working with Graham Williams helped form his views on the future direction of the series. He strongly felt that people working on the programme (especially Williams, script editor [[Douglas Adams]] and star Tom Baker) had stopped taking the show seriously: it was parodying science fiction, rather than presenting serious storylines. He also believed that Williams had allowed Baker too much influence on the show's direction, rather than confronting Baker over his increasingly comedic acting style. Nathan-Turner, together with new script editor [[Christopher H. Bidmead]], decided Baker's creative influence needed to be reined in.
Nathan-Turner decided to begin a sweeping overhaul of the series, replacing the original theme music with a more contemporary electronic beat. He also changed the visuals for the opening and closing and had a new face shot of Baker taken for the intro (the original having been taken in 1974). He commissioned costume designer [[June Hudson]] to make a new costume for Tom Baker, giving her carte-blanche (even giving permission to remove the trademark scarf if she liked). He did, however, insist that question marks be added to the costume. Unlike most of the previous producers, Nathan-Turner had no writing experience. As a result, choosing stories was left largely to script editors. Nathan-Turner's first major story influence was bringing back the Master &ndash; the logistics of which he left to Bidmead to deal with.


Nathan-Turner decided on a ''new broom'' approach,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The NATHAN-TURNER Years {{!}} Pocketmags.com|url=https://pocketmags.com/de/doctor-who-magazine/543/articles/642944/the-nathan-turner-years|access-date=2020-07-15|website=pocketmags.com}}</ref> and instituted sweeping changes: replacing the arrangement of the theme music which had run throughout the 1970s with a more contemporary electronic arrangement by [[Peter Howell (musician)|Peter Howell]], and introducing revamped opening titles (featuring a new photograph of Baker, replacing the original taken in 1974) and a new closing credit sequence. Nathan-Turner also dispensed with the services of long-time composer [[Dudley Simpson]], who had provided the incidental music for the majority of the ''Doctor Who'' serials of the 1970s and all of the Williams era stories. With Simpson departed, the ''Doctor Who'' incidental music under Nathan-Turner's stewardship would be provided by electronic composers including Peter Howell, [[Paddy Kingsland]], [[Malcolm Clarke (composer)|Malcolm Clarke]], [[Roger Limb]], [[Jonathan Gibbs (composer)|Jonathan Gibbs]], [[Keff McCulloch]], and [[Mark Ayres]].
By the end of Season 19, Nathan-Turner decided that the series would benefit by reusing earlier villains and characters &ndash; ''[[Earthshock]]'' enjoyed considerable acclaim with the return of the Cybermen. Season 20 saw the return of the Black Guardian, Omega, and the Brigadier. The reuse of classic villains often proved difficult for both script editor Eric Saward and the writers. Nathan-Turner, however, was largely focused on generating publicity for the series and snagging well-known stars. He also wanted to avoid using directors and writers from the previous periods, the few exceptions being director Pennant Roberts and writer Robert Holmes.


As Nathan-Turner had no writing or script-editing experience, the choice of the stories for production was largely left to Bidmead. This at once led to difficulties, with the second story to enter production, ''[[Meglos]]'' (1980), suffering from all the problems which Nathan-Turner had identified in the show's scripts under Graham Williams (a lack of realism, an over indulgence in comedy). Nathan-Turner's first major story influence was in bringing back [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]], but the details of this he left to Bidmead. At the end of Nathan-Turner's first season in charge, both Bidmead and Letts left their posts on the series along with Tom Baker, and [[Lalla Ward]], who had played companion [[Romana (Doctor Who)|Romana]], also left partway through the season in ''[[Warriors' Gate]]'' (1980). Letts was not replaced, leaving Nathan-Turner as sole producer. Nathan-Turner cast [[Peter Davison]] as the [[Fifth Doctor]] for [[Doctor Who (season 19)|season 19]], having previously worked with him on ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]''. Bidmead was briefly replaced with [[Antony Root]], then more permanently with [[Eric Saward]], who would work as script editor (and occasional writer) of the series from 1982 until 1986.
Having served as producer for so long, and having a more public persona than previous incumbents, Nathan-Turner was often the object of intense scrutiny by the series' fans, who often referred to him as "JNT" or "JN-T". Decisions such as the casting of [[Bonnie Langford]] as the Doctor's companion are still a topic of discussion in the ''Doctor Who'' fan community twenty years later. His tenure coincided with a period of large growth in the show's fan base in the [[United States]], thanks to repeated showings on affiliates of the American [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS). Nathan-Turner was a familiar face among the many ''Doctor Who'' celebrities who made spot-appearances during [[PBS]] pledge drives in support of more ''Who'' in America.


After Nathan-Turner brought [[The Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]] back for three consecutive stories, ''[[The Keeper of Traken]]'' (1981), ''[[Logopolis]]'' (1981) and ''[[Castrovalva (Doctor Who)|Castrovalva]]'' (1982, now played on a regular basis by [[Anthony Ainley]]), he believed that the show could benefit from the publicity inherent in bringing back popular characters and monsters from its past. ''[[Earthshock]]'' (1982) enjoyed considerable publicity from featuring the return of the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]], after an absence of seven years. Season 20 then saw the return of [[Omega (Doctor Who)|Omega]], [[Mara (Doctor Who)|the Mara]], the Black and White Guardians (from the [[Doctor Who (season 16)|''Key to Time'' season]]), and [[Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/20397/top-10-doctor-who-producers-part-one | title= Top 10 Doctor Who producers: Part One | work=[[Den of Geek]] | first=Alex | last=Westthorp | date=1 April 2010 | access-date=23 September 2020}}</ref> The [[Dalek]]s and [[Davros]] also returned in ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' (1984), but the re-use of classic villains often proved complex for script editor Eric Saward and the show's writers. Nathan-Turner, however, was largely focused on generating publicity for the series, something which he also achieved by the device of casting high profile, well-known actors (sometimes from the world of light entertainment) as guest stars.
Nathan-Turner made a number of controversial changes to the series. In Season 19, he had the [[sonic screwdriver]] destroyed in ''[[The Visitation (Doctor Who)|The Visitation]]''. (Eric Saward, who wrote the story, initially only meant to remove it for a single episode as he thought that the Doctor "had an entire cabinet full of them".) Nathan-Turner also had the show moved from its Saturday evening slot and moved to air on Monday and Tuesday of each week. Despite a degree of outrage, it did lead to a large increase in viewing figures. He also oversaw the removal of [[K-9 (Doctor Who)|K-9]] from the series &ndash; though he did commission the pilot of ''[[K-9 and Company]]''. He even allowed the [[TARDIS]] to lose its iconic [[police box]] shape at one point, though its distinctive interiors &ndash; modernised in high-white &ndash; were more heavily used than at any time since the 1960s, giving the (now multiple) companions an on-screen home.


Nathan-Turner rarely used directors or writers who had worked for previous producers. The few exceptions were director [[Pennant Roberts]] (who directed ''[[Warriors of the Deep]]'' and ''[[Timelash]]''), and the writers [[David Fisher (writer)|David Fisher]] (who wrote ''[[The Leisure Hive (Doctor Who)|The Leisure Hive]]''), [[Terrance Dicks]] (who wrote ''[[State of Decay (Doctor Who)|State of Decay]]'' and "[[The Five Doctors]]"), and [[Robert Holmes (scriptwriter)|Robert Holmes]] (who wrote ''[[The Caves of Androzani]]'', ''[[The Two Doctors]]'', ''[[The Mysterious Planet]]'' and the first episode of ''[[The Ultimate Foe]]'').
Nathan-Turner was arguably the highest-profile producer of the original series, and his reign was at times controversial. His changes to the programme were initially well-received by ''Doctor Who'' fans, to whom he extended an unprecedented degree of welcome. Editors of non-professional magazines or "[[fanzines]]" would be granted interviews by Nathan-Turner in the ''Who'' production office. Although he did not divulge the contents of forthcoming storylines in such conversations, he would speak in-depth and at length about his approach to producing the show.


By coincidence, Nathan-Turner's tenure occurred during a period of large growth in the show's fan base in the United States, thanks to repeated showings there of the Tom Baker serials on affiliates of the American [[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS) network. Nathan-Turner became a familiar face among the many ''Doctor Who'' celebrities who made appearances during [[PBS]] fundraising drives, held to finance the purchase of more ''Doctor Who'' serials for screening in the United States.
This openness to fandom proved a double-edged sword for Nathan-Turner. As his tenure on the series lengthened, and especially when the show's ratings began to drop, fan criticism of Nathan-Turner became more prevalent. Fanzines began to blame him for decisions made about the series, whether he was responsible for them or not. The series was placed on hiatus at the end of its 1985 season. By the time it returned in September 1986, his professional relationship with Saward was rapidly deteriorating.


In addition to his work on the television series, for some years during the Eighties Nathan-Turner's interest in light entertainment led to him producing an annual Christmas Pantomime, at the Tunbridge Wells Theatre, starring the incumbent Doctor and other members of the cast. The first of these, in December 1982, starred Peter Davison and co-starred Anthony Ainley (the Master) and the actress [[Sandra Dickinson]] (who at that time was Davison's wife, but later guest starred in ''Doctor Who'' with Jon Pertwee, on ''Ghosts of N-Space'').
Nathan-Turner's lack of first-hand experience in scripting and direction contributed to his tendency to be distrustful of some of the crew around him. Former director-turned writer [[Peter Grimwade]], had agreed to direct ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'', but Nathan-Turner removed him from the post &ndash; mainly due to his perception of being snubbed by Grimwade when he did not invite him to a dinner party. He also became upset when the director, [[Andrew Robinson]], discussed a camera shot with Saward &ndash; Nathan-Turner insisting that a script editor had no place in such matters. Grimwade later made a thinly-veiled parody of Nathan-Turner on the series ''[[Dramarama (television)|Dramarama]]'' called ''The Come-Uppance of Captain Katt'', while script editor [[Eric Saward]] made hurtful remarks about him in an unguarded magazine interview just after leaving the series in 1986.


During his time producing ''Doctor Who'', Nathan-Turner wrote two books about the programme, ''Doctor Who: The TARDIS Inside Out'' (1985)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nathan-Turner|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=24LOPgAACAAJ&q=Doctor+who+the+companions|title=Doctor Who: The Tardis Inside Out|date=1985|publisher=Piccadilly|isbn=978-0-946826-71-1|language=en}}</ref> and ''Doctor Who: The Companions'' (1986).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lBs5AAAACAAJ&q=Dr+who+the+companions+1986|title = Doctor Who: The Companions|isbn = 9780394882918|last1 = Nathan-Turner|first1 = John|year = 1986}}</ref>
But Nathan-Turner, who had great organizational flair, knew the BBC's ways intimately and often fixed deals to the show's advantage. Supporters of his reign argue that the producer was not solely to blame for the series' decline in ratings and that the hierarchy at the BBC, funding issues, ratings calculation methods, the decline of in-house drama production, and the decision to schedule the series opposite the popular ''[[Coronation Street]]'' should all share some responsibility.


===Contentious decisions===
Following the difficulties of Season 23, some believe that he in fact was growing tired of the program. In a documentary about the "end" of the series, some people claimed that Nathan-Turner approached the BBC about leaving the series, but had been told that if he left the series would be canceled. Some even state that despite the controversy, Nathan-Turner was likely the only thing left holding the suffering series together for its last three seasons.


Criticism of his production decisions was wide-ranging, from employing too many back-references (thereby limiting the scriptwriters, and confusing the casual viewer), to employing excessive violence in Colin Baker's 1985 season,<ref name="Doctor Who - A Brief History of a Time Lord"/> to his hostility to using writers and directors from the show's past, and in the casting of guest stars best known for roles from light entertainment rather than from drama (including [[Rodney Bewes]], [[Beryl Reid]], [[Richard Briers]], [[Ken Dodd]] and [[Hale and Pace]]). Patrick Mulkern of ''[[Radio Times]]'' argued that "John Nathan-Turner should be applauded for enticing big-name guest stars and his 'stunt casting' of actors in wildly inappropriate roles often pays off", although he cited Briers as an example who was "shockingly bad".<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-07-18/paradise-towers | title= Doctor Who: Paradise Towers | work=Radio Times | first=Patrick | last=Mulkern | date=17 July 2012 | access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref>
Criticism of Nathan-Turner's production of ''Doctor Who'' ranged from including too many back references to the casting of guest stars from light entertainment. As mentioned, he was criticised for choosing Bonnie Langford as a companion (Langford's experience was mainly as a performer and dancer). It was also felt that he chose companions because of "gimmicks", such as the character of Tegan Jovanka (an Australian flight-attendant) in the hope of getting "cheap tickets" for possible filming abroad. This was also true for the American character Peri Brown (in an attempt to endear the show more to the US). He was also criticized, at the time, for casting lead actors [[Colin Baker]] and [[Sylvester McCoy]], whom some thought were unsuitable for the role.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}


He was criticised for the casting of companions purely as gimmicks: the character [[Tegan Jovanka]] (an Australian air-stewardess played by [[Janet Fielding]]) was introduced solely to curry favour with viewers in Australia; whilst Peter Davison reported that the American character [[Peri Brown]] (played by [[Nicola Bryant]]) was introduced only in an attempt to endear the show to American viewers. Davison has said Nathan-Turner's decision to introduce an American companion merely to appeal to the American market was one of his reasons for leaving the show, as he felt it was wrong for the series, but led to his realising that – despite being its star – the direction of the series was out of his control, and he could do nothing about decisions he disagreed with.<ref>Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "[[Warriors of the Deep]]" (1984, 2008)</ref>
Ironically, many fans feel that the quality of the series was clearly improving up until its cancellation in 1989.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} Despite low ratings, the new script editor [[Andrew Cartmel]] and the Seventh Doctor (played by [[Sylvester McCoy]]) generally resulted in a number of strong scripts. Nathan-Turner also helped introduce the popular character of Ace at the end of Season 24. By the end of Season 26, Nathan-Turner was aware that the show would likely not return the next year and asked Cartmel to add more weight to the conclusion of the final story, resulting in the Doctor's famous speech at the end of ''[[Survival (Doctor Who)|Survival]]''.


In 1985, <!-- BBC One did not become standard until 1997. -->BBC1 controller [[Michael Grade]] enforced an 18-month hiatus on ''Doctor Who'', publicly criticising the series as tired, violent and unimaginative.<ref name="Sweet">{{cite news|last=Sweet|first=Matthew|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/22/jnt-scandalous-doctor-who-review|title=JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson – review|work=The Guardian|date=22 March 2013|access-date=26 March 2022}}</ref> In 1986, after the series had returned (with fewer episodes in the season), Grade insisted that Nathan-Turner replace the actor he had cast as the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, as a condition of it continuing.<ref name="Doctor Who - A Brief History of a Time Lord">{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/news/briefhistory/cbaker.shtml | title= Doctor Who – A Brief History of a Time Lord – Colin Baker | publisher=BBC | access-date=29 November 2013}}</ref> According to an interview with Peter Davison in 2018, Baker was "the victim" because "the power structure in the BBC had changed and they didn't want John Nathan-Turner around."<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a871595/peter-davison-doctor-who-exit-dodged-bullet/ | title= Doctor Who star Peter Davison thinks he 'dodged a bullet' by quitting when he did | work=[[Digital Spy]] | first=Cameron K. | last=McEwan | date=3 December 2018 | access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref>
Nathan-Turner continued to be involved in ''Doctor Who''-related events, including the show's 20th Anniversary celebrations at Longleat in 1983 and co-writing the 1993 charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'', and co-presenting the ''[[British Satellite Broadcasting|BSB]]'' ''31 Who'' programmes during their 1990 ''Doctor Who'' Weekend, until shortly before his death. He made his final contribution to the series when he appeared in a DVD retrospective on ''Resurrection of the Daleks'' in 2001.


Nathan-Turner also received criticism from his former executive producer, Barry Letts, for introducing the question mark motif on Tom Baker's costume. Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy all said they were not happy with their wardrobe in the series. Davison disliked what he considered the "designer look" of his cricket attire; Baker didn't approve of the tasteless multi-coloured outfit he was given (as he detailed in the documentaries ''The Story of Doctor Who'' and ''Trials and Tribulations''); while McCoy was dissatisfied with his pullover being covered in question marks, which he found "overstated". Writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', Tim Dowling thought it "certainly undermined a lot of his darker scenes".<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/oct/05/mens-fashion-long-scarves-doctor-who-sylvester-mccoy-tim-dowling | title= Extermiknit! Extermiknit! Doctor Who scarves tested by a Time Lord | work=The Guardian | first=Tim | last=Dowling | date=5 October 2019 | access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref>
Nathan-Turner died of [[liver failure]] just over a year before the announcement by the BBC that the show would be revived, with new episodes to air beginning in 2005. He was survived by his long-term partner, [[Gary Downie]], a production manager on ''Doctor Who''. Downie died on 19 January 2006. Downie spoke, in an interview with ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', of his time with Nathan-Turner. Nathan-Turner lived for many years in Saltdean, Brighton.


Eric Saward, who joined ''Doctor Who'' as script editor in season 19 (1982), had a tumultuous working relationship with Nathan-Turner and quit the programme during production of season 23 (1986). In September 1986, an interview with Saward was published in issue No. 97 of ''[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]'' magazine in which Saward voiced scathing criticism of Nathan-Turner.
==Books==
* ''Doctor Who: The Companions'' (1984)


Nathan-Turner's casting decisions for the central role of the Doctor have also been criticised. Former script editor [[Terrance Dicks]] said of the three actors he cast: "The magic wasn't quite there."<ref>Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "[[The War Games]]" (1969, 2009)</ref> Former producer [[Philip Hinchcliffe]] stated that, following Tom Baker's departure, the series "became a bit pantomime for me" and that Baker's successors lacked the "moral conviction" the earlier actors brought to the role.<ref>Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]" (1975, 2010)</ref> Eric Saward disagreed with the casting of Colin Baker in particular, saying he lacked "the energy and eccentricity that the part calls for", and complained that Nathan-Turner hadn't discussed casting decisions with him. Saward was also unhappy with the casting of [[Bonnie Langford]] as [[Mel Bush]], saying: "I don't think she can act, let alone bring anything to the show."<ref>"The Revelations of a Script Editor. ''[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]''. Issue 97. September 1986</ref>
==Memorable quotes==

*"Stay tuned": Nathan-Turner often said this to the press, meaning that something good was coming up.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
Terrance Dicks was particularly scathing of Nathan-Turner's production of ''Doctor Who'' during an interview in 2013: "There was a decline, without a doubt. I think the people working on it, particularly John Nathan-Turner, were not fit for purpose, as it were. Colin Baker, for example, never got a chance with that silly costume, which I thought was a great shame. I was sorry, but I wasn't surprised when they took it off."<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/22/doctor_who_gaiman_dicks/?page=2 | title= Doctor Who writers Neil Gaiman and Terrance Dicks talk to The Reg | work=The Register | first=Ian | last=Harrison | date=22 November 2013 | access-date=10 April 2014}}</ref> Composer and audio engineer [[Mark Ayres]] made an impassioned defence of Nathan-Turner on the DVD commentary for ''[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]'', stating: "John gets a lot of criticism as a producer but he was absolutely fantastic in giving people a chance: new writers, new composers, new actresses. And a lot of what John did didn't work, let's be honest, but when it does work I think you get something really quite special."<ref>Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "[[The Greatest Show in the Galaxy]]" (1988, 2012)</ref>
*"The memory cheats": when responding to criticism that ''Doctor Who'' under his leadership was not as good as it had been in the past, Nathan-Turner used this expression to suggest that viewers of the series often had a distorted recollection of older episodes, believing them to be better than they were. This term is frequently used in Doctor Who fandom to this day.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}

*"I have been persuaded to stay": after several attempts to resign from his post as ''Doctor Who'' producer, and having been prevailed upon by his BBC bosses to remain in the job.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
==Later career==

After the series ended in 1989, and until shortly before his death, Nathan-Turner continued to be involved in ''Doctor Who''-related events, and remained a familiar face at conventions for many years afterwards.

In the early 1990s, while working for BBC Video, Nathan-Turner produced and wrote several ''Doctor Who'' videotape documentary releases: ''The Hartnell Years'', ''The Troughton Years'', ''The Pertwee Years'', ''The Tom Baker Years'', ''The Colin Baker Years'', ''Daleks: The Early Years'', ''Cybermen: The Early Years'', and a special release of the unfinished story ''[[Shada (Doctor Who)|Shada]]'' with Tom Baker doing first person linking narration as the [[Fourth Doctor]] in place of the missing scenes.

Also during the early 1990s, Nathan-Turner produced the earliest ''Doctor Who'' commercial releases on audio cassette, for the BBC Radio Collection, creating narrated adaptations of television serials for which only the soundtrack remained. In these, he mixed the surviving soundtrack with a narration (written by himself) explaining the missing pictures, using as narrator actors who had played the Doctor. As Patrick Troughton had died in 1987, Nathan-Turner contracted Jon Pertwee (for ''The Tomb of the Cybermen''), Tom Baker (for ''The Evil of the Daleks''), and Colin Baker (for ''The Macra Terror'') to narrate Troughton-era stories which, at the time of the link narration recordings, were all missing from the BBC's television archives except for episode 2 of ''The Evil of the Daleks''. Nathan-Turner left his roles at BBC Video and the BBC Radio Collection at the end of 1992.

Nathan-Turner co-presented the ''[[British Satellite Broadcasting|BSB]]'' ''31 Who'' programmes during their 1990 ''Doctor Who Weekend'', and co-wrote the 1993 charity special ''[[Dimensions in Time]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/dimensionstime/detail.shtml|title=BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Dimensions in Time – Details|publisher=BBC}}</ref> for the show's 30th Anniversary. Nathan-Turner made his final contribution to ''Doctor Who'' in March 2002, six weeks before his death, when he gave his final interview on a location visit to what was used during the ''Resurrection of the Daleks'' recordings in 1983. This last interview from March 2002 first appeared on the November 2002 original DVD release of ''Resurrection of the Daleks''.

==Personal life==

A long term drinker<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/book-review-the-life-and-scandalous-times-of-john-nathan-turner|title=Book Review: THE LIFE AND SCANDALOUS TIMES OF JOHN NATHAN-TURNER}}</ref> and smoker, Nathan-Turner was in poor health in the last years of his life.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} He contracted an infection and died in hospital on 1 May 2002, aged 54.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/05_may/02/nathanturner.shtml|title = BBC - Press Office - John Nathan-Turner}}</ref> Nathan-Turner lived for many years in London, with a home also in [[Saltdean]], Brighton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1393361/John-Nathan-Turner.html|title=John Nathan-Turner|date=6 May 2002|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref>

An out gay man, he was survived by his long-term partner, [[Gary Downie]], who was also a BBC employee (ultimately becoming a production manager with BBC Television). They met in 1972, and worked together on ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]'', where Nathan-Turner was Production Unit Manager (Downie was the Assistant Floor Manager at BBC Pebble Mill on series 3), and on ''Doctor Who''. Downie, who was born Roderick Pinkus in South Africa in 1940, died on 19 January 2006. He spoke of his life with Nathan-Turner in an interview with ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

[[Richard Marson]]'s book, ''JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner'' (2013), alleges inappropriate sexual behaviour on the part of Nathan-Turner and Downie by stating that the two men were preying on male teenage fans during the 1980s, including making unwanted advances to himself. The age of consent for gay men at the time was 21 in the UK, compared to 16 for heterosexual relationships.<ref name="Sweet"/>

==Books==
* ''Doctor Who – The TARDIS Inside Out'' (May 1985, Picadilly Press Ltd., by John Nathan-Turner and illustrated by [[Andrew Skilleter]], Paperback; October 1985, Random House Children's Books (library), Hardback)
* ''Doctor Who: The Companions'' (November 1986, Picadilly Press Ltd., by John Nathan-Turner and illustrated by Stuart Hughes, Paperback; January 1987, Random House Children's Books (library), Hardback)
* ''JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner'' By [[Richard Marson]] {{ISBN|9781908630131}} (May 2013, Miwk Publishing Ltd.)


==References==
==References==
Line 63: Line 90:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{imdb name|id=0622264|name=John Nathan-Turner}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0622264|name=John Nathan-Turner}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|
before= [[Graham Williams (television producer)|Graham Williams]]|
title=''[[Doctor Who]]'' Producer|
years=1980–89|
after= [[Peter V. Ware]] (as title)<br>[[Philip Segal]] (as showrunner)
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan-Turner, John}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nathan-Turner, John}}
[[Category:Aston Old Edwardians]]
[[Category:LGBT people from England]]
[[Category:British television producers]]
[[Category:Doctor Who]]
[[Category:People from Brighton]]
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English screenwriters]]

[[Category:20th-century British LGBTQ people]]
[[no:John Nathan-Turner]]
[[Category:BBC television producers]]
[[Category:British gay writers]]
[[Category:English LGBTQ writers]]
[[Category:English television producers]]
[[Category:English television writers]]
[[Category:People educated at King Edward VI Aston School]]
[[Category:People from Brighton]]
[[Category:People from Saltdean]]
[[Category:Writers from Birmingham, West Midlands]]

Latest revision as of 06:10, 25 September 2024

For other people named John Turner, see John Turner (disambiguation).

John Nathan-Turner
Nathan-Turner at Whovent in September 1986
Born
John Turner

(1947-08-12)12 August 1947
Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Died1 May 2002(2002-05-01) (aged 54)
Brighton, East Sussex, England
OccupationTelevision producer
PartnerGary Downie (1972–2002; his death)

John Turner (12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002), known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who and the final producer of the series' first run on television (from 1980 until it was cancelled in 1989). He finished the role having become the longest-serving Doctor Who producer and cast Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, respectively.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Born John Turner in Birmingham, he adopted the double-barrelled stage name John Nathan-Turner to distinguish himself from the British actor John Turner. He was educated at King Edward VI School, at Aston in Birmingham, where he showed an early interest in acting and theatre. His earliest television acting work was as an extra in TV productions for ITV, including Crossroads and The Flying Swan. Both shows were made in Birmingham (the former at ATV's Aston studios). On leaving school, he initially worked as an actor and assistant stage manager at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre.[2]

Turner was later taken on by the BBC as a television floor assistant, working on every type of show (from light entertainment to news and current affairs), including–more importantly for his later career–drama. Shows produced by the BBC's drama department that he worked on included The Pallisers,[3] How Green Was My Valley, Angels, and All Creatures Great and Small. An assignment to the BBC's light entertainment department also led to him spending two years working on The Morecambe and Wise Show, prior to the act's move to ITV in 1978.

Doctor Who

[edit]

Having joined the BBC as a floor assistant in the 1960s,[4] he first worked on Doctor Who in 1969 as part of the floor crew[1] at a time when the series was recorded in Studio D at the BBC's Lime Grove Studios. The first serial he worked on was the Patrick Troughton story The Space Pirates[5] in 1969.

Nathan-Turner worked as an assistant floor manager on two serials in the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death (1970)[6] and Colony in Space (1971). He later worked on Doctor Who in the Tom Baker era as production unit manager under producer Graham Williams[7] from 1977 to 1979. When Williams decided to leave the show after three seasons and the BBC management's first choice to replace him, George Gallaccio, turned it down,[8] he accepted the post of producer for season 18, which would also become the last to feature Baker as the Fourth Doctor.[3]

Due to Nathan-Turner's relatively young age at 33 and lack of previous experience as a producer, the BBC brought former Doctor Who producer Barry Letts back to the series to act as executive producer for his first season.[8] Nathan-Turner's experience of working with Graham Williams helped form his views on the future direction of the series. He strongly felt that people working on the programme (especially Williams, script editor Douglas Adams and star Tom Baker) had stopped taking the show seriously: it was parodying science fiction, rather than presenting serious storylines. He also believed that Williams had allowed Baker too much influence on the show's direction, rather than confronting Baker over his increasingly comedic acting style. Nathan-Turner, together with new script editor Christopher H. Bidmead, decided Baker's creative influence needed to be reined in.

Nathan-Turner decided on a new broom approach,[9] and instituted sweeping changes: replacing the arrangement of the theme music which had run throughout the 1970s with a more contemporary electronic arrangement by Peter Howell, and introducing revamped opening titles (featuring a new photograph of Baker, replacing the original taken in 1974) and a new closing credit sequence. Nathan-Turner also dispensed with the services of long-time composer Dudley Simpson, who had provided the incidental music for the majority of the Doctor Who serials of the 1970s and all of the Williams era stories. With Simpson departed, the Doctor Who incidental music under Nathan-Turner's stewardship would be provided by electronic composers including Peter Howell, Paddy Kingsland, Malcolm Clarke, Roger Limb, Jonathan Gibbs, Keff McCulloch, and Mark Ayres.

As Nathan-Turner had no writing or script-editing experience, the choice of the stories for production was largely left to Bidmead. This at once led to difficulties, with the second story to enter production, Meglos (1980), suffering from all the problems which Nathan-Turner had identified in the show's scripts under Graham Williams (a lack of realism, an over indulgence in comedy). Nathan-Turner's first major story influence was in bringing back the Master, but the details of this he left to Bidmead. At the end of Nathan-Turner's first season in charge, both Bidmead and Letts left their posts on the series along with Tom Baker, and Lalla Ward, who had played companion Romana, also left partway through the season in Warriors' Gate (1980). Letts was not replaced, leaving Nathan-Turner as sole producer. Nathan-Turner cast Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor for season 19, having previously worked with him on All Creatures Great and Small. Bidmead was briefly replaced with Antony Root, then more permanently with Eric Saward, who would work as script editor (and occasional writer) of the series from 1982 until 1986.

After Nathan-Turner brought the Master back for three consecutive stories, The Keeper of Traken (1981), Logopolis (1981) and Castrovalva (1982, now played on a regular basis by Anthony Ainley), he believed that the show could benefit from the publicity inherent in bringing back popular characters and monsters from its past. Earthshock (1982) enjoyed considerable publicity from featuring the return of the Cybermen, after an absence of seven years. Season 20 then saw the return of Omega, the Mara, the Black and White Guardians (from the Key to Time season), and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.[10] The Daleks and Davros also returned in Resurrection of the Daleks (1984), but the re-use of classic villains often proved complex for script editor Eric Saward and the show's writers. Nathan-Turner, however, was largely focused on generating publicity for the series, something which he also achieved by the device of casting high profile, well-known actors (sometimes from the world of light entertainment) as guest stars.

Nathan-Turner rarely used directors or writers who had worked for previous producers. The few exceptions were director Pennant Roberts (who directed Warriors of the Deep and Timelash), and the writers David Fisher (who wrote The Leisure Hive), Terrance Dicks (who wrote State of Decay and "The Five Doctors"), and Robert Holmes (who wrote The Caves of Androzani, The Two Doctors, The Mysterious Planet and the first episode of The Ultimate Foe).

By coincidence, Nathan-Turner's tenure occurred during a period of large growth in the show's fan base in the United States, thanks to repeated showings there of the Tom Baker serials on affiliates of the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network. Nathan-Turner became a familiar face among the many Doctor Who celebrities who made appearances during PBS fundraising drives, held to finance the purchase of more Doctor Who serials for screening in the United States.

In addition to his work on the television series, for some years during the Eighties Nathan-Turner's interest in light entertainment led to him producing an annual Christmas Pantomime, at the Tunbridge Wells Theatre, starring the incumbent Doctor and other members of the cast. The first of these, in December 1982, starred Peter Davison and co-starred Anthony Ainley (the Master) and the actress Sandra Dickinson (who at that time was Davison's wife, but later guest starred in Doctor Who with Jon Pertwee, on Ghosts of N-Space).

During his time producing Doctor Who, Nathan-Turner wrote two books about the programme, Doctor Who: The TARDIS Inside Out (1985)[11] and Doctor Who: The Companions (1986).[12]

Contentious decisions

[edit]

Criticism of his production decisions was wide-ranging, from employing too many back-references (thereby limiting the scriptwriters, and confusing the casual viewer), to employing excessive violence in Colin Baker's 1985 season,[13] to his hostility to using writers and directors from the show's past, and in the casting of guest stars best known for roles from light entertainment rather than from drama (including Rodney Bewes, Beryl Reid, Richard Briers, Ken Dodd and Hale and Pace). Patrick Mulkern of Radio Times argued that "John Nathan-Turner should be applauded for enticing big-name guest stars and his 'stunt casting' of actors in wildly inappropriate roles often pays off", although he cited Briers as an example who was "shockingly bad".[14]

He was criticised for the casting of companions purely as gimmicks: the character Tegan Jovanka (an Australian air-stewardess played by Janet Fielding) was introduced solely to curry favour with viewers in Australia; whilst Peter Davison reported that the American character Peri Brown (played by Nicola Bryant) was introduced only in an attempt to endear the show to American viewers. Davison has said Nathan-Turner's decision to introduce an American companion merely to appeal to the American market was one of his reasons for leaving the show, as he felt it was wrong for the series, but led to his realising that – despite being its star – the direction of the series was out of his control, and he could do nothing about decisions he disagreed with.[15]

In 1985, BBC1 controller Michael Grade enforced an 18-month hiatus on Doctor Who, publicly criticising the series as tired, violent and unimaginative.[16] In 1986, after the series had returned (with fewer episodes in the season), Grade insisted that Nathan-Turner replace the actor he had cast as the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, as a condition of it continuing.[13] According to an interview with Peter Davison in 2018, Baker was "the victim" because "the power structure in the BBC had changed and they didn't want John Nathan-Turner around."[17]

Nathan-Turner also received criticism from his former executive producer, Barry Letts, for introducing the question mark motif on Tom Baker's costume. Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy all said they were not happy with their wardrobe in the series. Davison disliked what he considered the "designer look" of his cricket attire; Baker didn't approve of the tasteless multi-coloured outfit he was given (as he detailed in the documentaries The Story of Doctor Who and Trials and Tribulations); while McCoy was dissatisfied with his pullover being covered in question marks, which he found "overstated". Writing for The Guardian, Tim Dowling thought it "certainly undermined a lot of his darker scenes".[18]

Eric Saward, who joined Doctor Who as script editor in season 19 (1982), had a tumultuous working relationship with Nathan-Turner and quit the programme during production of season 23 (1986). In September 1986, an interview with Saward was published in issue No. 97 of Starburst magazine in which Saward voiced scathing criticism of Nathan-Turner.

Nathan-Turner's casting decisions for the central role of the Doctor have also been criticised. Former script editor Terrance Dicks said of the three actors he cast: "The magic wasn't quite there."[19] Former producer Philip Hinchcliffe stated that, following Tom Baker's departure, the series "became a bit pantomime for me" and that Baker's successors lacked the "moral conviction" the earlier actors brought to the role.[20] Eric Saward disagreed with the casting of Colin Baker in particular, saying he lacked "the energy and eccentricity that the part calls for", and complained that Nathan-Turner hadn't discussed casting decisions with him. Saward was also unhappy with the casting of Bonnie Langford as Mel Bush, saying: "I don't think she can act, let alone bring anything to the show."[21]

Terrance Dicks was particularly scathing of Nathan-Turner's production of Doctor Who during an interview in 2013: "There was a decline, without a doubt. I think the people working on it, particularly John Nathan-Turner, were not fit for purpose, as it were. Colin Baker, for example, never got a chance with that silly costume, which I thought was a great shame. I was sorry, but I wasn't surprised when they took it off."[22] Composer and audio engineer Mark Ayres made an impassioned defence of Nathan-Turner on the DVD commentary for The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, stating: "John gets a lot of criticism as a producer but he was absolutely fantastic in giving people a chance: new writers, new composers, new actresses. And a lot of what John did didn't work, let's be honest, but when it does work I think you get something really quite special."[23]

Later career

[edit]

After the series ended in 1989, and until shortly before his death, Nathan-Turner continued to be involved in Doctor Who-related events, and remained a familiar face at conventions for many years afterwards.

In the early 1990s, while working for BBC Video, Nathan-Turner produced and wrote several Doctor Who videotape documentary releases: The Hartnell Years, The Troughton Years, The Pertwee Years, The Tom Baker Years, The Colin Baker Years, Daleks: The Early Years, Cybermen: The Early Years, and a special release of the unfinished story Shada with Tom Baker doing first person linking narration as the Fourth Doctor in place of the missing scenes.

Also during the early 1990s, Nathan-Turner produced the earliest Doctor Who commercial releases on audio cassette, for the BBC Radio Collection, creating narrated adaptations of television serials for which only the soundtrack remained. In these, he mixed the surviving soundtrack with a narration (written by himself) explaining the missing pictures, using as narrator actors who had played the Doctor. As Patrick Troughton had died in 1987, Nathan-Turner contracted Jon Pertwee (for The Tomb of the Cybermen), Tom Baker (for The Evil of the Daleks), and Colin Baker (for The Macra Terror) to narrate Troughton-era stories which, at the time of the link narration recordings, were all missing from the BBC's television archives except for episode 2 of The Evil of the Daleks. Nathan-Turner left his roles at BBC Video and the BBC Radio Collection at the end of 1992.

Nathan-Turner co-presented the BSB 31 Who programmes during their 1990 Doctor Who Weekend, and co-wrote the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time[24] for the show's 30th Anniversary. Nathan-Turner made his final contribution to Doctor Who in March 2002, six weeks before his death, when he gave his final interview on a location visit to what was used during the Resurrection of the Daleks recordings in 1983. This last interview from March 2002 first appeared on the November 2002 original DVD release of Resurrection of the Daleks.

Personal life

[edit]

A long term drinker[25] and smoker, Nathan-Turner was in poor health in the last years of his life.[citation needed] He contracted an infection and died in hospital on 1 May 2002, aged 54.[26] Nathan-Turner lived for many years in London, with a home also in Saltdean, Brighton.[27]

An out gay man, he was survived by his long-term partner, Gary Downie, who was also a BBC employee (ultimately becoming a production manager with BBC Television). They met in 1972, and worked together on All Creatures Great and Small, where Nathan-Turner was Production Unit Manager (Downie was the Assistant Floor Manager at BBC Pebble Mill on series 3), and on Doctor Who. Downie, who was born Roderick Pinkus in South Africa in 1940, died on 19 January 2006. He spoke of his life with Nathan-Turner in an interview with Doctor Who Magazine.[citation needed]

Richard Marson's book, JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner (2013), alleges inappropriate sexual behaviour on the part of Nathan-Turner and Downie by stating that the two men were preying on male teenage fans during the 1980s, including making unwanted advances to himself. The age of consent for gay men at the time was 21 in the UK, compared to 16 for heterosexual relationships.[16]

Books

[edit]
  • Doctor Who – The TARDIS Inside Out (May 1985, Picadilly Press Ltd., by John Nathan-Turner and illustrated by Andrew Skilleter, Paperback; October 1985, Random House Children's Books (library), Hardback)
  • Doctor Who: The Companions (November 1986, Picadilly Press Ltd., by John Nathan-Turner and illustrated by Stuart Hughes, Paperback; January 1987, Random House Children's Books (library), Hardback)
  • JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner By Richard Marson ISBN 9781908630131 (May 2013, Miwk Publishing Ltd.)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Doctor Who producer dies". BBC News. 3 May 2002. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  2. ^ Bodle, Andy (10 May 2002). "Obituary: John Nathan-Turner". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b "BBC - Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - Season 18". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Death of former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner" (Press release). BBC. 2 May 2002.
  5. ^ "BBC One - Doctor Who, Season 6, The Space Pirates - The Fourth Dimension". BBC. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  6. ^ "John Nathan-Turner (1993)". Doctor Who Interview Archive. 30 August 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  7. ^ "John Nathan-Turner – Doctor Who Interview Archive". drwhointerviews.wordpress.com.
  8. ^ a b Graeme Burk; Robert Smith (2013). Who's 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die. ECW Press. p. 197. ISBN 9781770411661.
  9. ^ "The NATHAN-TURNER Years | Pocketmags.com". pocketmags.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  10. ^ Westthorp, Alex (1 April 2010). "Top 10 Doctor Who producers: Part One". Den of Geek. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  11. ^ Nathan-Turner, John (1985). Doctor Who: The Tardis Inside Out. Piccadilly. ISBN 978-0-946826-71-1.
  12. ^ Nathan-Turner, John (1986). Doctor Who: The Companions. ISBN 9780394882918.
  13. ^ a b "Doctor Who – A Brief History of a Time Lord – Colin Baker". BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  14. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (17 July 2012). "Doctor Who: Paradise Towers". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  15. ^ Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "Warriors of the Deep" (1984, 2008)
  16. ^ a b Sweet, Matthew (22 March 2013). "JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  17. ^ McEwan, Cameron K. (3 December 2018). "Doctor Who star Peter Davison thinks he 'dodged a bullet' by quitting when he did". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  18. ^ Dowling, Tim (5 October 2019). "Extermiknit! Extermiknit! Doctor Who scarves tested by a Time Lord". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  19. ^ Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "The War Games" (1969, 2009)
  20. ^ Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "Revenge of the Cybermen" (1975, 2010)
  21. ^ "The Revelations of a Script Editor. Starburst. Issue 97. September 1986
  22. ^ Harrison, Ian (22 November 2013). "Doctor Who writers Neil Gaiman and Terrance Dicks talk to The Reg". The Register. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  23. ^ Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" (1988, 2012)
  24. ^ "BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Dimensions in Time – Details". BBC.
  25. ^ "Book Review: THE LIFE AND SCANDALOUS TIMES OF JOHN NATHAN-TURNER".
  26. ^ "BBC - Press Office - John Nathan-Turner".
  27. ^ "John Nathan-Turner". The Daily Telegraph. 6 May 2002.
[edit]
Preceded by Doctor Who Producer
1980–89 		Succeeded by
Peter V. Ware (as title)
Philip Segal (as showrunner)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=John_Nathan-Turner&oldid=1247639507"