John Nathan-Turner

John Nathan-Turner was born and brought up in the Midlands. As a boy he acted in numerous school plays and revues and appeared as an extra in several TV series, including The Newcomers (1965) and United! (1965) for the BBC and Crossroads (1964) for ATV. By the time he reached the sixth form his interests had widened to encompass producing, directing and writing. On leaving school he turned down the offer of a university place in order to pursue a theatrical career. A short spell as stage manager in a nightclub led to a post as assistant stage manager at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre. Later, during a period of unemployment as an actor, he filled in for a couple of months with a job in the Costume Department at the BBC's Gosta Green studios, where he gained an interest in television production. He was working as a senior stage manager and actor at the Everyman Theatre in Chelmsford when an acquaintance suggested that he apply to the BBC in London for a general exploratory interview. He did so, and shortly afterwards was taken on as a floor assistant. It was in this capacity that he first worked on Doctor Who (1963) being assigned to "The Space Pirates" in season six, "The Ambassadors of Death" in season seven and "Colony in Space" in season eight. He remained at the BBC throughout the 1970s, gaining successive promotions to assistant floor manager, production assistant and production unit manager. It was in the latter capacity that he was again assigned to Doctor Who (1963), handling the series' budget during seasons fifteen, sixteen and seventeen. He took over as producer from season eighteen in 1979 and remained in that post until the BBC discontinued making the series a decade later. Unfortunately, Nathan-Turner's status as the producer during the series' decline in popularity and eventual cancellation meant that his television production career effectively ended in 1989. From 1990 until his death in 2002, he maintained contact with the Doctor Who (1963) world, producing some special releases for BBC Video between 1991 and 1992, as well as the ludicrous 30th anniversary spoof Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993) for the BBC's Children in Need telethon, while also pursuing a variety of other projects.