John Nathan-Turner
| John Nathan-Turner | |
|---|---|
Nathan-Turner at the Doctor Who "Whovent" Convention, September 1986
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| Born |
John Turner 12 August 1947 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 1 May 2002 (aged 54) Brighton, East Sussex, England |
| Cause of death | Liver failure |
| Occupation | Television producer |
| Partner(s) | Gary Downie (1972 – Nathan-Turner's death in 2002) |
John Nathan-Turner (born John Turner, 12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002) was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, from 1980 until it was effectively cancelled in 1989. He is, to date, the longest-servingDoctor Who producer.
Born John Turner in Birmingham, he adopted the double-barrelled stage name of John Nathan-Turner to distinguish himself from the British actor of the same name, John Turner. He was educated at King Edward VI Aston, where he showed an early interest in acting and theatre. Early television acting work soon appeared as an extra (supporting artist) in tv productions such as Crossroads and Flying Swan. #Both ahows were made in Birmingham (the former at ATV's Aston studio). After leaving school he worked as an assistant stage manager and acted at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre.After badgering the BBC for three years for a position in production, JNT was made a floor assistant, working on every type ofshow from light entertainment to news and current affairs and more importantly to his later career, drama. Shows prodcued by the drama department that he worked on included 'The Pallisers', 'How Green Was My Valley', 'Angels' and 'All Creatures Great And Small'. An assignment to the comedy department meant two years working on 'The Morecambe And Wise Show' before their move to ITV.
He joined the BBC as a floor assistant in the 1960s, and first worked on Doctor Who in 1969 as part of the floor crew 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 later served as production unit manager under Graham Williams from 1977 to 1979. He accepted the position of producer for Season 18, the last that featured Tom Baker's portrayal of the central character, the Doctor. He subsequently cast the next three actors to play the role: Peter Davison (1981–84), Colin Baker (1984–86) and Sylvester McCoy (1987–89).
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