#The John Nathan-Turner Doctor Who Production Diary 1979-1990

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Reviewed: The John Nathan-Turner Doctor Who Production Diary 1979-1990

Reviewed: The John Nathan-Turner #DoctorWho Production Diary 1979-1990 from @TelosPublishing

What do Doctor Who fans do when their planet is in the grip of a pandemic and they have to isolate in lockdown, with less freedom of movement than Amy inside the Pandorica? Some, according to a report in the London Times, built a replica movie Dalek from scratch. Richard Molesworth wrote an excellent book, The John Nathan-Turner Doctor Who Production Diary, 1979-1990, published in…

[vintage1981]

The John Nathan-Turner Production Diary 1979-1990 | Telos Publihing

Written by Richard Molesworth Introduction by Andrew Cartmel

In this fascinating account of one of Doctor Who‘s most turbulent periods, noted researcher Richard Molesworth presents an unprecedentedly detailed record of producer John Nathan-Turner’s day-to-day activities on the show.

Drawing on unique archive documents, the book tells the full story of how one of the most divisive figures in Doctor Who‘s history steered it through the entire decade of the 1980s, revealing the key decisions that shaped its development and affording an invaluable insight into how the production office responded to the many controversies that dogged it during that period.

An unmissable treat for all fans of classic Doctor Who!

432pp. 6×9 paperback. ISBN 978-1-84583-199-8 Published 13 May 2022

John Nathan-Turner is arguably the most controversial person to have been involved with Doctor Who, certainly the most controversial person associated with the ‘classic’ series of the show, which ran on the BBC between 1963 and 1989.

When John left the BBC at the end of August 1990, one of his last jobs was to clear out the now-defunct Doctor Who Production Office in Union House. With a whole raft of paperwork that related to John’s decade as producer of the series, the office was piled high with cabinets of pure history. This paperwork eventually passed into the hands of others for safekeeping, among them, Richard Molesworth, at the time working on the BBC’s Doctor Who DVD range.

John kept quite a few files of correspondence, and Richard had – over the years – researched further at the BBC’s Written Archive and had amassed much information from the various Doctor Who production files. All these sources had, documented between them, a good record as to what John was doing, and when, during his time in charge of the series.

What this book sets out to do is to put a timeline together of what John was doing, and when, in the ten or so years he was working as Doctor Who’s producer. It seeks to explore when he made certain decisions, some of which had huge long-term consequences for the series. But it also documents some of the minutia that his role as producer entailed. At times, it helps explain how he reacted to certain events that he had no control over, and at others it details where things he could influence went badly wrong.

Join us for a look at what being a BBC producer in the eighties was really like: the decisions, the travel, the meetings, the challenges, the arguments and the praise.

This is a fascinating and in-depth look at the day to day ‘diary’ of Doctor Who’s longest running and most controversial producer.

Copies of this book are/will be available to USA-based customers through the following retailers: WHO North America: https://www.whona.com

432pp. 6×9 paperback. Initial copies have a foil-stamped cover while stocks last. ISBN 978-1-84583-199-8 Published 13 May 2022

[radiofreeskaro]

Radio Free Skaro #850 - The Memory Cheats

Radio Free Skaro #850 - The Memory Cheats - An interview with Richard Molesworth, author of The John Nathan-Turner Doctor Who Production Diary 1979-1990 - Will we need an emergency #DoctorWho news podcast later this week...?

http://traffic.libsyn.com/freyburg/rfs850.mp3 Download MP3 This week in the first (of two?) Radio Free Skaro episodes, it’s the final revenge of STATS! at least until the Autumn and the Three Who Rule examine how Legend of the Sea Devils did in a historical context, a gripping start to an episode featuring Big Finish news, the return of the Terry Nation Army, the ever-present Timelash and, as a…