The Life And Scandalous Times Of John Nathan-Turner

[Christopher]

^There are countless "fan theories" that are complete nonsense. In fact, it isn't even valid to call them theories. A theory is a model that systematically explains a body of evidence in a way that makes predictions that can be tested to assess its validity. This is just speculation, and speculation is worthless without evidence. And in this particular case, it sounds quite ridiculous. Like somebody noticed that JNT wore loud shirts and was reminded of the Sixth Doctor's jacket and pulled some wild guess out of the air. It's not worth taking seriously.

 

[Mr Awe]

^ A theory doesn't have to be tested, or even testable, to be a theory. However, a good scientific theory is testable. Although, even in science, there are serious theories that are not currently testable, but perhaps someday they will be--such as string theory. Or even the Higgs-Boson until the LHC was created.

Mr Awe

 

[Allyn Gibson]

The Grauniad has up a review of JN-T. I like this phrasing -- Richard Marson's "book is, in essence, a distended fanzine article, and not everything ghastly on its pages can be ascribed to his subject. "

 

[Smoked Salmon]

I've just bee reading the various reviews for this today. I mst admit to being curious. THe JNT is exactly the era that I grew up with so I'd be interested to leanr of the "hanky panky" going on behind the scenes while little 5 year old salmon was sitting there watcing Peter Davison.

 

[arthur2sheds]

IMO JNT should've left when Peter Davison left after that he really had no vision for the show and he did try to leave.

I vaguely recall an interview with someone, I think Gary Downie, who claimed JNT requested several times to be assigned to other jobs. He was apparently told in no uncertain terms that if he left Doctor Who, that would mean the end of the series there and then.

JNT's sexuality is not the issue for me, i believe he just stayed too long as producer.
The JNT/Gary Downie/Ian Levine story was covered in great detail for many years in the brilliant DWB fanzine.
I have scanned every issue of DWB
up until it became Dreamwatch, if anyone is interested in free copies of them.

 

[Christopher]

JNT's sexuality is not the issue for me, i believe he just stayed too long as producer.

Yeah, I remember that back at the time, there was a lot of talk in fandom about how JNT had been in charge too long, the show was stagnating/losing its way, and someone new should be brought in to give it a fresh approach. This was probably before Cartmel's influence on the final season or two.

 

[DalekJim]

Well, I think the JNT era is the most creative, exciting, experimental and ambitious of the lot. Only Season 24 bugs me, but that has the very much awesome Paradise Towers.

80s was the best decade for televised Doctor Who, although the 60s aren't far behind.

 

[Atticus]

After a couple of reports in the Sundays, it's going front page...

https://twitter.com/suttonnick/status/315953108134010881
​

 

[Cutter John]

This is why I tend to ignore all the behind the scenes stuff on tv and the movies. Turns out a lot of the people you admire in your favorite programs are actually kinda dickish in real life.

Go figure.

 

[Iamnotspock]

Here's a Starburst interview with Richard Marson about the book. The Mirror has, true to form, taken a few of its quotes from here, largely out of context.

 

[Atticus]

Day 2:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/doctor-who-sex-scandal-john-1785325#.UVDn15oOJmE.facebook

 

[Starkers]

I think some of the papers are trying to spin this into something of Savile like proportions, when clearly it's a very different scenario. The reference in the Mirror article about them being treated like rock stars is very telling and I wonder if the media are going to go after every personality who's ever misued their poistion to get sex?

That doesn't make it right, but as far as we can determine this was concensual, and the main focus appears to be that they were under the then age of consent, which seems to suggested the Mirror/Mail feel the age of consent being 21 for homosexuals was right at the time?

 

[DalekJim]

Yeah, if these fans are all over 16 then I don't see the issue. People have used power to attract sexual partners since the dawn of time, it's an animalistic and entirely natural way of attracting people.

If I was showrunner, half the fangirl population of Tumblr would be pregnant with my spawn.

 

[ROBE]

I know as long as they were over 16 and consented big deal.

 

[Cutter John]

Unfortunately scandals sell papers, so what can we do?

 

[Christopher]

Unfortunately scandals sell papers, so what can we do?

Not buy the papers that rely on scandal?

 

[diankra]

For those who can access th site, biography author Richard Marson was interviewed on today's edition of Radio 4's Media Show. Available as podcast or stream at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dv9hq
Not had a chacne to listen to it myself yet...

 

[Australis]

Unfortunately scandals sell papers, so what can we do?

Not buy the papers that rely on scandal?

Thank you. Something I've said for years.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

For those who can access th site, biography author Richard Marson was interviewed on today's edition of Radio 4's Media Show. Available as podcast or stream at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dv9hq
Not had a chacne to listen to it myself yet...

It was an interesting interview. (I haven't yet downloaded the latest Radio Free Skaro, which also interviews Marson.)

Marson points out that the book was sent to a single outlet -- specifically The Guardian -- and every other outlet is riffing on the few things that the Guardian wrote about in their review. (However, the SFX review was out before the Guardian's review, so I'm puzzled on that score.)

Marson comes across as a bit naive. He argues that his book is a balanced look at JNT's life and that it's unfair that people are focused solely on the salacious chapter of a book they haven't even read. However, I'm not sure why he would expect otherwise. For good or ill, people like dirt.

 

[Atticus]

Marson comes across as a bit naive. He argues that his book is a balanced look at JNT's life and that it's unfair that people are focused solely on the salacious chapter of a book they haven't even read. However, I'm not sure why he would expect otherwise. For good or ill, people like dirt.

I don't think he's naive but disingenuous. Especially when you consider the title he gave his book. Which is not necessarily a criticism, he would have wanted maximum publicity for what is in essence a niche book issued by a tiny publisher and he got it.

I hope it does very well, by all accounts it's a fair portrait - sadly Miwk have said there hasn't been a spike of pre-orders following the reports.