I got one of the 100 £30 hardbacks, pleased about that now, think it's gonna be worth more than £30 soon.
"Was John Nathan-Turner a paedophile?” Not exactly a question Cardiff are gonna wanna deal with methinks, even if the answer is no. If Andrew Cartmel disliking Thatcher is a big story, this is gonna be massive.
JNT had sex with men under the then-legal AOC for
gay men? That's not paedophilia (which is sex with
children). Probably the author wouldn't have mentioned
the issue except the book was published post-Savile.
This is an interesting bit:
JN-T is painted as paranoid, bullying, and clueless about storytelling, but there is plenty of compelling testimony to his better nature: it seems he was hard-working and efficient; charming, gregarious company; and could be extremely generous and caring. Some bitter enemies (most notably Tom Baker) buried the hatchet later on and became firm friends.
Oh god I really hope none of the media get their pitchforks out due to the salacious stories of his sexual exploits. The worst thing to blight the anniversary year would be to see any sort of attention paid to that aspect thanks to a grubby media desperate for post Savile controversy.
We'll have to read more, but as much as Jonathan Powell didn't move JNT on, remember, neither did Michael Grade, nor did Alan Hart.
I've not read the book but the quote I was referring to is on the second page of the review is SFX. I would just quote it here but I'm not sure it's suitable
JNT had sex with men under the then-legal AOC for
gay men? That's not paedophilia (which is sex with
children). Probably the author wouldn't have mentioned
the issue except the book was published post-Savile.
Regardless of gender or if it was legal then or now, the producer of Doctor Who shagging teenagers in the BBC is morally questionable at best.
And it's gonna cause a shit storm. Was Matthew Waterhouse cast as Adric for his acting ability? I don't know the answer and it's an awkward question, but I suspect it's a question that is going to be asked now.
I should add that I feel sorry for JNT, alcoholism/liver disease is not a good way to die, and if he was in a hard drinking culture at the BBC, someone predisposed to having an addictive personality would have found it very hard, if not impossible to escape from it.
Regardless of gender or if it was legal then or now, the producer of Doctor Who shagging teenagers in the BBC is morally questionable at best.
And it's gonna cause a shit storm. Was Matthew Waterhouse cast as Adric for his acting ability? I don't know the answer and it's an awkward question, but I suspect it's a question that is going to be asked now.
Morally questionable? Yes. Sounds like he was by all accounts. But that comment about Adric, whether you mean it yourself or as an example of what might be said, just shows how nasty and dangerous this sort of muck raking can be. It is without even a scrap of foundation or truth and is nothing more than scurrilous speculation.
Morally questionable? Yes. Sounds like he was by all accounts. But that comment about Adric, whether you mean it yourself or as an example of what might be said, just shows how nasty and dangerous this sort of muck raking can be. It is without even a scrap of foundation or truth and is nothing more than scurrilous speculation.
The bit in bold is what I meant.
Waterhouse says in his autobiography:
Homosexual activity was still illegal in Britain for people under 21, so for 3 years Matthew was a lawbreaker, and this appealed to him
(Blue Box Boy hardback page 309, book is written in the 3rd person)
I don't like the way this thread's going. Qualifying stuff with a variation of "some might say..." is just a way of trying to make unsavoury muck raking seem like something more innocent.
I wanna torpedo this thread because my one was better. Bwah-ha-ha!
But okay, no more on the subject from me, till I've read the book at least. Easy to see why the 1st publisher got cold feet; it's going to be going to some really uncomfortable places.
Marson weaves a compelling tale which touches on all those 1980s controversies – Nathan-Turner’s rebranding of the show in 1980, its ‘cancellation’ in 1985, the sacking of Colin Baker, the casting of Bonnie Langford, those last few sad years when no one at the BBC cared. His immaculately researched prose, punctuated by contributions from a genuine and wide-ranging Who’s Who of Nathan-Turner’s colleagues and associates, makes the book a page-turner for all the right reasons; it’s the sort of book you really daren’t put down because you’re terrified at the prospect of what might come next even though you really can’t wait to find out.
You do realise though that such a headline would require red top journalists to actually read a book, so I think it's fairly safe that it won't get reported.
You do realise though that such a headline would require red top journalists to actually read a book, so I think it's fairly safe that it won't get reported.
According to the thread on this on GB, the articles are already written, ready to go out over Easter.
There are also reports there of 15 year olds having to forcibly escape from Downie at conventions in the 90's.
"I wanted him to f**k off and solve it – or die, really," says Jonathan Powell, the BBC's former head of drama, in one of the many brutal remarks collected in Richard Marson's book. "But it had probably gone beyond solving. The only way of resuscitating it would have been to put a new producer on it – but we didn't want to resuscitate it."
Halfway through his story, Marson drops his bombshell. At the age of 17, he was dispatched to Television Centre to write a set report on a story called "Resurrection of the Daleks". After the recording, he was propositioned by Nathan-Turner in the bar. The following year, on the promise of some stills from an imminent story, Marson made an after-hours visit to the Doctor Who office, where he endured a sexual assault at the hands of Nathan-Turner's partner, Gary Downie, who worked as the show's production manager (he died in 2006). Given the age of gay consent in 1985, this constituted a double offence. Marson's account, though, sounds a surprising note of black humour: he hid from Downie in an adjoining room, readying to defend himself with the nearest object to hand – the script for episode two of "Timelash". Marson knows that for Doctor Who fans, this amplifies the indignity – episode two of "Timelash" is awful.
"I wanted him to f**k off and solve it – or die, really," says Jonathan Powell, the BBC's former head of drama, in one of the many brutal remarks collected in Richard Marson's book. "But it had probably gone beyond solving. The only way of resuscitating it would have been to put a new producer on it – but we didn't want to resuscitate it."
Quote:
Halfway through his story, Marson drops his bombshell. At the age of 17, he was dispatched to Television Centre to write a set report on a story called "Resurrection of the Daleks". After the recording, he was propositioned by Nathan-Turner in the bar. The following year, on the promise of some stills from an imminent story, Marson made an after-hours visit to the Doctor Who office, where he endured a sexual assault at the hands of Nathan-Turner's partner, Gary Downie, who worked as the show's production manager (he died in 2006). Given the age of gay consent in 1985, this constituted a double offence. Marson's account, though, sounds a surprising note of black humour: he hid from Downie in an adjoining room, readying to defend himself with the nearest object to hand – the script for episode two of "Timelash". Marson knows that for Doctor Who fans, this amplifies the indignity – episode two of "Timelash" is awful.
Yeah. That's pretty bad. Under 21 gay sex (illegal at that time) isn't an issue these days since the age of consent was harmonized, but with 15 year olds definitely is worthy of the headline.
Comments
He was a bit of a knob to Sophie Aldred as well.
JNT - certainly a polarising fella, wasn't he?
JNT had sex with men under the then-legal AOC for
gay men? That's not paedophilia (which is sex with
children). Probably the author wouldn't have mentioned
the issue except the book was published post-Savile.
This is an interesting bit:
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/03/10/jn-t-the-life-and-scandalous-times-of-john-nathan-turner-review/
JNT never worked as a script-writer, which might explain
the bad relationships he had with his script editors.
We'll have to read more, but as much as Jonathan Powell didn't move JNT on, remember, neither did Michael Grade, nor did Alan Hart.
I've not read the book but the quote I was referring to is on the second page of the review is SFX. I would just quote it here but I'm not sure it's suitable
Regardless of gender or if it was legal then or now, the producer of Doctor Who shagging teenagers in the BBC is morally questionable at best.
And it's gonna cause a shit storm. Was Matthew Waterhouse cast as Adric for his acting ability? I don't know the answer and it's an awkward question, but I suspect it's a question that is going to be asked now.
So, looking forward to the book!
Morally questionable? Yes. Sounds like he was by all accounts. But that comment about Adric, whether you mean it yourself or as an example of what might be said, just shows how nasty and dangerous this sort of muck raking can be. It is without even a scrap of foundation or truth and is nothing more than scurrilous speculation.
The bit in bold is what I meant.
Waterhouse says in his autobiography:
(Blue Box Boy hardback page 309, book is written in the 3rd person)
But okay, no more on the subject from me, till I've read the book at least. Easy to see why the 1st publisher got cold feet; it's going to be going to some really uncomfortable places.
http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/book-reviews-latest-literary-releases/4775-book-review-the-life-and-scandalous-times-of-john-nathan-turner
Seems everyone except JNT hated Gary Downie.
They'll wait to make a story of it so it will make the biggest splash and impact on their sales - just before the anniversary.:(
Didn't the DM once having the "shocking" story that
Tom Baker drank a lot of alcohol? Sure everyone who's
ever read about 70s DW knew that!
Publicity is publicity.
"Doctor Who Underage Sex Scandal"
Never mind it was 30+ years ago and did not involve children. :rolleyes:
According to the thread on this on GB, the articles are already written, ready to go out over Easter.
There are also reports there of 15 year olds having to forcibly escape from Downie at conventions in the 90's.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/22/jnt-scandalous-doctor-who-review?INTCMP=SRCH
Good God. If Marson's story is true then Downie was
an utter scumbag. :mad: