1985: DOCTOR WHO BULLETIN ISSUE 28

From November 1985 (happy anniversary Doctor!), DOCTOR WHO BULLETIN turns its Cyber Gun on producer John Nathan-Turner.

This was the long-running BBC-baiting vendetta (fuelled by very personal reasons) that ran for the rest of DWB's life... even after the show had been cancelled, its erstwhile producer made redundant (although he popped up again, on the other side of the Westway, to oversee the early 1990s merchandising efforts. And took a punt at TV presenting as part of BSB's WHO weekender... about the only piece of output anyone remembers from that short-lived Telly Cash Furnice) and DWB's own remit expanded to include other genre shows, past and prsent. 

It seems odd that Michael Grade, the man in charge of BBC ONE and the 'buyer' of the drama department's product, couldn't actually manage (or muster the effort) to shuffle a mere producer seen as having done his time. Its not as if backroom deals and staff maneuvering aren't part and parcel of life at the corporation. And, with most production still in house, there would have been ample opportunity to find a new role for JN-T which could have looked like a promotion but left the way clear for a new broom on the show. Arguments that no one else wanted the gig don't really ring true... you'll always find someone willing to take a punt if it furthers their career. The upper ranks of the BBC are full of people in roles that they know full well won't last for long but will leave them better positioned for the next opportunity.