Book: Totally Tasteless (Richard Marson)

Totally Tasteless

― The Life of John Nathan-Turner ―

by

Richard Marson

Miwk Publishing Ltd.

2016

***

When John Nathan-Turner executive produced Doctor Who from 1980 to its cancellation in 1989, I had more or less abandoned watching the long-running British science fiction series, certainly as a regular viewer. WNED (the PBS affiliate in Buffalo, NY) ran Who in the early 1980s, and I did catch a few of the episodes governed by "JNT", so I was aware of him and the changes he made: some controversial, some essential ― getting rid of Tom Baker, who had become intractable.

In 2018 I ordered the book, and when it hit my front door I wasted no time in absorbing its many pages. For some reason I did not write a review. That must change, but first I'll have to do an essential reread as it's been a few years.

Totally Tasteless: The Life of John Nathan-Turner is a captivating, absorbing, and detailed document on a complicated man and television producer. Author Richard Marson created an important work, certainly for "Whovians" and for those who are interested in television production and its politics. It is a brilliant biography, and a fascinating look into the BBC of the 1980s.

The original cover, a photograph of John Nathan-Turner, was much better than that horrible one seen above, and the one gracing the cover of my copy. To make the issue worse, the revised title of "Totally Tasteless" is just that. Why would the book's publisher, the late Miwk Publishing, change the original "JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner" to a trashy tabloid type?

Fun Note: I ordered the book directly from the publisher, and received it promptly... then a few days later I received a second copy. I contacted Miwk, and the gent (bloke) who responded said that a label must have been printed twice; perhaps the label sheet jammed in the printer and the fulfillment crew didn't catch the repeated-name error. I offered to send it back, but received the suggestion that I pass it on to someone who might like the book. So I did just that: I gave Totally Tasteless: The Life of John Nathan-Turner to a major Whovian friend. A year or two later I asked him what he thought. He hadn't yet read it. I'm hardly a big DW fan. My interest is more... academic. (Insert snicker.)