Trivia

He was openly gay and lived with Gary Downie, who worked with Nathan-Turner as a production manager on Doctor Who (1963) in the 1980s. Downie himself died in 2006.

He was a huge fan of Coronation Street (1960) and he once said it was the series he would most like to have produced.

According to colleagues, one of his finest moments as producer of Doctor Who (1963) was when he saved The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: Part One (1988) from being abandoned after location recording had been completed but the studios at BBC Television Centre became unavailable because of an asbestos scare. Nathan-Turner was determined not to lose the production, so together with the efforts of David Laskey, the designer, they were eventually able to erect a tent in the car park at Elstree and finish it there.

He added the Nathan to his name to avoid confusion with actor John Turner.

According to Judy Cornwell, he was intending to make a film of her novel "Fear and Favour" shortly before he died.

He enjoyed directing pantomimes every Christmas.