Controversial Changes
Nathan-Turner made a number of controversial changes to the series. In Season 19, he had the sonic screwdriver destroyed in The Visitation. (Eric Saward, who wrote the story, initially only meant to remove it for a single episode as he thought that the Doctor "had an entire cabinet full of them".) Early in his producership, BBC controllers moved the show from its Saturday evening slot to air on Monday and Tuesday of each week. Despite a degree of outrage, it did not damage the Series's viewing figures. He also oversaw the removal of K-9 from the series — though he did commission the pilot of K-9 and Company. He even decided for the TARDIS to lose its iconic police box shape during a story (Attack of the Cybermen), though its distinctive interiors — modernised in high-white — were more heavily used than at any time since the 1960s, giving the (now multiple) companions an on-screen home.
Nathan-Turner was arguably the highest-profile producer during the original run of the series (1963-1989), and his reign was at times controversial. His changes to the programme were initially well received by Doctor Who fans, to whom he extended an unprecedented degree of welcome. Editors of non-professional magazines or "fanzines" were granted interviews by Nathan-Turner in the Who production office. Although he did not divulge the contents of forthcoming storylines in such conversations, he spoke in-depth and at length about his approach to producing the show.
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