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Gary Downie

1940 – 2006

British television manager

Unit production manager
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About Gary Downie

Lived 1940 – 2006 (aged 65). Gary Downie was a South African unit production manager.

Roderick Gary Downie Pinkus (17 July 1940 – 19 January 2006) was a South African-born English production manager on many 1980s episodes of the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, and partner of its producer John Nathan-Turner. His own analysis of the role of a production manager can be found on the BBC DVD release of The Two Doctors.

Career Downie had previously been a dancer and alongside Adrian Le Peltier he occasionally accompanied Pan's People between 1968 and 1970, in Happening for Lulu, the Bobbie Gentry Show and Top of the Pops.

Downie also worked on I, Claudius, All Creatures Great and Small and Star Cops.

Personal life Downie died on 19 January 2006, having survived Nathan-Turner who died in 2002. Gary Downie shared a home with Nathan-Turner in Saltdean, Brighton. Downie was the author of the mid-1980s book The Doctor Who Cookbook. Many Doctor Who celebrities donated recipes to the volume including Ian Marter and Lalla Ward.

Controversy In Richard Marson's book The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner (2013) Marson alleges Downie sexually assaulted him, and details other accusations of inappropriate behaviour by Nathan-Turner and Downie, during the former's period as the series' producer.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Unit production manager
Nationality
Also known as
Roderick Gary Downie Pinkus

Family & relationships

Partner
John Nathan-Turner

People in Gary Downie's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Gary Downie's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Gary Downie?

British television manager

When was Gary Downie born?

Gary Downie was born on 17 July 1940 in South Africa.

When did Gary Downie die?

Gary Downie died on 19 January 2006 in Brighton.

What was Gary Downie's occupation?

Gary Downie was a unit production manager.

What nationality was Gary Downie?

Gary Downie was South African.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Gary Downie

· Wikidata: Q5524996

· DBpedia: Gary Downie

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gary Downie. https://biography.guide/gary-downie/

MLA: "Gary Downie." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gary-downie/.

Chicago: "Gary Downie." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gary-downie/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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