- 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.
- Attended Jon Pertwee's memorial service at St Paul's, Covent Garden.
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