Floor assistant

A floor assistant helps the assistant floor manager and the floor manager.

According to DWM 111, it was in many ways one of the junior jobs within production, and many people's first television jobs. In fact, it was John Nathan-Turner's first job at the BBC in 1968, when he worked as a floor assistant on The Space Pirates. JNT later became the longest serving producer of Doctor Who.

According to Charles Beeson in the same DWM interview, "The floor assistant's job is principally to look after the artists. You are the only contact they have with the production when they are in the studio." Beeson saw the main point of his job as making life for the actors as easy as possible. Floor assistants were the only members of the production crew available to update the cast on going-ons behind the scenes, as the production manager would be busy.

"The job starts when you go to the technical rehearsal", where the floor assistant has two major tasks: to check the sequence that the studio filming will take, and secondly to meet the actors.

The floor assistant's next job comes on the studio day, where the first task is to check all the dressing rooms and make sure everything is running smoothly in make-up. When time comes to record, the floor assistant has to make sure actors in their rooms and ready to start. "From then on during the day, as each scene is done, the most important and most skilful job of a floor assistant is to be able to anticipate when the artists are going to be needed on the floor."

Charles Beeson was an uncredited floor assistant in the 1980s; this was his first job in the television industry as well. Beeson is now a director and producer.

List of floor assistants

Season 1

• An Unearthly Child - Robert Fort (INFO: An Unearthly Child)
• The Aztecs - Bernard Havard (INFO: The Aztecs)
• The Reign of Terror - Philip Chilver, Bernard Havard and David Tilley (INFO: The Reign of Terror)

Season 2

• Planet of Giants - John Adams and David Tilley (INFO: Planet of Giants)
• The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Mike Catherwood and Ray Day (INFO: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)
• The Web Planet - Trevor Beckett (INFO: The Web Planet)
• The Crusade - Trevor Beckett (REF: The Crusade)
• The Space Museum - Trevor Beckett (INFO: The Space Museum)
• The Chase - Trevkr Beckett and Piers Young (INFO: The Chase)

Season 3

• The Ark - Ernest Skinner (INFO: The Ark)
• The Gunfighters - Julian Aston (INFO: The Gunfighters)

Season 4

• The Moonbase - Peter Campbell (INFO: The Moonbase)

Season 6

• The Dominators - Dave Smith (INFO: The Dominators)
• The Mind Robber - Gavin Birkett (INFO: The Mind Robber)
• The Invasion - Michael Ward (INFO: The Invasion)
• The Krotons - David Collins and Maurice Gallagher (INFO: The Krotons)
• The Seeds of Death - John Norton (INFO: The Seeds of Death)
• The War Games - Don Ross (INFO: The War Games)

Season 7

• Doctor Who and the Silurians - John Norton (INFO: Doctor Who and the Silurians)
• The Ambassadors of Death - Andy Stacey and Anthony Philpott (INFO: The Ambassadors of Death)
• Inferno - Frank Mullan (INFO: Inferno)

Season 8

• Terror of the Autons - Edward Pugh (INFO: Terror of the Autons)
• The Mind of Evil - John O'Shaunessy (INFO: The Mind of Evil)
• The Claws of Axos - Chris Fox (INFO: The Claws of Axos)
• Colony in Space - John Turner (INFO: Colony in Space)
• The Dæmons - John Norton and Alex Young (INFO: The Dæmons)

Season 9

• Day of the Daleks - John O'Shaunessy (INFO: Day of the Daleks)
• The Curse of Peladon - Michael Thorne (INFO: The Curse of Peladon)
• The Sea Devils - Tony Cox (INFO: The Sea Devils)
• The Mutants - Philip Hill (INFO: The Mutants)

Season 10

• Carnival of Monsters - Ian Pleeth (INFO: Carnival of Monsters)

Season 11

• The Monster of Peladon - Tom Kingdon and Esther Nordin (INFO: The Monster of Peladon)

Season 12

• The Ark in Space - John Smith (INFO: The Ark in Space)
• Genesis of the Daleks - Val Birch (INFO: Genesis of the Daleks)
• Revenge of the Cybermen - Steve Haggard (INFO: Revenge of the Cybermen)

Season 13

• Terror of the Zygons - Carol Scott (INFO: Terror of the Zygons)
• Pyramids of Mars - James Burge (INFO: Pyramids of Mars)
• The Android Invasion - Peter Sofroniou (INFO: The Android Invasion)

Season 14

• The Masque of Mandragora - James Burge (INFO: The Masque of Mandragora)
• The Face of Evil - Ellen Grech (INFO: The Face of Evil)
• The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Sue Box (INFO: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)

Season 15

• The Sun Makers - Barbara Simonin (INFO: The Sun Makers)
• Underworld - Sue Williams (INFO: Underworld)
• The Invasion of Time - Renny Tasker and Sue Williams (INFO: The Invasion of Time)

Season 16

• The Ribos Operation - Peter Leslie (INFO: The Ribos Operation)
• The Pirate Planet - Peter Leslie (INFO: The Pirate Planet)
• The Stones of Blood - Peter Leslie (INFO: The Stones of Blood)

Season 17

• City of Death - Sally Bates (INFO: City of Death)
• The Creature from the Pit - Edward Bye (INFO: The Creature from the Pit)
• Nightmare of Eden - Alison Barnett (INFO: Nightmare of Eden)
• The Horns of Nimon - Sally Bates (INFO: The Horns of Nimon)

Season 18

• Meglos - Alan Sandbrook (INFO: Meglos)
• Full Circle - Stephen Jones (INFO: Full Circle)
• State of Decay - Allison Stewart (INFO: State of Decay)
• Warrios' Gate - Katy Marshall and Laura Gilbert (INFO: Warriors' Gate)

Season 19

• Castrovalva - Sarah Woodside (INFO: Castrovalva)
• Kinda - Charles Beeson (INFO: Kinda)
• Time-Flight - Charles Beeson (INFO: Time-Flight)

Season 20

• The King's Demons- Roz Stock and Stephen Moore (INFO: The King's Demons)

Season 21

• Warriors of the Deep - Sarah Woodside (INFO: Warriors of the Deep)
• The Awakening - Garrie Mallen (INFO: The Awakening)
• Frontios - Brenda Thomas (INFO: Frontios)
• Planet of Fire - Anna Campbell (INFO: Planet of Fire)

Season 22

• Attack of the Cybermen - Lynda Pannett (INFO: Attack of the Cybermen)
• Vengeance on Varos - Brenda Thomas (INFO: Vengeance on Varos)
• Timelash - Helen Greaves (INFO: Timelash)

Season 24

• Paradise Towers - Jane Litherland (INFO: Paradise Towers)

Season 25

• The Greatest Show in the Galaxy - Alex Starr and Southern Morris (INFO: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy)