John Beaton was the sound editor for some of the first series of the supermarionation television series Thunderbirds. This included the episode The Man from MI.5, which crossed over into the Doctor Who universe by featuring an appearance by the Daleks.
Beaton was also involved in several other creations of Gerry Anderson. He was the editor for ten episodes of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and the sound editor for at least one episode of Joe 90, both of which shared crossovers with the DWU, as well as working on many episodes of The Protectors either as a sound editor or a boom operator.
Beaton's other positions included as the music editor for the series Gideon's Way, the dialogue editor for the 1969 film The House That Screamed, the re-recording mixer for the 1973 film Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood and the assistant picture editor for the 1984 film Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death. He also served as a sound editor for many further productions including Space Patrol and Pathfinders.