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{{short description|British children's television series (1989–1993)}}
{{About|the British television series'' Press Gang''||Press Gang (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Pressgangtitle.jpg
| caption = Opening titles
| genre = [[Comedy-drama]]
| based_on = {{Based on|an idea|Bill Moffat}}
| writer = [[Steven Moffat]]
| starring = 
{{Plainlist|
* [[Julia Sawalha]]
* [[Dexter Fletcher]]
* [[Lee Ross (actor)|Lee Ross]]
* [[Kelda Holmes]]
* [[Paul Reynolds (actor)|Paul Reynolds]]
* [[Lucy Benjamin]]
* [[Gabrielle Anwar]]
* [[Mmoloki Chrystie]]
* [[Joanna Dukes]]
* [[Charlie Creed-Miles]]
}}
| theme_music_composer = {{Flatlist|
* Peter Davis
* [[John Mealing]]
* John G. Perry
}}
| language = English
| country = United Kingdom
| num_series = 5
| num_episodes = 43
| list_episodes = List of Press Gang episodes
| producer = Sandra C. Hastie
| executive_producer = Lewis Rudd
| camera = [[Single-camera setup|Single camera]]
| runtime = 25 mins
| network = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] ([[CITV]])
| first_aired = {{Start date|1989|1|16|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1993|5|21|df=y}}
}}

'''''Press Gang''''' is a British [[children's television series|children's television]] [[comedy-drama]] consisting of 43 episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993. Produced by Richmond Film & Television for [[ITV Central|Central]], it screened on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network in its regular weekday afternoon children's strand, [[CITV]],<ref name="newtonm">{{cite web |first=Matthew |last=Newton |title=Press Gang – An episode guide by Matthew Newton |url=http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgmain.htm |access-date=28 December 2006 |archive-date=6 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706231409/http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgmain.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> typically in a 4:45 pm slot (days varied over the course of the run).

Aimed at older children and teenagers, the programme was based on the activities of a children's newspaper, the ''Junior Gazette'', produced by pupils from the local [[comprehensive school]]. In later series, it was depicted as a commercial venture. The show interspersed comedic elements with the dramatic. As well as addressing interpersonal relationships (particularly in the Lynda-Spike story arc), the show tackled issues such as [[solvent abuse]], [[child abuse]] and [[firearm]]s control.<ref>{{harvnb|Cornell|1993|pp=215–218}}</ref>

Written by ex-teacher [[Steven Moffat]], more than half the episodes were directed by [[Bob Spiers]], a [[British comedy]] director who also worked on programmes such as ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' and ''[[Fawlty Towers]]''. Critical reception was very positive, particularly for the quality of the writing, and the series has attracted a [[cult following]] with a wide age range.<ref name="newtonm"/>

==Storyline==
{{main|List of Press Gang episodes|label1=List of ''Press Gang'' episodes}}
{{:List of Press Gang episodes}}
Famous journalist Matt Kerr arrives from [[Fleet Street]] to edit the local newspaper. He sets up a junior version of the paper, ''The Junior Gazette'', to be produced by pupils from the local [[comprehensive school]] before and after school hours.<ref name="newtons1">{{cite web|first=Matthew|last=Newton|title=Press Gang: Series One|work=Newton's Laws of TV|url=http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgang1.htm|access-date=19 December 2006|archive-date=18 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218130459/http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgang1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some of the team are "star pupils", but others have reputations for delinquency. One such pupil, Spike Thomson, is forced to work on the paper rather than be expelled from school. He is immediately attracted to editor Lynda Day, but they bicker, throwing one-liners at each other. Their relationship develops and they have an on-off relationship.<ref name="newtons2">{{cite web |first=Matthew |last=Newton |title=Press Gang: Series Two |work=Newton's Laws of TV |url=http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgang2.htm |access-date=19 December 2006}}</ref> They regularly discuss their feelings, especially in the concluding episodes of each series. In the final episode of the third series, "Holding On", Spike unwittingly expresses his strong feelings to Lynda while being taped.<ref name="holdingon">{{cite episode |title=Holding On |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=11 June 1991 |series-no=3 |number=6}}</ref> Jealous of his American girlfriend, Zoe, Lynda puts the cassette on Zoe's [[personal stereo]], ruining their relationship. The on-screen chemistry between the two leads was reflected off-screen as they became an item for several years.<ref name="Moffcomm">Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD [[audio commentary]]</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jon |last=Wise |title=Booze, drugs and women frenzy left me broke and homeless. Now I'm living it up at the Hotel Babylon|work=The People |url=http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=booze--drugs-and-women-frenzy-left-me-broke-and-homeless--now-i-m-living-it-up-at-the-hotel-babylon--&method=full&objectid=18639024&siteid=93463-name_page.html |date=18 February 2007 |access-date=21 February 2007}}</ref>

{{Listen
 |filename     = Press Gang - dialogue between Lynda and Spike.ogg
 |title        = "Page One"
 |description  = Lynda and Spike's first meeting. This clip demonstrates the exchange of the one-liners, Spike's accent and the animosity between the two characters.
}}
Although the Lynda and Spike story arc runs throughout the series, most episodes feature self-contained stories and sub-plots. Amongst lighter stories, such as one about Colin accidentally attending a funeral dressed as a pink rabbit, the show tackled many serious issues. Jeff Evans, writing in the ''Guinness Television Encyclopedia'', writes that the series adopts a "far more adult approach" than "previous efforts in the same vein" such as ''[[A Bunch of Fives]].'' Some critics also compared it with ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'', ''[[Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]'' "and other thoughtful US dramas, thanks to its realism and its level-headed treatment of touchy subjects."<ref name="evans">{{harvnb|Evans|1995|p=423}}</ref>

The first series approached [[solvent abuse]] in "How To Make A Killing", and the [[NSPCC]] assisted in the production of the "[[Something Terrible]]" episodes about [[child abuse]].<ref>{{cite episode |title=Something Terrible: Part 2 |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=8 March 1990 |series-no=2 |number=8}}</ref> The team were held hostage by a gun enthusiast in series three's "The Last Word",<ref name="lw">{{cite episode |title=The Last Word |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Lorne Magory |network=ITV |airdate=28 March 1990 |series-no=3 |number=4}}</ref> while the final episode approaches [[drug abuse]].<ref name="tac">{{cite episode |title=There Are Crocodiles |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=22 February 1993 |series-no=5 |number=6}}</ref><ref name="newtons5">{{cite web |first=Matthew |last=Newton |title=Press Gang: Series Five |work=Newton's Laws of TV |url=http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgang5.htm |access-date=20 December 2006 |archive-date=6 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706174709/http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgang5.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The issue-led episodes served to develop the main characters, so that "Something Terrible" is more "about Colin's redemption [from selfish capitalist], rather than Cindy's abuse."<ref name="moffint"/>

According to the [[British Film Institute]], "''Press Gang'' managed to be perhaps the funniest children's series ever made and at the same time the most painfully raw and emotionally honest. The tone could change effortlessly and sensitively from farce to tragedy in the space of an episode."<ref name="screenonline">{{cite web |first=Alistair |last=McGown |title=Press Gang (1989–93) |work=BFI Screenonline |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/571944/index.html |access-date=21 December 2006}}</ref> Although the series is sometimes referred to as a comedy, Moffat insists that it is a drama with jokes in it. The writer recalls "a long running argument with Geoff Hogg (film editor on ''Press Gang'') about whether ''Press Gang'' was comedy. He insisted that it was and I said it wasn't – it was just funny."<ref>{{cite web |title="POSITIVE COMEDY" Graham Kibble-White talks to Steven Moffat |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/interviews/stevenmoffat.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701053349/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/interviews/stevenmoffat.htm |archive-date=1 July 2007 |work=Off the Telly |date=March 2001 |access-date=11 May 2007}}</ref> Some innuendo leads Moffat to claim that it "had the dirtiest jokes in history; we got away with tons of stuff ... We nearly got away with a joke about [[anal sex]], but they spotted it at the last minute."<ref name="herring"/> In one episode Lynda says she's going to "butter him up", and, when asked (while on a date in a hotel's restaurant) if he was staying at the hotel, Colin replies "I shouldn't think so: it's only the first date."<ref name="chance">{{cite episode |title=Chance Is a Fine Thing |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat |network=ITV |airdate=21 March 1991 |series-no=3 |number=3}}</ref>

Jeff Evans also comments that the series was filmed cinematically, dabbling in "dream sequences, flashbacks, fantasies and, on one occasion, a ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]''-esque parody of the film ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''."<ref name="evans"/><ref name="daydreams">{{cite episode |title=Day Dreams |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=11 February 1992 |series-no=4 |number=6}}</ref> The show had a strong awareness of continuity, with some stories, incidents and minor characters referred to throughout the series. Actors who played short-term characters in the first two series were invited back to reprise their roles in future episodes. David Jefford (Alex Crockett) was resurrected from 1989's "Monday – Tuesday" to appear in the final episode "There Are Crocodiles",<ref name="tac"/> while the same actress (Aisling Flitton) who played a wrong number in "Love and the Junior Gazette"<ref name="love"/> was invited to reprise her character for the third series episode "Chance is a Fine Thing."<ref name="chance"/> "Attention to detail" such as this is, according to [[Paul Cornell]], "one of the numerous ways that the series respects the intelligence of its viewers."<ref>{{harvnb|Cornell|1993|p=217}}</ref>

After the team leaves school, the paper gains financial independence and runs commercially. Assistant editor Kenny leaves at the end of series three to be replaced by Julie, who was the head of the graphics team in series one.

==Characters==
[[File:PressGangPublicity.jpg|thumb|The cast of Press Gang in a publicity photograph]]

===Main===
* Lynda Day ([[Julia Sawalha]]) is the editor of the ''Junior Gazette''. She is strong and opinionated, and is feared by many of her team. Moffat has said that the character was partly based on the show's "ball-breaking" producer, Sandra C. Hastie.<ref name="Moffcomm"/><ref name="bbcreviews2">{{cite web|title=Review: Press Gang DVD |work=BBC – Cult Television |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2004/07/08/12781.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040810024039/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2004/07/08/12781.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 August 2004 |date=8 July 2004 |access-date=22 December 2006}}</ref> Although she appears very tough, she occasionally exposes her feelings. She quits the paper at the end of "Monday-Tuesday", and in "Day Dreams" laments "Why do I get everything in my whole stupid life wrong?"<ref name="daydreams"/> Intimidated by socialising, she hiccups at the idea. She is so nervous at a [[cocktail party]], in "At Last a Dragon",<ref>{{cite episode |title=At Last a Dragon |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=22 February 1990 |series-no=2 |number=6}}</ref> that she attempts to leave on several occasions. The mixture of Lynda's sensitive side and her self-sufficient attitude is illustrated in the series' final episode "There Are Crocodiles." Reprimanding the ghost of Gary (Mark Sayers), who died after taking a drug overdose, she says:

:<blockquote>Look, I'm sorry you're dead, okay? I ''do'' care. But to be perfectly honest with you, I don't care a lot. You had a choice, you took the drugs, you died. Are you seriously claiming no one warned you it was dangerous? ... I mean, have you had a look at the world lately? ... There's plenty of stuff going on that kills you and you don't get warned at all. So sticking your head in a crocodile you were told about is not calculated to get my sympathy.<ref name="tac"/></blockquote>
 
* James "Spike" Thomson ([[Dexter Fletcher]]) is an American delinquent, forced to work on the paper rather than being excluded from school. He is immediately attracted to Lynda, and he establishes himself as an important member of the reporting team having been responsible for getting their first lead story. He usually has a range of one-liners, though is often criticised, particularly by Lynda, for excessive joking. Spike often consciously uses humour to lighten the tone, such as in "Monday-Tuesday" when he tries to cheer up Lynda after she feels responsible for David's suicide.<ref name="m-t"/>

: The character was originally written as English, until producer Hastie felt that an American character would enhance the chance of overseas sales. This meant that English-born Fletcher had to act in an American accent for all five years. Moffat says that he isn't "sure [that] lumbering Dexter with that accent was a smart move."<ref name="moffint">{{cite web |title=Interview: Steven Moffat |work=BBC – Cult Television |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2004/07/20/13052.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811001553/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2004/07/20/13052.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 August 2004 |date=20 July 2004 |access-date=21 December 2006}}</ref> The American accent had some fans surprised to learn that Fletcher is actually English.<ref name="dexter">{{cite news |title=Dexter Fletcher answers your questions |work=The Times |format=reprint on unofficial fansite |url=http://dexteronline.ms11.net/times130704.html |date=13 July 2004 |access-date=22 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010224657/http://dexteronline.ms11.net/times130704.html |archive-date=10 October 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
* Kenny Phillips ([[Lee Ross (actor)|Lee Ross]]) is one of Lynda's (few) long-term friends and is her assistant editor in the first three series. Kenny is much calmer than Lynda, though is still dominated by her. Despite this, he is one of the few people able to stand up to Lynda, in his own quiet way. Although he identifies himself as "sweet", he is unlucky in love: Jenny ([[Sadie Frost]]), the girlfriend he meets in "How to Make a Killing",<ref name="htmak"/> dumps him because he is too understanding.<ref name="love">{{cite episode |title=Love and the Junior Gazette |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=15 February 1990 |series-no=2 |number=5}}</ref> His secret passion for writing music is revealed at the end of series two, which was influenced by Ross' interests. Colin organizes and markets a concert for him, and the second series ends with Kenny performing "You Don't Feel For Me" (written by Ross himself).<ref name="big finish"/> Lee Ross was only able to commit to the first six episodes of the 12-episode series three and four filming block because he was expecting a film role.<ref name="hastie"/> Thus, by series four, Kenny has left for Australia.
* Colin Mathews ([[Paul Reynolds (actor)|Paul Reynolds]]) is the [[Thatcherite]] in charge of the paper's finances and advertising. He often wears loud shirts, and his various schemes have included marketing defective half-[[ping-pong]] balls (as 'pings'), exam revision kits and soda that leaves facial stains. [[Rosie Marcel]] and Claire Hearnden appear throughout the second series as Sophie and Laura, Colin's mischievous young helpers.
* Julie Craig ([[Lucy Benjamin]]) is the head of the graphics team in series one. Moffat was impressed with Benjamin's performance, and expanded her character for the second series.<ref name="petford"/> However she had committed herself to roles in the [[LWT]] sitcom ''[[Close to Home (UK TV series)|Close to Home]]'' and ''[[Jupiter Moon]]'', so the character was replaced by Sam.<ref name="putp"/> The character returns in the opening episode of series four as researcher on the Saturday morning show ''Crazy Stuff''. She arranges for Lynda and Spike to be reunited on [[live television]], but the subsequent complaints about the violence (face slapping) results in Julie's firing.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Bad News |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=7 January 1992 |series-no=4 |number=1}}</ref> After giving Lynda some home truths, Julie replaces Kenny as the assistant editor for the final two series. She is a flirt, and, according to Lynda, was the "official pin-up at the last [[prison riot]]."<ref name="tac"/>
* Sarah Jackson ([[Kelda Holmes]]) is the paper's lead writer. Although she is intelligent she gets stressed, such as during her interview for editorship of the ''Junior Gazette''. Her final episode, "Friendly Fire", shows the development of her friendship with Lynda, and how the latter saw her as a challenge when she first arrived to Norbridge High. Together they had established the underground school magazine: ''Damn Magazine''.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Friendly Fire |series=Press Gang |credits = wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=23 April 1993 |series-no=5 |number=2}}</ref> Her first attempt to leave the newspaper to attend a writing course at the local college is thwarted by Lynda,<ref>{{cite episode |title=Friends Like These |series=Press Gang |credits = wr. Steven Moffat, dir. John Hall |network=ITV |airdate=15 March 1990 |series-no=2 |number=9}}</ref> but she eventually leaves in series five to attend university (mirroring the reason for Holmes' departure).<ref name="newtons5"/>
* Frazer "Frazz" Davis ([[Mmoloki Chrystie]]) is one of Spike's co-delinquents forced into working on the paper, his initial main task writing the [[horoscope]]s. Frazz is initially portrayed as "intellectually challenged",<ref>{{harvnb|McGown|Docherty|2003|p=217}}</ref> such as not understanding the synonymous relationship between "the astrology column" and the horoscopes.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Page One |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Colin Nutley |network=ITV |airdate=16 January 1989 |series-no=1 |number=1}}</ref> Later episodes, however, show him to be devious, such as in "The Last Word: Part 2" when he stuns the gunman using a large array of [[flashgun]]s.<ref>{{cite episode |title=The Last Word: Part 2 |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Lorne Magory |network=ITV |airdate=6 June 1991 |series-no=3 |number=4}}</ref>
 
===Recurring===
* Sam Black ([[Gabrielle Anwar]]) replaced Julie as the head of the graphics team in the second series. Sam is very fashion conscious and a flirt, and is surprised when an actor rejects her advances in favour of Sarah.<ref name="love"/> Anwar had auditioned for the role of Lynda. (Many actors who unsuccessfully auditioned for main characters were invited back later for guest roles.)<ref name="putp"/> Moffat had expanded the role of Julie after the first series, but Lucy Benjamin was unavailable for series two. Sam, therefore, was basically the character of Julie under a different name, especially in her earlier episodes.<ref name="petford"/><ref>Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha "Breakfast at Czar's" ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD audio commentary</ref>
* Danny McColl ([[Charlie Creed-Miles]]) the paper's photographer. Creed-Miles became disenchanted with his minor role and left after the second series.<ref name="putp"/>
* Toni "Tiddler" Tildesley ([[Joanna Dukes]]) is the junior member of the team, responsible for the junior section, ''Junior Junior Gazette''.
* Billy Homer (Andy Crowe) was also a recurring character. A [[tetraplegic]], he is very competent with computer networks, sometimes [[Hacker (computer security)|hacking]] into the school's database. His storylines are some of the first representations of the Internet in British television. Moffat felt that he was unable to sustain the character, and he appears only sporadically after the first series.<ref name="putp"/>

The main adults are deputy headmaster Bill Sullivan ([[Nick Stringer]]), maverick editor Matt Kerr ([[Clive Wood]]) and experienced ''Gazette'' reporter Chrissie Stewart ([[Angela Bruce]]).

==Production==

===Inception===
Bill Moffat, a headmaster from [[Glasgow]], had an idea for a children's television programme called ''The Norbridge Files''.<ref>Stephen O'Brien and Jim Sangster {{cite web|title=The Norbridge Files|work=Off the Telly|url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/childrens/pressgang.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218015921/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/childrens/pressgang.htm|archive-date=18 February 2007|date=February 2000|access-date=19 December 2006}}</ref> He showed it to a producer who visited his school, Thorn Primary School in [[Johnstone]], [[Renfrewshire]], when it was used as the location for an episode of [[Harry Secombe]]'s ''[[Highway (TV series)|Highway]]''.<ref name="herring">{{cite web|title=Interview With Steven Moffat for the Guardian Guide |work=richardherring.com |url=http://www.richardherring.com/press/press.php?id=10 |year=1997 |access-date=11 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031433/http://www.richardherring.com/press/press.php?id=10 |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |title='There is a clue everybody's missed': Sherlock writer Steven Moffat interviewed |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/20/steven-moffat-sherlock-doctor-who?newsfeed=true |date=20 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=Lourie>{{cite news|author= Lourie, Adrian|date= 22 March 2010|url= http://www.scotsman.com/features/Interview-Steven-Moffat-Doctor-Who.6169021.jp|title= Interview: Steven Moffat, Doctor Who screenwriter|work=The Scotsman |access-date= 22 March 2010}}</ref> Producer Sandra C. Hastie liked the idea and showed it to her future husband Bill Ward, co-owner of her company Richmond Films and Television. When she requested a script, Moffat suggested that his 25-year-old son Steven, an English teacher, should write it. Hastie said that it was "the best ever first script" that she had read.<ref>{{harvnb|Cornell|1993|p=215}}</ref>

All 43 episodes were written by [[Steven Moffat]]. During production of series two, he was having an unhappy personal life after the break-up of his first marriage. His wife's new lover was represented in the episode "The Big Finish?" by the character Brian Magboy ([[Simon Schatzberger]]), a name inspired by Brian: Maggie's boy. Moffat brought in the character so that all sorts of unfortunate things would happen to him, such as having a [[typewriter]] dropped on his foot.<ref name="big finish">Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, "The Big Finish?" ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD audio commentary</ref> This period in Moffat's life would also be reflected in his sitcom ''[[Joking Apart]]''.<ref>''Joking Apart: Series 1'' DVD audio commentary, and featurette</ref>

Central Independent Television had confidence in the project, so rather than the show being shot at their studios in [[Nottingham]] as planned, they granted Richmond a £2 million budget. This enabled it to be shot on [[16 mm film]], rather than the regular, less expensive [[videotape]], and [[Filming location|on location]], making it very expensive compared with most children's television.<ref name="putp">O'Brien, Stephen. "Picking up the Pieces" ''Breakfast at Czar's'' Issue 1. [Available as a PDF file on the ''Press Gang'' Series 2 DVD]</ref> These high production costs almost led to its cancellation at the end of the second series, by which time Central executive Lewis Rudd was unable to commission programmes by himself.<ref name="big finish"/>

===Directors===
More than half of the episodes were directed by [[Bob Spiers]], a noted British comedy director who had previously worked on ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' amongst many other programmes. He would work again with Moffat on his sitcom ''[[Joking Apart]]'' and ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'', and with Sawalha on ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''. According to Moffat, Spiers was the "principal director" taking an interest in the other episodes and setting the visual style of the show. Spiers particularly used [[tracking shot]]s, sometimes requiring more dialogue to be written to accommodate the length of the shot. The other directors would come in and "do a Spiers".<ref name="Moffcomm"/> All of the directors were encouraged to attend the others' shoots so that the visual style would be consistent.<ref name="hastie">"Interface: Sandra Hastie, part 2" ''Breakfast at Czar's'' Issue 2. [Available as a PDF file on the ''Press Gang'' Series 5 DVD]</ref>

The first two episodes were directed by [[Colin Nutley]]. However, he was unhappy with the final edit and requested that his name be removed from the credits.<ref name="newtons1"/><ref name="petford">{{cite web |first=Adrian |last=Petford |title=Press Gang – The Complete Series Guide |url=http://www.yoyo.org/pressgang/pgguide.txt |date=16 December 1995 |access-date=19 December 2006}}</ref> Lorne Magory directed many episodes, notably the two-part stories "How To Make A Killing"<ref name="htmak">{{cite episode |title=How to Make a Killing |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Lorne Magory |network=ITV |airdate=27 February 1989 |series-no=1 |number=7}}</ref> and "The Last Word."<ref name="lw"/> One of the founders of Richmond Films and Television, Bill Ward, directed three episodes,<ref name="newtons5"/><ref>{{cite web |first=Matthew |last=Newton |title=Press Gang: Series Four |work=Newton's Laws of TV |url=http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgang4.htm |access-date=19 December 2006}}</ref> and Bren Simson directed some of series two.<ref name="newtons2"/> The show's [[cinematographer]] James Devis took the directorial reins for "Windfall", the penultimate episode.<ref>{{cite web |title=James Devis |work=IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0222695/ |access-date=19 December 2006}}</ref>

===Location===
Whilst the show was set in the fictional town of Norbridge, it was mostly filmed in [[Uxbridge, London|Uxbridge]], in the west of [[Greater London]].<ref name="moffint"/> Many of the scenes were shot at [[Haydon School]] in [[Pinner]]. The first series was filmed entirely on location, but after the demolition of the building used as the original newspaper office, interior shots were filmed in [[Pinewood Studios]] for the second series, and the exterior of the building was not seen beyond that series. Subsequent series were filmed at [[Shepperton Studios|Lee International Studios]] at [[Shepperton]] (series three and four) and [[Twickenham Studios]] (series five).<ref name="petford"/>

===Music and title sequences===
The [[theme music]] was composed by Peter Davis (who after the second series composed the rest of the series alone as principal composer), [[John Mealing]] and John G. Perry.<ref name="petford"/> The opening titles show the main characters striking a pose, with the name of the respective actor in a typewriter style typeface. Steven Moffat and Julia Sawalha were not very impressed with the opening titles when discussing them for a DVD commentary in 2004.<ref name="Moffcomm"/> They were re-recorded for series three, in the same style, to address the actors' ages and alterations to the set.

Many of the closing titles in the first two series were accompanied by dialogue from two characters. Episodes that ended on a particularly sombre tone, such as "Monday-Tuesday"<ref name="m-t">{{cite episode |title=Monday-Tuesday |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=ITV |airdate=3 April 1989 |series-no=1 |number=11}}</ref> and "Yesterday's News",<ref>{{cite episode |title=Yesterday's News |series=Press Gang |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Lorne Magory |network=ITV |airdate=29 March 1990 |series-no=2 |number=11}}</ref> used only appropriately sombre music to accompany the end credits. After an emphatic climax, "At Last a Dragon" used an enhanced version of the main theme with more extravagant use of electric guitar. Moffat felt that the voiceovers worked well in the first series, but that they were not as good in the second. Hastie recalls that Moffat was "extremely angry" that ''[[Drop the Dead Donkey]]'' had adopted the style. They were dropped after the second series.<ref name="hastie"/> The cast, according to Moffat, were "grumpy with having to turn up to a recording studio to record them."<ref>Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha "At Last a Dragon" ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD audio commentary</ref>

==Reception==

===Critical reception===
Critical reaction was good, the show being particularly praised for the high quality and sophistication of the writing.<ref name="bbcreviews2"/><ref>{{cite web |title=The Junior Gazette's back for a 3rd series on DVD |work=cult.tv |url=http://www.cult.tv/index.php?cm_id=717&cm_type=article |access-date=21 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207010617/http://www.cult.tv/index.php?cm_id=717&cm_type=article |archive-date=7 December 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The first episode was highly rated by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', ''[[The Guardian]]'' and the ''[[Times Educational Supplement]]''.<ref name="putp"/> In his emphatic review, Paul Cornell writes that:

<blockquote>''Press Gang'' has proved to be a series that can transport you back to how you felt as a teenager, sharper that the world but with as much angst as acute wit ... Never again can a show get away with talking down to children or writing sloppily for them. ''Press Gang'', possibly the best show in the world.<ref name="cornell218">{{harvnb|Cornell|1993|p=218}}</ref></blockquote>

''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' said that "this is quality entertainment: the kids are sharp, the scripts are clever and the jokes are good."<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Gang: 43xhalf hour|work=Press Gang [Unofficial fansite] |url=http://www.geocities.com/davinci5157/ |access-date=21 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223085736/http://geocities.com/davinci5157/|archive-date=23 December 2006}}</ref> The BBC's William Gallagher called it "pretty flawless",<ref>{{cite news |first=William |last=Gallagher |title=The week's TV: Seen it all before? |date=30 August 2001 |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1516439.stm |access-date=7 November 2007}}</ref> with ''The Guardian'' retrospectively commending the series.<ref>{{cite news |first=Julia |last=Raeside |work=The Guardian |date=7 July 2012 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jul/07/the-newsroom-press-gang |title=Can The Newsroom scoop Press Gang? |access-date=24 July 2012}}</ref> Others, such as Popmatters, have also commented upon how "the show is renowned ... for doing something kid television at the time didn't do (and, arguably, still doesn't): it refused to treat its audience like children."<ref>{{cite web |first=Nikki |last=Tranter |title=Press Gang: Series 1 |work=PopMatters|url=http://www.popmatters.com/tv/reviews/p/press-gang-1.shtml |date=1 March 2004 |access-date=22 December 2006}}</ref> Comedian [[Richard Herring]] recalls watching the show as a recent graduate, commenting that it "was subtle, sophisticated and much too good for kids."<ref name="herring"/> According to Moffat, "''Press Gang'' had gone over very, very well in the industry and I was being touted and romanced all the time." ''Press Gang'''s complicated plots and structure would become a hallmark of Moffat's work, such as ''Joking Apart'' and ''[[Coupling (British TV series)|Coupling]]''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Graham |last=Kibble-White |title=Fool If You Think It's Over |work=Off the Telly |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/?page_id=332 |date=May 2006 |access-date=21 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703071926/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/?page_id=332 |archive-date=3 July 2009 }}</ref>

The series received a [[Royal Television Society]] award and a [[BAFTA]] in 1991 for "Best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama)".<ref name="screenonline"/> It was also nominated for two [[Writers' Guild of Great Britain]] awards, one ''Prix Jeunesse''<ref>{{cite web|title=Biographies: Steven Moffat – Writer |work=[[Hartswood Films]] |url=http://www.hartswoodfilms.co.uk/programmes/steven.html |access-date=23 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928180139/http://www.hartswoodfilms.co.uk/programmes/steven.html |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref> and the 1992 BAFTA for "Best Children's Programme (Fiction)".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bafta.org/awards/childrens/nominations/?year=1991 |title=Children's Nominations 1991 |work=BAFTA |access-date=16 November 2007}}</ref> Julia Sawalha won the Royal Television Society Television Award for "Best Actor – Female" in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096679/awards |title=Awards for "Press Gang" (1989) |work=IMDb |access-date=24 December 2006}}</ref>

===Repeat showings===
The show gained an even wider adult audience in an early evening slot when repeated on Sundays on [[Channel 4]] in 1991.<ref name="cornell218"/> This crossover is reflected in the BBC's review for one of the DVDs when they say that "''Press Gang'' is one of the best series ever made for kids. Or adults."<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Gang 4 DVD |work=BBC – Cult Television |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2005/06/04/19813.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719204216/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/cult/2005/06/04/19813.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 July 2012 |date=4 June 2005 |access-date=22 December 2006}}</ref>

[[Nickelodeon (British and Irish TV channel)|Nickelodeon]] showed nearly all of the episodes in a weekday slot in 1997. The final three episodes of the third series, however, were not repeated on the children's channel because of their content: "The Last Word" double episode with the gun siege, and "Holding On" with the repetition of the phrase "divorce the bitch".<ref name="holdingon"/> On the first transmission of the latter on 11 June 1991, [[continuity announcer]] [[Tommy Boyd]] warned viewers that it contained stronger than usual language. In 2007, [[itv.com]] made the first series, with the exception of "Page One", available to be viewed on its website free of charge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Gang |publisher=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] |url=http://www.itv.com/BestofITV/kids/pressgang/default.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117190229/http://www.itv.com/BestofITV/kids/pressgang/default.html |archive-date=17 January 2008 |access-date=17 July 2008}}</ref>

Two episodes were broadcast on the CITV Channel on 5 & 6 January 2013, as part of a weekend of archive programmes to celebrate CITV's 30th anniversary. Since 2022, the full series is available online on the ITV streaming service ITVX.

===Fan following===
''Press Gang'' has attracted a cult following. A [[fanzine]], ''Breakfast at Czars'', was produced in the 1990s. Edited by Stephen O'Brien, it contained a range of interviews with the cast and crew (notably with producer Hastie), theatre reviews and [[fanfiction]]. The first edition was included as a PDF file on the series two DVD, while the next three were on the series five disc. An [[mailing list|email discussion list]] has been operational since February 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=Press Gang: The Mailing List |url=http://www.yoyo.org/pressgang/mailinglist/ |access-date=23 December 2006}}</ref> Scholar Miles Booy observes that as Steven Moffat was himself a fan of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', he was able to ingrate the elements that TV fans appreciated, such as:

<blockquote>series finales with big cliff-hangers, rigorous continuity and a slew of running jokes and references which paid those who watched and rewatched the text to pull out its minutia. At the end of the second series, it is remarked that the news team have been following the Spike/Lynda romance 'since page one', and only the fans remembered &ndash; or discovered on reviewing &ndash; that "Page One" was the title of the first episode.<ref name="Booy144">{{harvnb|Booy |2012|p=144}}</ref></blockquote>

Booy points out that [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]] and [[Joss Whedon]] would be acclaimed for these elements in the 1990s (in the shows ''[[The X-Files]]'' and ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''), but "Moffat got there first, and ... in a children's TV slot. His was the first show to arrive with a Britain's fan's sensibility to formal possibilities."<ref>{{harvnb|Booy |2012|pp=144–5}}</ref>

Two [[Fan convention|convention]]s were held in the mid-1990s in [[Liverpool]]. The events, in aid of the NSPCC, were each titled "Both Sides of the Paper" and were attended by Steven Moffat, Sandra Hastie, Dexter Fletcher, Paul Reynolds, Kelda Holmes and Nick Stringer. There were screenings of extended rough cuts of "A Quarter to Midnight" and "There Are Crocodiles", along with auctions of wardrobe and props.<ref name="petford"/> When [[Virgin Publishing]] prevented [[Paul Cornell]] from writing an episode guide, the ''Press Gang Programme Guide'', edited by Jim Sangster, was published by Leomac Publishing in 1995.<ref name="Booy144"/><ref>
{{harvnb|Sangster|1995}}</ref> Sangster, O'Brien and Adrian Petford collaborated with Network DVD on the extra features for the DVD releases.<ref name="petford"/>

[[Big Finish Productions]], which produces [[radio drama|audio plays]] based on sci-fi properties, particularly ''[[Doctor Who]]'', was named after the title of the final episode of the second series. Moffat himself is an ardent ''Doctor Who'' fan, and became the programme's lead writer and executive producer in 2009.<ref name="moffatstart">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/07_july/20/who.shtml|title=The time has come ... filming has begun on Doctor Who|publisher=BBC|date=20 July 2009|access-date=10 January 2010}}</ref>

Moffat has integrated many references to secondary characters and locations in ''Press Gang'' in his later work. His 1997 sitcom ''[[Chalk (TV series)|Chalk]]'' refers to a neighbouring school as Norbridge High, run by Mr Sullivan, and to the characters Dr Clipstone ("UneXpected"), Malcolm Bullivant ("Something Terrible") and David Jefford ("Monday-Tuesday"/"There are Crocodiles"),<ref name="addinfo"/> a pupil who Mr Slatt ([[David Bamber]]) reprimands for [[masturbating]].<ref>{{cite episode |title=Mother |series=Chalk |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Juliet May |network=BBC 1 |airdate=27 March 1997 |series-no=1 |number=6}}</ref> The name "Talwinning" appears as the name of streets in "A Quarter to Midnight" and ''Joking Apart'',<ref>{{cite episode |series=Joking Apart |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Bob Spiers |network=BBC 2 |airdate=17 January 1995 |series-no=2 |number=3}}</ref> and as the surname of the protagonist in "Dying Live", an episode of ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'' written by Moffat,<ref>{{cite episode |title=Dying Live |series=Murder Most Horrid |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Dewi Humphreys |network=BBC 2 |airdate=25 May 1996 |series-no=3 |number=3}}</ref> as well as the name of a librarian in his ''Doctor Who'' prose short story, "Continuity Errors", which was published in the 1996 [[Virgin Books]] anthology ''[[Virgin Decalog|Decalog 3: Consequences]]''.<ref>{{cite book |title=Continuity Errors |series=Virgin Decalog 2: Consequences |author=Steven Moffat |editor1=Andy Lane |editor2=Justin Richards |publisher=Virgin Publishing | year=1996}}</ref> The name "Inspector Hibbert", from "The Last Word", is given to the character played by Nick Stringer in "Elvis, Jesus and Jack", Moffat's final ''Murder Most Horrid'' contribution.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Elvis, Jesus and Jack |series=Murder Most Horrid |credits=wr. Steven Moffat, dir. Tony Dow |network=BBC 2 |airdate=26 May 1999 |series-no=4 |number=5}}</ref> Most recently, in the first episode of Moffat's ''[[Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll]]'', Mr Hyde ([[James Nesbitt]]) whistled the same tune as Lynda in "Going Back to Jasper Street".

===Proposed television movie===
A television film called "Deadline" was planned. It was set a few years after the series and aimed at a more adult audience. At one stage in 1992, series 4 was intended to be the last, and the movie was proposed as a follow-up. However, making of the film fell through when a fifth series was commissioned instead. The idea of the follow-up film was reconsidered several times during the 1990s, but every time fell through for various reasons.<ref name="addinfo"/>

In June 2007, ''[[The Stage]]'' reported that Moffat and Sawalha are interested in reviving ''Press Gang''. He said: "I would revive that like a shot. I would love to do a reunion episode—a grown-up version. I know Julia Sawalha is interested—every time I see her she asks me when we are going to do it. Maybe it will happen—I would like it to."<ref>{{cite web |title=Steven Moffat wants to bring back 'Press Gang' |work=[[The Stage]] |url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/06/steven_moffat_wants_to_bring_back_press_gang.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930183006/http://www.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2007/06/steven_moffat_wants_to_bring_back_press_gang.php |archive-date=30 September 2007 |date=13 June 2007 |access-date=15 June 2007}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' advocated the show's revival, arguing that "a revamped ''Press Gang'' with Moffat at the helm could turn the show from a cult into a national institution - a petri dish for young acting and writing talent to thrive. It's part of our TV heritage and definitely worthy of resuscitation."<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Donaghy |date=28 July 2008|title=Press Gang: a programme worth reviving |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/jul/28/pressgangaprogrammeworthr |work=The Guardian |access-date=24 July 2012}}</ref>

At the [[Edinburgh International Television Festival]] in August 2008, Moffat told how he got drunk after the wrap party for ''[[Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll]]'' and pitched the idea of a ''Press Gang'' reunion special to the Head of Drama at the BBC, [[John Yorke (television producer)|John Yorke]]. Despite Yorke's approval, the writer said that he was too busy with his work on ''[[Doctor Who]]'' to pursue the idea.<ref>{{cite news |title=Off Cuts goes to Edinburgh |url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2008/08/off_cuts_goes_to_edinburgh.html;jsessionid=A33CE4A4634AC26D50D1371FEB85FC0D |work=[[Broadcast (magazine)|Broadcast]] |date=26 August 2008 |access-date=27 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202085449/http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2008/08/off_cuts_goes_to_edinburgh.html;jsessionid=A33CE4A4634AC26D50D1371FEB85FC0D |archive-date=2 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Press Gang movie in the pipeline? |work=This is Plymouth |date=26 August 2008 |url=http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Press-Gang-movie-pipeline/story-12685153-detail/story.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913033008/http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Press-Gang-movie-pipeline/story-12685153-detail/story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 September 2012 |access-date=27 August 2008  }}</ref>

==Merchandise==
Several products have been released, specifically four novelisations, a video and the complete collection on DVD.

Four [[novelisation]]s were written by Bill Moffat and published by Hippo Books/Scholastic in 1989 and 1990 based on the first two series. ''First Edition'' was based on the first three episodes,<ref>{{cite book |last=Moffat |first=Bill |title=Press Gang: First Edition |year=1989 |publisher=Scholastic Publications Ltd |location=London |isbn=0-590-76162-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fromeggtorobin00cani }}</ref> with ''Public Exposure'' covering "Interface" and "How to Make a Killing."<ref>{{cite book |last=Moffat |first=Bill |title=Press Gang: Public Exposure |year=1989 |publisher=Scholastic Publications Ltd |location= London |isbn= 0-590-76163-3}}</ref> The third book, ''Checkmate'', covered "Breakfast at Czar's", "Picking Up the Pieces" and "Going Back to Jasper Street", and reveals that Julie left the graphics department to go to art college.<ref>{{cite book |last=Moffat |first=Bill |title=Press Gang: Checkmate |year=1990 |publisher=Scholastic Publications Ltd |location= London |isbn= 0-590-76299-0}}</ref> The fourth and final book, ''The Date'', is a novelisation of "Money, Love and Birdseed", "Love and the Junior Gazette" and "At Last a Dragon."<ref name="addinfo">{{cite web |last=Newton |first=Matthew |url=http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pginfo.htm |title=Press Gang Additional Information |work=Newton's Laws of TV |access-date=19 December 2006 |archive-date=4 November 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991104030306/http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pginfo.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Moffat |first=Bill |title=Press Gang: The Date |year=1990 |publisher=Scholastic Publications Ltd |location= London |isbn= 0-590-76300-8}}</ref> Each book featured an eight-page photographic insert.<ref name="putp"/>

VCI Home Video, with Central Video, released one volume on VHS in 1990 featuring the first four episodes: "Page One", "Photo Finish", "One Easy Lesson" and "Deadline."<ref name="addinfo"/><ref>{{cite video |year=1989 |title=Press Gang |medium=VHS video |publisher=VCI |id=VC1112}}</ref> The complete series of ''Press Gang'' is available on DVD (Region 2, UK) from Network DVD and in Australia (Region 4) from Force Entertainment. Four episodes of the second series DVD features an [[audio commentary]] by [[Julia Sawalha]] and Steven Moffat, in which the actress claims to remember very little about the show.<ref name="moffint"/> [[Shooting script]]s and extracts from Jim Sangster's programme guide (published by Leomac Publishing) are included in [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] format from series two onwards. The second series DVD set also contains the only existing copy, in [[Offline editing|offline]] edit form, of an unaired documentary filmed during production of series two.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=50 |title=Press Gang The Complete Series 2 |work=Network DVD |access-date=16 November 2007}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book| last=Booy |first=Miles |year=2012 |title=Love and Monsters: The Doctor Who Experience, 1979 to the Present |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn=978-1848854796}}
*{{cite book |last= Cornell |first= Paul |author-link=Paul Cornell |chapter= Press Gang |editor1-last =Cornell |editor1-first=Paul |editor2-first=Martin |editor2-last=Day |editor3-first=Keith |editor3-last=Topping |editor2-link =Martin Day (writer) |editor3-link=Keith Topping |title= The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year= 1993 |isbn=0-85112-543-3}}
*{{cite book |first=Jeff |last=Evans |author-link=Jeff Evans |title=The Guinness Television Encyclopedia |publisher=Guinness |year=1995 |isbn= 0-85112-744-4}}
*{{cite book |title=The hill and beyond: children's television drama : an encyclopedia |first1=Alistair D. |last1=McGown |first2=Mark J. |last2=Docherty |isbn=0-85170-879-X |publisher=British Film Institute |year=2003 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hillbeyondchildr0000mcgo }}
*{{cite book |editor1-first=Jim |editor1-last=Sangster |title=Press Gang Programme Guide |year=1995 |publisher= Leomac Publishing |isbn=0-9526955-0-2}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Television|United Kingdom}}

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