This is a list of television episodes from the British television show Press Gang. Press Gang was produced by Richmond Film & Television for Central, and screened on the ITV network in its regular weekday afternoon children's strand, Children's ITV. All 43 episodes across five series were written by Steven Moffat. The first episode was transmitted on 16 January 1989, and the final transmitted on 21 May 1993. The show gained an adult audience in an early evening slot when repeated on Sundays on Channel 4.
The show was based on the activities of the staff of the Junior Gazette, a children's newspaper initially produced by pupils from the local comprehensive school. The main story arc was the on-off romance between the newspaper's editor Lynda Day (Julia Sawalha) and Spike Thomson (Dexter Fletcher). The other main characters were assistant editor Kenny Phillips (Lee Ross), Sarah Jackson (Kelda Holmes), the paper's enterprising accountant Colin Mathews (Paul Reynolds) and Frazz Davies (Mmoloki Chrystie).
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."
Series overview
Episodes
Series 1 (1989) Most of the episodes in the first and second series had closing voice-overs featuring typically two characters. These are noted with each episode synopsis. The voice-overs were dropped for the third series onwards, as Moffat felt they were not working as well any more. Producer Sandra C. Hastie recalls that Moffat was "extremely angry" that Drop the Dead Donkey had adopted the style.
The first series established the characters and the style of the series. 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. Bob Spiers, who writer Moffat credits as setting the visual style, made his Press Gang directorial debut with "One Easy Lesson".
The show addressed its first serious issue in the two part story "How to Make a Killing", in which the team expose shopkeepers who sell solvents to underage customers. The penultimate episode, "Monday-Tuesday", sees a character commit suicide after being rejected from the writing team and told some home truths by Lynda. However, the series also features many comedic elements, some of which are referred to in later years. Colin's inadvertent attendance at a funeral dressed as a pink rabbit in "A Night In" is referenced in "Something Terrible: Part 2".
Series 2 (1990) Moffat was impressed with Lucy Benjamin's performance as Julie, and expanded her character for the second series. However she had committed herself to roles in the LWT sitcom Close to Home and Jupiter Moon, so the character was replaced by Sam Black (Gabrielle Anwar). The replacement occurred so close to the start of production that Sam was basically the character of Julie under a different name, especially in her earlier episodes.
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{ { Episode list
| Title = Something Terrible (Part 2) | DirectedBy = Bob Spiers | OriginalAirDate = | EpisodeNumber = 20 | EpisodeNumber2 = 8 | WrittenBy = Steven Moffat | ShortSummary = Colin tries helplessly to do something to stop Cindy's father from sexually abusing her, but his efforts come to nothing with everyone thinking he is just up to his latest scheme, until Lynda of all people offers to help, producing a special edition of the Junior Gazette dealing with child abuse.
Writer Moffat says that Press Gang'''s 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."
| LineColor = 3B97FF }} { { Episode list
| Title = The Big Finish? | DirectedBy = Bob Spiers | OriginalAirDate = | EpisodeNumber = 25 | EpisodeNumber2 = 13 | WrittenBy = Steven Moffat | ShortSummary = When Brian Magboy (Simon Schatzberger) arrives with news that the team could be replaced, it looks as if things may never be the same again at the Junior Gazette. Things are set to come to a head on the day of Kenny's big concert lined up, Spike is set to return to America unless Lynda tells him that she loves him, and Lynda awaits news about the Junior Gazette's future. | LineColor = 3B97FF }} }}