List of Press Gang episodes

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".cite book |first=Jeff |last=Evans |title=The Guinness Television Encyclopedia |publisher=Guinness|year=1995 |pages =423 |isbn= 0851127444] Paul Cornell (1993) "Press Gang" In: cite book |last=Cornell |first=Paul. |coauthors=Martin Day, Keith Topping |title=The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year=1993 |pages=215–8 |id=ISBN 0-85112-543-3] 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 22 May 1993. The show gained an adult audience in an early evening slot when repeated on Sundays on Channel 4.Cornell, p. 218]

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." [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 |date=2007-06-13 |accessdate=2007-06-15]

eries

All episodes were released on DVD between 2004 and 2006. Network DVD released the series in the UK between 2004 and 2005, and Force Entertainment released it in Australia between 2005 and 2006. Each series was released periodically, culminating in a complete boxed set. The main difference in the packaging of each series was the varying colours of the "Press Gang" logo, which matched the disc menu.

eries 3

The "Junior Gazette" is now running commercially, although still under the main "Gazette" and still having to answer to Matt Kerr. Paul Cornell praises the continuity in this series, beginning with Lynda hiccuping in "The Big Hello", a reference to "At Last a Dragon". The same actress (Aisling Flitton) who played a wrong number in "Love and the Junior Gazette" reprised her character for "Chance is a Fine Thing". "Attention to detail" such as this is, according to Cornell, "one of the numerous ways that the series respects the intelligence of its viewers." [Cornell, p. 217]

References

General

*Paul Cornell (1993) "Press Gang" In: cite book |last=Cornell |first=Paul. |coauthors=Martin Day, Keith Topping |title=The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year=1993 |pages=215-8 |id=ISBN 0-85112-543-3

pecific

External links

*imdb title|0096679|Press Gang
* [http://www.itv.com/BestofITV/kids/pressgang/default.html "Press Gang"] at itv.com
* [http://www.yoyo.org/pressgang/stories/ Synopses based on the "Press Gang Original Series Guide" by Adrian Petford]
* [http://www.mjnewton.demon.co.uk/tv/pgmain.htm Matthew Newton's episode guide]