Television: 'Press Gang' (1989-1993)

Okay, I might be ten or twenty years late this time but it is worth it because we're talking about 'Press Gang'. This incredible show ran for five series but I only really like first two, which are quite different to the later sets. 'Press Gang' could easily be dismissed as a kids show based on a frivolous and unrealistic conceit but it functions on many different levels. At it's core it's a romantic comedy of lovely almost lost, but on an episode-by-episode basis we have mystery, capers, farce, tragedy and real life issues presented small. It's all such a bizarre mix but it works.

So, what was 'Press Gang' about in those first two sets of episodes? Well, it was a landmark ITV series about a junior newspaper staffed by gifted and problematic children from local schools. It starred Julia Sawalha (who was adorable beyond belief) and Dexter Fletcher as hard-nosed editor Linda Day and wayward American reporter Spike Thomson. Dexter Fletcher of course isn't American but he does a pretty good job and pulls off his witty dialogue really well, sparking like a wild thing with his real life amour of the time. The other stand out cast member was Paul Reynolds as Colin Mathews, the advertising man and chief scammer. He's notable for incredible timing and being the heart behind one of the most notable 'issue' stories in the whole run.

'Issue stories', the poison pills of television series, were mostly handled with aplomb by 'Press Gang' and its chief writing brain Steven Moffat, long before his successes in 'Coupling', 'Doctor Who' and his utterly awesome two episodes of 'Sherlock'. Those two 'Sherlock' episodes are about twenty times as good as the other four. Subjects tackled include the problems of being paraplegic, death due to drug abuse, suicide and sexual abuse. It's a mark of genius that an all out comedy one week can be followed by an issue episode the following week and it not be incongruous. Kids shows had not done that before. Adults can watch this show now (once the first two or three episodes break it in) and still find it interesting.

I won't go on too much longer. There are things to be treasured in 'Press Gang', and things to be tolerated as endearing. There are a lot of tropes in side characters, but it really doesn't matter as Spike and Linda are throwing barbs of with at each other in vain attempts to forestall what is bound to happen. We all know that Spike will eventually slay that dragon and win the girl, against the backdrop of that incredibly silly news room. We know that at the end of the second series the final scene should have been the preliminary toward their getting together and not the split that actually occurred in the interregnum. They should have been together, blast it!

O.

(Revisited here...http://mightyclomp.blogspot.com/2016/11/television-press-gang-1989-1993.html)