Distributor:
Force Entertainment Certificate: PG | 302
Minutes | Region 4 | PAL Format | 2 disc
Available to buy Extras: No
ANYONE
IN IT WE KNOW?
Julia
Sawalha, Dexter Fletcher, Gabrielle Anwar, Lucy Benjamin, Paul Reynolds,
Charlie Creed-Miles, Lee Ross, Clive Ward
WHAT’S
IT ABOUT THEN?
Rightly
regarded as one of the UK's best
teen drama series ever Press
Gang (written by Steven Moffat
who would later go on to script
the superlative Joking Apart and
Coupling) with its quick fire
repartee reminiscent of American
shows like Moonlighting
follows
a group of teens working on the junior Gazette, an offshoot of the local
newspaper, the gang answered only to Gazette editor Matt Kerr (the
always reliable Clive Ward) and were led by the feisty Lynda Day (Julia
Sawalha who would later go on to Absoloutely Fabulous), Dexter Fletcher
plays wisecracking American Spike Thompson who is only working on the
paper under sufferance but has a real chemistry love hate vibe type
thing going on with Lynda; Paul Reynolds pretty much steals every scene
he is in as the finger in every pie advertising manager Colin Matthews,
never one to miss a scam Colin provides most of the laugh out loud
moments in this first season.
Extremely
witty all round though Press Gang also has a serious side, Moffat uses
the topic of the paper to cover weighty topics such as drugs and in the
first couple of episodes even political corruption. A proper ensemble
comedy of a type quite rare on UKTV in general never mind Children's TV,
Press Gang hasn't dated at all and is still as entertaining now as on
its original run.
This
two disc set from Force has all 12 episodes from the first series, no
extras but comprehensive sleeve notes and is very well worth a look.
