Press Gang (1989-1993)

Back in the 80s, before Sherlock and Doctor Who, Steven Moffet was a school teacher who a good gift for writing. His big television break was an idea from his father about a newspaper run by teenagers. Adults giving kids a chance to be treated as adults. This idea became the ITV program Press Gang, which went on to become one of the most successful shows in British television and broke ground for future programming.

Unfortunately the show can't be bought in the U.S. and it wasn’t on Netflix, so my next (and only) chance was YouTube. Thankfully, I came across an account that had started to upload the entire show. Needless to say, I was thrilled! The episode count takes a rapid decline after season 2, which was a little disappointing, but the content in the later seasons was excellent.

Season 1 - 13 episodes

Season 2 - 13 episodes

Season 3 - 6 episodes

Season 4 - 6 Episodes

Season 5 - 6 Episodes

You can find the playlist here

Set in the fictional town of Norbridge, England, The Junior Gazette is a fledgling project at Norbridge High School, with volunteers from the school and neighboring schools. The Gazette is also used as a last chance attempt for school troublemakers who are on the road to becoming future delinquents. Run by Lynda Day, a brash, no nonsense, workaholic whose only goal is the success of the school paper, written by the youth and for the youth.

The Senior Staff of The Junior Gazette
L-R: Colin, Fraz, Lynda (sitting), Sarah, Kenny, Spike

Lynda Day: Viewed by many as a soulless, power hungry, bitch that will sink to any depth to get what she wants. A pretty honest description of Lynda. However, to succeed in the adult world, Lynda can’t be a shrinking violet. She’s at The Junior Gazette to work, not to make friends.

James "Spike" Thomson: A popular American teen who has never seemed to fit in anywhere until he came to The Gazette. Faced with expulsion from school for his reckless behavior, Spike’s last chance is to work at the paper. Although rebellious and arrogant at first, Spike proves to be a good up and coming writer.

Kenny Phillips: Lynda’s closest friend who understands her better than anyone. As assistant editor of The Junior Gazette, Kenny takes on all the grunt work that Lynda won’t deal with. Known as ‘the nice guy,’ Kenny is reliable and always willing to take on any task for his friends.

Sarah Jackson: The Junior Gazette’s talented head writer and sometimes the only voice of reason. Although she loves her place at The Junior Gazette, Sarah dreams of writing professionally, which might cause her to leave the staff, much to Lynda’s dismay.

Colin Matthews: The devious, money grabbing bookkeeper whose sole purpose is to make sure that The Junior Gazette stays on top of finances. Colin will do anything for money, but his side hustles frequently land him in trouble and oftentimes he is seen more as a liability than an asset to The Gazette.

Frazer “Frazz” Davis: Spike’s best friend and partner in crime who is always up for some crazy idea. Essentially the fun older brother to the Junior Gazette Staff, Frazz’s daredevil nature has gotten his friends out of trouble and has even saved their lives.

From the moment Spike and Lynda meet, sparks fly and insults are hurled, so beginning a five year, on again/off again relationship, with a little Pride and Prejudice thrown in from time to time. While Lynda disregards Spike as annoying and irresponsible at first, Spike is immediately smitten with her and starts a never ending crusade to get Lynda to see that they’re meant to be with each other.

However, for Lynda, the paper and her future career as a successful editor take precedence and are forever pushing Spike away from her. Yet, the more time Lynda spends with Spike, the more she sees that his arrogant behavior comes from loneliness and a need for love and affection. Spike wants Lynda to be all she dreams to be, but not at the cost of utilizing people for her needs and then throwing them aside.

As the both of them mature, their love for each other becomes more passionate and consuming. Everything about them and their relationship is unpredictable and neither seems to know how the other really truly feels until it’s too late.

What made Press Gang such a success was that it showed kids actually wanting to succeed and thrive in the adult world. Press Gang dealt with heady issues such as child abuse, drugs, suicide and gun violence. Comedy and drama and written well together. Most of the episodes are humorous and fun, but then you’re immediately hit with an unexpected dramatic storyline that you just weren’t expecting.

All of the characters were great, but I had a hard time with Colin Matthews. They seemed to want a character that was devious, but lovable at the same time. However, they overshot it and most of the time Colin came off as very aggravating and downright annoying.

That fact that show was made 30 years ago and was therefore dated didn't bother me in the slightest. I love any show that dates back to the 80s and the 90s. Using old-fashioned typewriters, the newspaper was the only social media platform, pay phones were on every corner, Spike’s Walkman and Lynda’s massive mobile phone and everyone is so excited when they get a real computer! It was relieving to watch a show without someone mentioning Twitter, Instagram or Facebook or #thathappened.

My primary reason for watching the show was for Dexter Fletcher, who was absolutely adorable in his fake New York accent and the only character that actually had any fashion sense as well. His chemistry with Julia Sawalha was perfect and as the actors themselves were dating in real life, the show did a good job at subtly hinting that their lead characters were sleeping together.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how an American was portrayed in a British series. If Spike Thomson is how the British views Americans, well he’s as accurate as a description can get. At first look, arrogant, brash and full of himself, but also tough, resilient, never taking no for an answer and always ready with an idea. Spike is faithful to his friends and has a generous nature that doesn’t go unnoticed either. Steven Moffet completely nailed the all American character type.

Press Gang has been considered one the best shows in television history. It’s not overly done. You can relate to the characters and the problems addressed are not written to politicize the show. It’s the basic everyday simplicity of Press Gang that has made it so successful and memorable.