Hello, Junior Gazette! Series 1 #PGat35 (updated)
The single most important uncredited star of Press Gang was the telephone.
Photo Finish marks the introduction of the illicit newsroom phone (a BT Tremolo model, in red), and signals the beginning of repeated and persistent phone use throughout the entire series…
One Easy Lesson… in trying to hide your illicit telephone. Too bad Mr Kerr is dead smart. After her initial shock, Lynda appears very happy to hear from him…
It’s a good job Matt Kerr let them keep the phone. It gets an exhausting work-out in Deadline.
Poor Spike. Lynda uses the phone as a deadly weapon in A Night In.
The telephone gets a brief respite and lets the megabyte modems do the heavy-lifting in Interface.
Kenny is forced to speak to a girl on the phone in How To Make A Killing Part 1.
Lots of legwork and more Kenny/Jenny phone angst in How To Make A Killing Part 2.
Watch out! Tony Nolan Phone Ranger is in town, in Both Sides of the Paper…
Lots of legwork and a virtual changing room in the car park means the telephone gets a well-earned rest, but it’s a phone call to the speaking clock which ensures that Sherlock Homer and Miss Jackson ultimately get their men in Money, Love & Birdseed.
The phone keeps ringing but Lynda’s not answering, and Colin says “Heil!” in Monday-Tuesday.
Who needs an Assistant Editor when you’ve got a phone?
A NIGHT IN, by Ash Stewart #PGat35
IMPORTANT: This review contains SPOILERS. Massive great honking ones. If you haven’t ever seen Press Gang (Seriously?! Are you a KD?!!! What are you even doing here reading this, you fool?! Click right on over to Amazon, buy yourself the complete series boxset and remedy that situation immediately before you read any further…) #CommissionsEarned
It’s Saturday afternoon, and Lynda is handing out ‘yellows’…
I don’t know how A Night In came about, but as it’s a bottle show using only the regular cast, and just the newsroom, chances are it was a money saving exercise. That’s the usual reason. Often such shows don’t really work too well. This isn’t one of those times.
The premise of A Night In is that it’s a Saturday night shift. And no-one wants to work Saturday night…
Lynda uses every trick in the book to get Spike to work the shift; initially making it sound like she’s suggesting she and Spike go on a date, before getting all Dirty Harry on his ass… only, instead of using the most powerful handgun in the world she uses the red office phone.
The thing about good TV is that when you’re watching it it should feel real. That’s not to say it should be realistic. Press Gang certainly feels real, but is in no way realistic. The world that is created by the show is one that you can fully believe in, so that when odd things happen they feel real for the world we’re in.
Take the argument between Spike and Lynda when they’re toe to toe, just after he’s arrived for his shift; no-one would ever, ever, have an argument where every retort is dripping with wit. But, Spike and Lynda would, and therefore it feels real. For an episode like this one, that’s very important as the pair of them spend so much time bickering in a ‘we-hate-each-other-except-we-really-love-each-other-but-can’t-admit-it-yet’ kind of manner that is so typical of their relationship.
Both Spike and Lynda are hiding their feelings throughout the episode in different ways. Lynda’s coming to terms with her boyfriend dumping her by throwing herself in to her work… and by destroying pencils. Whereas Spike uses humour to ease the pain caused by the fights between his mum and dad, and the multiple times she left. By the end of the episode there’s kind of an understanding between the pair of them, and they’re further along the road to the inevitable day when Spike will slay a dragon for Lynda.
And talking of odd things, a character shouldn’t be able to spend almost the entire episode in a pink rabbit outfit and make it work. But it does. It’s largely due to the strength of Paul Reynolds’ performance that makes this work; his comic timing is just superb.
The state of Colin’s mind, as he descends in to madness throughout the episode is mirrored by the condition of the rabbit suit. In pristine condition at the start, and frayed and wrecked by the end of the episode. You really feel sorry for him as he crawls under the table and whimpers, once he believes his business life is over.
Incidentally; a point here about fancy dress, and wakes… Colin turning up at Warner Edison’s wake dressed as a bunny pre-dates a certain pair of beloved comedy characters dressed as Batman & Robin arriving at a wake by almost seven years… just throwing that in there.
We’re also starting to get the beginnings of a burgeoning sense of continuity here; Pings crop up, unheralded, a couple of times as the earrings Tiddler wears, and as Colin’s bunny nose. And, as mentioned, we have a great use of the red telephone. It’s something that will only increase in time, in a way that those who pay attention will notice; yet not in a way that crosses over in to fanwank.
A Night In is a real change in pace from what we’ve seen so far with Press Gang; whereas the four previous episodes are very plot driven, here we have a really neat piece of character drama where very little actually happens. It’s a sign of confidence that the show can do something like this so early in its run and make it work, but Press Gang manages it.
READ MORE from Ash at his blog DIGRESSION…!
Press Gang @ 35 