Doctor Who legend Steven Moffat teases new TV show: "It’s the closest thing I’ve done to Press Gang"

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

Press Gang, the ITV comedy drama that ran from 1989 to 1993 and followed the production of a newspaper for and by young people, was a touchstone piece of children’s television. Quick-witted, gritty when it needed to be, rarely preachy and thoroughly unsentimental, it made an established writer — and Bafta winner — out of Steven Moffat, who wrote all of its 43 episodes, a star out of its lead Julia Sawalha (who would go on to Absolutely Fabulous and Jonathan Creek) and actual journalists out of many of its devoted fans — including myself and Radio Times’s deputy editor.

“The show was a self-portrait of the people making it — we were just running around being adults for the first time,” says Moffat today. “What’s fun about bumping into the cast now is that they’re starting to realise I was only slightly older than them. Julia thought I was about 50 or something. I was 26.”

For inspiration, Moffat cites Cheers, Moonlighting and The Kids from Fame: “I was just channelling those shows’ wit, speed and exuberance and doing my version.” While he pooh-poohs the idea of an authorial voice — “I’ve never even thought about it. That’s just how I write” — you can hear it in Press Gang’s crackling dialogue, its inventiveness with story, and through characters like Sawalha’s ambitious, courageous but flawed editor Lynda Day.

He remembers: “I was always being told, ‘We’ve got to see Lynda’s inner vulnerability,’ and I’d always say, ‘Why?’ I’ve met strong people in my life, and you know what? They’re not particularly vulnerable. When you get Doctor Who right, the Doctor is not looking for your approval and doesn’t particularly think he’s the hero.”

He adds: “I’m constantly apologising my way through life. But I’m fascinated by the unrepentant and I’ve written several versions [of them] over the years.” Madeline (played by Karen Gillan) in his 2024 comedy drama, Douglas is Cancelled, is one of those versions. “Madeline’s very much the case of ‘Just because something bad happened to me doesn’t make me a hero. I’m just dealing with that as best I can, not asking for anybody’s applause, and certainly not anybody’s pity.’”

So Moffat’s not a fan of today’s fashion for weaponising one’s victimhood? “If I was an evil right-winger, I’d be encouraging people to do so, because it doesn’t work — even if it might seem to in the moment,” he says. “It’s so bad now. Everybody needs to have a diagnosis of some [kind of] mental illness. I’m absolutely certain I could have loads of acronyms — I’m every kind of compulsive. But so what?”

Having “not been out of work in 39 years, so I’m not doing badly”, the Sherlock writer is currently busy with Number 10, his drama set behind the scenes of government, the party of which is never specified, for Channel 4. It stars Rafe Spall as the Prime Minister and Katherine Kelly as his chief of staff.

“It’s the closest thing I’ve done to Press Gang,” he says. “Essentially, it’s a workplace comedy, although I don’t really think it’s a comedy any more than Press Gang was a comedy. It’s just quite funny a lot of the time.”

So, will Moffat be tuning in for Press Gang now it’s showing again on Rewind TV? Awkwardly, he will not. “I like the current stuff, but I always find my old stuff difficult to watch.”

He is, however, open to a Press Gang reunion. “Well, I would. But I can’t imagine anyone would be banging on my door to do it. We’re all quite long in the tooth to be a voice for today’s youth. I was at Dexter Fletcher’s 60th birthday party recently!”

Press Gang is on Rewind TV weekdays at 6:30pm from Monday 2 March. Number 10 will air on Channel 4.

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