[pressgang] Episode 7: How To Make A Killing - Part 1

[Laura Nunn]

Eldest and I watched this together today. I'd always remembered it as a bit
of a preachy episode, but actually it was quite a lot of fun (we haven't
watched Episode 2 yet). The Spike/Lynda bickering ("of course I'm jealous;
I wish I were someone you'd never met") was on point, and we both really
enjoyed Kenny winding Lynda up with the egg and spoon race story ("he still
walks with a limp").

I thought it was odd that Jenny goes to Macton Prep - prep schools ending
at about age 13 makes her inappropriately young for Kenny. However, the
fact that she looks much older, I suspect either a difference in the
Scottish school system that Moffat was writing from, or just a catch-all
term for private school being used incorrectly.

A dark line from Spike again, when being told the dead boy didn't live at
the flats: "that's putting it mildly".

Eldest really enjoyed Kenny being teased about his straw. Excellent acting
from Lee Ross in this scene - the teenage embarrassment was palpable.

Kids' tv definitely seems grittier back in the 80s/90s; admittedly mine
mostly watch Netflix / CBeebies / Disney+, so perhaps there is still
grittier stuff out there on CBBC - but even when I think of e.g. Tracy
Beaker, it's much more gentle than kids' deaths from drug abuse. Still, I
guess today's youth have got actual war and plague to contend with, so
perhaps we shouldn't begrudge them some escapism.

On Fri, 4 Mar 2022 at 15:56, Vince Deehan <vince.deehan at gmail.com> wrote:

> PRESS GANG
>
> Series 1
>
> Episode 7 - How To Make A Killing - Part 1
>
> Watched Friday March 4th
>
> Apologies for being so late with my copy this week. Lynda would not have
> approved, as the week is almost over and the deadline was approaching.
>
> I have the day off work today so I started my day by finally catching up
> with How To Make A Killing -Part 1. It’s a very interesting episode and the
> first of several two-part stories for Press Gang.
>
> The episode begins with someone, presumably Danny the photographer, taking
> some very well composed and artful black and white shots of a school girl
> drawing a chalk outline on the ground. The school girl is wearing what is
> very recognisable to most UK viewers as a private school uniform. The two
> clues are the colour of her blazer and the hat she is carrying. Private
> (aka pay-feeing schools) usually have much brighter coloured school
> uniforms. I always thought this made them a sitting target for abuse and
> heckling from any state school children they may encounter on their way to
> and from school. The hat is the other clue. I think it’s probably just for
> the girls, but I have never seen a state school which had a hat as part of
> the uniform. I still see schoolchildren today wearing these private school
> uniforms. I wonder if they feel at all self conscious and horribly exposed.
> I know I would.
>
> I suspect the uniform is seen as a source of pride by their parents, but I
> doubt many of the kids like being so easily spotted as ‘posh’ private
> school kids. Can you tell from all this, that I went to a state school? I
> did wonder if the actor Sadie Frost, who plays the ‘pavement artist’ Jenny,
> refused to wear the hat. I’m pretty certain we never see her wearing it.
> You just see her carrying it in her hand.
>
> Great scene with Billy Homer and Chrissie, where he unleashes a torrent of
> comments and jokes that seem designed to make her as uncomfortable as
> possible. He really is impossible to patronise and likes to have the upper
> hand. I admire that about him. He skirts very close to being quite
> obnoxious, but somehow just goes as far to that line as possible and holds
> back - even only a little. I wonder if this was very much like the real
> personality of the actor who plays Billy, Andy Crowe. Did I read somewhere
> that Andy Crowe had died? He made a big impression in Press Gang. There
> were almost no disabled actors on T.V. back in 1989, maybe none at all.
>
> He was really breaking new ground.
>
> The scene at the train station when Kenny switches the briefcases is
> pretty creepy and weird.
>
> I like the way that Jenny reacts when Spike and Frazz start shouting at
> her to get her attention.
>
> She just turns away from them. I wonder if boys today would still behave
> like this. I suspect yes? Maybe groups of teenage girls do the same to boys
> they fancy, but want to tease and taunt them first. I literally have no
> idea.
>
> The scene when Kenny effectively goes on a date with Jenny at Czar’s Cafe
> is excellent.
>
> I know Lee Ross is a superb actor, but I did start to wonder if he was
> genuinely shy and nervous
>
> sitting across from the extremely attractive Sadie Frost. His blushing and
> awkwardness is palpable. Maybe Lee was really feeling this way too. Sadie
> Frost plays it so cool and confident.
>
> The comments from the waitress Maria about Kenny and his penchant for
> having a straw in his coke, are hilarious. Jenny says Kenny is like a teddy
> bear. I agree. He really is so sweet and likeable.
>
> Just looked up the ages of Lee Ross and Sadie Frost. Sadie was born in
> 1965 and Lee in 1971,
>
> Meaning that in 1988 during filming that scene Lee was around 17 years old
> and Sadie was  23 years old. No wonder he looks so shy sitting in front of
> her. He was very much still a boy and she was an adult woman.
>
> What was the point of Frazz sitting behind Kenny at the cafe? He wasn’t
> recording the conversation, was he? I don’t think so. In hindsight, when
> re-watching it you can kind of see it’s him as the scene starts.
>
> I really enjoyed this episode and I look forward to watching the second
> part next week.
>
> Thanks for reading to the end.
>
> Have a great weekend everyone!
>
> Vince Deehan
>
> https://youtu.be/_8PdTY1GvTc
>
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