Editing Press Gang (section)

===Inception===
Bill Moffat, a headmaster from [[Glasgow]], had an idea for a children's television programme called ''The Norbridge Files''.<ref>Stephen O'Brien and Jim Sangster {{cite web|title=The Norbridge Files|work=Off the Telly|url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/childrens/pressgang.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218015921/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/childrens/pressgang.htm|archive-date=18 February 2007|date=February 2000|access-date=19 December 2006}}</ref> He showed it to a producer who visited his school, Thorn Primary School in [[Johnstone]], [[Renfrewshire]], when it was used as the location for an episode of [[Harry Secombe]]'s ''[[Highway (TV series)|Highway]]''.<ref name="herring">{{cite web|title=Interview With Steven Moffat for the Guardian Guide |work=richardherring.com |url=http://www.richardherring.com/press/press.php?id=10 |year=1997 |access-date=11 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031433/http://www.richardherring.com/press/press.php?id=10 |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Stuart |last=Jeffries |title='There is a clue everybody's missed': Sherlock writer Steven Moffat interviewed |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/20/steven-moffat-sherlock-doctor-who?newsfeed=true |date=20 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=Lourie>{{cite news|author= Lourie, Adrian|date= 22 March 2010|url= http://www.scotsman.com/features/Interview-Steven-Moffat-Doctor-Who.6169021.jp|title= Interview: Steven Moffat, Doctor Who screenwriter|work=The Scotsman |access-date= 22 March 2010}}</ref> Producer Sandra C. Hastie liked the idea and showed it to her future husband Bill Ward, co-owner of her company Richmond Films and Television. When she requested a script, Moffat suggested that his 25-year-old son Steven, an English teacher, should write it. Hastie said that it was "the best ever first script" that she had read.<ref>{{harvnb|Cornell|1993|p=215}}</ref>

All 43 episodes were written by [[Steven Moffat]]. During production of series two, he was having an unhappy personal life after the break-up of his first marriage. His wife's new lover was represented in the episode "The Big Finish?" by the character Brian Magboy ([[Simon Schatzberger]]), a name inspired by Brian: Maggie's boy. Moffat brought in the character so that all sorts of unfortunate things would happen to him, such as having a [[typewriter]] dropped on his foot.<ref name="big finish">Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, "The Big Finish?" ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD audio commentary</ref> This period in Moffat's life would also be reflected in his sitcom ''[[Joking Apart]]''.<ref>''Joking Apart: Series 1'' DVD audio commentary, and featurette</ref>

Central Independent Television had confidence in the project, so rather than the show being shot at their studios in [[Nottingham]] as planned, they granted Richmond a £2 million budget. This enabled it to be shot on [[16 mm film]], rather than the regular, less expensive [[videotape]], and [[Filming location|on location]], making it very expensive compared with most children's television.<ref name="putp">O'Brien, Stephen. "Picking up the Pieces" ''Breakfast at Czar's'' Issue 1. [Available as a PDF file on the ''Press Gang'' Series 2 DVD]</ref> These high production costs almost led to its cancellation at the end of the second series, by which time Central executive Lewis Rudd was unable to commission programmes by himself.<ref name="big finish"/>