Lee Pressman - 21st Anniversary Interview

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To celebrate the twenty first anniversary of T-Bag first being broadcast in the UK, I've asked Lee a few questions about T-Bag, delving deep into T-Bag's 21 year history.

Lee was kind enough to reply to these questions, and a big thank you to him for his time and thoughts on the show, his help and contributions to the website is greatly appreciated.

The interview is below, in his own words...

Was the complete removal of the educational elements of the show in T. Bag Strikes Again your idea or an executive decision?

Grant and I didn’t exactly take a decision to drop the educational elements – they were barely there to begin with. But for us the show was about fun and adventure. We were storywriters not teachers, and we simply wanted to write a series that we enjoyed and made us laugh.

What was the reason for Diana Barrand replacing Jennie Stallwood in Turn on to T. Bag? Similarly, why did Diana Barrand and Natalie Wood not return for second series’? Did they choose not to return or were they no longer required?

The casting decisions were nothing to do with us (unfortunately). Various girls came and went during the filming and I can’t honestly say whether they jumped ship or were pushed. I guess the producers were constantly trying to ‘update’ the show.

Had you started writing T. Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom before Elizabeth Estensen left the series? Had she remained, would that particular series have been any different? Was Elizabeth Estensen’s appearance in T. Bag’s Christmas Carol a conciliatory gesture on the actress’s part or was this filmed immediately after T. Bag and the Revenge of the T. Set?

I don’t think so. Had Elizabeth stayed we’d probably have written it the same. But once we had witnessed Georgina’s unique style of delivery we obviously started to write with this particular actress in mind. As to ‘T. Bag’s Christmas Carol’ – I would have imagined it was recorded directly after ‘Revenge of the T.Set’.

Georgina Hale’s portrayal of Tabatha Bag seems more rounded and confident post-T. Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom: was this a result of your better knowledge of her abilities, the actress’s better understanding of the role, the change in director from Leon Thau to Glyn Edwards, or a combination of all three?

A combination of all three. It’s always difficult to take over the lead role in a long-running series, and Georgina obviously needed time to make the part her own. At the same time Grant and I had to get over the loss of Elizabeth (who we adored), and start writing for Georgina’s strengths. And changing director certainly made life easier for everyone concerned.

Did you find it easier working with Glyn Edwards than with Leon Thau?

I have gone on record before to say that working with Leon Thau was never easy. From day one he had very strong ideas about everything, and negotiation was not a word in his dictionary. He simply changed stuff, rewrote scripts, added new endings to the episodes, and generally had little respect for our work. Grant and I toiled really hard on every script, and it was dispiriting to have them chopped to pieces behind our backs. We admired Leon’s work as a comedy actor (he had a long and successful career with Michael Bentine and Spike Milliagan), and looked forward at first to working with him. But, as a director, he was difficult.

Glyn Edwards was delightful – friendly, open and totally into the madcap spirit of the show.

Do you think it was better or worse co-writing all the episodes (in the first series) than writing episodes individually (like in the latter series) and why?

Having come up with the original concept I was initially asked to write the series on my own. There was no way that this would ever have been possible – I just wasn’t experienced enough, and that first series was really tough going – we were creating the format as we went along. Asking Grant to help me was possibly the best idea I ever had in my life. We are both very different in almost everything, except maybe our sense of humour, and working together produced something very new and exciting for both of us, and hopefully for the audience.

Together as a team we enjoyed twelve fun-filled years, and created hundreds of scripts that neither one of us would ever have been able to produce on our own.

Writing the later shows individually was something we both needed to do just to prove to ourselves that we could strike out alone. But sitting in a room by yourself is not nearly as enjoyable as having someone else in there with you to share the laughs.

Funnily enough, by that time, we had probably become so similar in our writing styles that I’m not even sure it’s possible to identify the author of any particular later script.

Why did you choose to remove the curiosity shop from the series in T. Bag and the Sunstones of Montezuma? Similarly, why the change of theme tune?

Changing the music was nothing to do with us. I guess Glyn was going for that South American panpipe thing to tie in with the Aztec theme. I can’t honestly remember taking a decision to axe the old curiosity shop – maybe we had just run out of ideas to kick-start the series and wanted to plunge straight into the story.

Why did you choose to change the plot of the series so radically in Take off with T. Bag?

It wasn’t that radical. There was still an ongoing quest to collect something that linked all the episodes. Obviously we based the series on The Amazing Adventures of T-Bag novel that we had written. And to be honest, after golden letters, silver numbers, rings, bells, crystals, and teaspoons, it was getting tough to come up with new precious artefacts that needed to be gathered up!

Who were the party guests (and the waiter) at Tabatha Bag’s surprise party at the end of Take Off With T. Bag? Were these extras or members of the crew?

With T. Bag? Were these extras or members of the crew?

As far as I can remember they brought in a motley collection of extras. I remember being extremely disappointed to see that they weren’t even wearing exotic costumes – just their regular day clothes. They all looked very drab and dreary as guests at such a grand and colourful occassion. I haven’t watched it for years, but I seem to remember Bobby Webber, the stage manager, playing the waiter.

Was there another Christmas special planned before the show ended to be shown for Christmas 1992?

I don’t remember another Christmas special being planned, but we had definitely planned another series, hoping that we might tempt Elizabeth Estensen back as Tallulah. It featured T. Shirt running a successful teashop called ‘Tommy’s’.

Do you have a favourite episode/series of T. Bag?

I particularly liked some of the ‘backstage’ stories – the Bubble Boy always makes me laugh, the rock ‘n’ roll episode, and the Gone With The Wind spoof. The stone age episode is amusing, and the Parisian episode has its moments. Not forgetting the Mutiny on the Bounty show – ‘I only joined the navy to be near fish’ is a gorgeously silly idea. And I have to mention the one set on the boat where T.Bag regresses to become a little girl, firstly because Liz is so good in it, and secondly because it features a wonderful cameo performance by my pet guinea pig (now sadly deceased).

Where you surprised at the high viewing figures for the series? Do you know what the ratings for the series overall were? Which was the most successful series (in terms of viewing figures) and which was the least successful?

You have to remember that twenty years ago kids only had a choice of two channels. If the audience didn’t fancy watching The Really Wild Show (or whatever was on the BBC), they would be watching T. Bag. And that’s how we picked up huge viewing figures of five or six million – even beating shows like Dr Who!

I can’t remember any particular series being more or less popular than any other. If Thames TV hadn’t lost its franchise the show would probably have kept going for many more years.

If T-Bag was commercially released on DVD would you be willing to get involved with any extras (e.g. interviews, running commentaries etc)?

Absolutely. Definitely. Bring it on.

With the successfully revived Doctor Who on the BBC, what are your thoughts on bringing T. Bag back for the twenty-first century generation?

T. Bag is a very unique and original format, and I’m sure it could be re-invented and revived for a modern audience. The ongoing quest, the time travel, wacky characters and ingenious stories – there’s nothing else like it on TV. It wasn’t described in The Guardian as ‘a cross between Dr Who and Blackadder’ for nothing!

Have you any other comments or further thoughts about T-Bag you would like to share with everybody who grew up watching T-Bag?

It is constantly rewarding to read all the comments by ‘young adults’ in their twenties who grew up with the show, sharing their fond memories with other fans around the world. When Grant and I sat there two decades ago scribbling these funny little stories, cracking up with laughter as we dreamed up the weird and wonderful world of The T. Set, we had no idea that the show would continue to be appreciated so long after its conception. It was a difficult birth, but it’s grown up to be our favourite offspring.

So many thanks to everyone out there (especially Jamie at The High-T Website) for keeping the flame burning and the kettle boiling.

Only four years until the 25th anniversary!!!

Lee Pressman