On Thursday 4th September 2008 The 'Portsmouth' News printed a double page article on Going Out written by Nadine Bateman, (helped by me and Portsmouth local and fan, Sean).

Click the above for readable version. Opens in new window. 3mb

Welcome to all you need to know about Going Out. At least it will be when its finished!!

I searched for info on Going Out for quite some time and found nothing. I even began to believe that I had imagined the whole series. I contacted ITV to see who has the rights to the series, no response. I contacted Mersey TV, Phil Redmonds company, and had no response from them either – then by chance, a brief note on a message board led me to a video copy of the series owned by a private collector.

I then decided that if I was looking for info, others must be looking too; and so www.going-out.org.uk was built. In 2006 I contacted ITV & Mersey TV again. Still no response from Mersey TV but I did get a reply from ITV – their response was ‘We have no record of this series’. I also tried Channel 4, as there are some who think they saw it in the early days of the channel – but have had no reply.

Enjoy the site, I will add to it as and when I have the time. I hope it brings back some good memories as it did, and still does, for me.

Thanks for looking
Dave, November 2006.

Going Out was a six part, thirty minute episode, drama series written by Phil Redmond (Grange Hill, Brookside etc) and produced by the ex-ITV franchise, Southern Television. The series followed the first six weeks after Sean, Roger Sammy, Cathy and Gerry were released from school and onto Thatcher’s scrap heap. Along with Dikey, who'd already been drawing his Giro for a year, they tried to avoid the nutter Arty 'Haggis' Jackson and his 'crew'.

With Marcus Francis. Gerard Kelly, Eric Richard, Andrew Paul, Perry Benson, Michele Winstanley, Linda Robson, Ray Burdis and others

It was broadcast in 1981 in various ITV regions at various times and days, usually late at night.

The series showed the normal problems that faced us when we left school in the early 80s. No job, no future, no hope…. but plenty of parties, a bit of agro and the chance of a quick snog with Cathy!!

Southern TV logo copyright Nic Ayling. (Thanks Nic)

UPDATE - May 2008 - The new shop is going very well, but unfortunately not giving me very much spare time to update/finish this site.

However, there is a new Going Out group on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17422809618 ) which has recently been set up, pop in and have a look.

I have copies of the complete series to swap or sell, please email me for details. Thanks Dave.

UPDATE - May 2007 - I am currently in the process of starting a business and so my time with this site has to be limited. I have plans for a complete revamp at some time in the future but am not sure exactly when yet. In the meantime please continue to send me anything that I can use for the site in the future revamp.

My thanks already go to Gavin for his scan of a rare cassete copy of the Jugg theme tune. (here). and also to Sean who will be re-photographing some of the filming locations in Portsmouth & Southampton. And to all the others who have kindly given me information and pictures and memories of the series. I hope to incorporate all the new info into the revamped site.

I have also had offers from people in the Liverpool area to knock on Mr Redmonds door and ask him to please get the series the re-release it deserves.

I have been told that the power of a fan site got another old show re-released, maybe we could do the same? Any volunteers to organise a campaign?

I really wish that I could devote more time to this site, but until my new venture starts paying its way, I must concentrate on that. I am still staggered by the amount of communication I receive from the site. I can assure you that you and I are not the only ones that remember this series with fondness. Strangely, most of us were teenagers in 1981, and most of us got on with life quite successfully after we left school.

I have had emails from America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, various parts of Europe and lots from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We've all got one thing in common, we lived it, survived it and looking back, loved it!

Cheers, Dave
May 2007

For anyone who's interested. My new business is a model and hobby shop. (www.gascupboard.co.uk) As a skinhead all those years ago, I never thought that I'd own and run a model shop!! Its probably the only model shop in the country that plays ska/punk/soul music too!!! It does surprise some people, when they're more used to hearing Radio 3 in a model shop!! The online model shop will be coming very soon or you can visit my ebay shop (here).

My personal site & sub-domains