Do my Gosseberry and Blackcurrant bushes need pruning and when?

[Pixiefish]

I was given some Gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes which we hhave planted in the garden. They are very bushy. Do they need pruning back?

I'm no expert but I remember that my dad used to cut the bushes back when he was harvesting the fruit. He would cut the branches back to the stem and then pick the fruit from the branches. Seemed to work fine but don't know if it's the conventional way.

Just checked my gardening book for you and for gooseberries it says to prune when crop id finished, cutting out dead/damaged wood. For black currants it says after 2 years growth, to prune anually in winter, cutting out a third of the old darker branches to make way for new stems.