There was a time when Simon Pegg wasn't appearing in bad Star Trek films and starring in exceptional sitcoms which he had a big hand in writing - this is Spaced.
Now starting to edge over the ten years old mark, Spaced was a sitcom regarding two strangers (played by Pegg and Jessica Stevenson) who meet in a greasy spoon café, and figure out they both need somewhere to live, despite barely knowing each other. They move into a two bedroom flat owned by the creepy landlady Marsha and then the tales begin.
The two series predominantly feature storylines regarding Pegg and Stevenson's characters - Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner - but there are other characters heavily featured. Tim's best friend Mike (played by Pegg's good friend Nick Frost who stars in the likes of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead) is a 'weapons enthuasiast' and plays a big part in the Territorial Army...as his eyesight won't let him in the 'real one'. One episode humourously includes his bad experiences at Rough Ramblers when he tries an ill-executed eskimo roll...as you do!
Sharing a flat in the same house as Tim and Daisy is the confused Brian (played brilliantly by Mark Heap) - he's basically an eccentric 'conceptual artist' who works from home on various artworks he's concocting in bizarre fashion. We never find out why, but his relationship with Marsha strikes a nerve with him an numerous occasions. At one point during the series he does start going out with Daisy's best friend Twist (yes, Twist) who works in 'fashion' - a launderette. She's basically an airhead, ditzy blonde...and little else!
As the series go on, Tim's character attempts to achieve his dream job as an illustrator for Dark Star Comics nearly come true, whereas Daisy believes she can become a writer - spending most of her time behind a typewriter attempting it rather than actually doing it. In the time between the first and second series Daisy goes travelling around Asia to 'find herself'. When she returns, nothing changes!
The series grew a very large cult-following due to the various pop culture references - a lot of sci-fi films and video games are referred to -to such an extent that on the DVD for series two you can see which films and games have been referenced! There's also fast paced editing and music used from all walks of life. Anyone who's watched Hot Fuzz will notice a distinct similarity in the two - from the style of jokes used to the use of 'catchphrases' to parody the characters.
It was broadcast on Channel 4 when it first aired, and it's still the perfect sort of sitcom for the station today. The regular references to recreational drugs for example would mean it would have always struggled to make it on a station such as BBC One or Two, and various other sitcoms since Spaced on Channel 4 have attempted - often in vain - to be as successful as this was.
When series two finished, there was a possibility that a third series could appear, but Pegg and Stevenson have always denied that there will be. Having been so long since the end of the second series now, I think we all know what the answer will be unfortunately. The box-set of the series is available on Amazon for just £8.98; this is incredibly cheap for 14 episodes of first class comedy, so buy it now! It's also started showing on Dave (but then again, what isn't!) on Monday nights.
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Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Spacedis a sitcom like no other. The premise is simple enough: Daisy (Jessica Stevenson) ... more
and Tim (Simon Pegg) are out of luck and love, so pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat together. Downstairs neighbour and eccentric painter Brian suspect...
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Spacedis a sitcom like no other. The premise is simple enough: Daisy (Jessica Stevenson) ... more
and Tim (Simon Pegg) are out of luck and love, so pretend to be a couple in order to rent a flat together. Downstairs neighbour and eccentric painter Brian suspect...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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Oct 28th, 2009
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