"Spaced" (1999) TV series 1999-2001

User Rating:

9.4/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

24 September 1999 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The adventures of Tim and Daisy who rent a room in Marsha Klein's house under the pretense that they are a couple...

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Landlady | Animal In Cast Credits | British TV | Generation X

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jessica Hynes	...	Daisy Steiner (14 episodes, 1999-2001)
Simon Pegg	...	Tim Bisley (14 episodes, 1999-2001)
Julia Deakin	...	Marsha Klein (14 episodes, 1999-2001)
Nick Frost	...	Mike Watt (14 episodes, 1999-2001)
Mark Heap	...	Brian Topp (14 episodes, 1999-2001)
Katy Carmichael	...	Twist Morgan (10 episodes, 1999-2001)
Aida the Dog	...	Colin (8 episodes, 1999-2001)

Runtime:

27 min (14 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA (some episodes) | UK:12 (some episodes) | UK:15 (some episodes) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Alexandra Park, Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, Muswell Hill, London, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Comedy Channel

Trivia:

Peter Serafinowicz who appears in several episodes as Tim's arch nemesis Duane Benzie, provided the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). In the series, he uses a voice very similar to that used for Darth Maul, and in one episode even paraphrases one of his lines from Star Wars. Amusingly, from the second series onward, Tim's hatred of Duane is matched only by his hatred of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hot Fuzz (2007)

It's life Tim, and boy, do they know it.

"Spaced" is like watching the cartoon of the life of the average SFX reader or Ain't-it-Cool UK talkbacker. It's the closest thing to fanboy (and fangirl) heaven there is. By that, I don't mean it's a perfect word for word film version of Lord of the Rings nor even a big BBC production of Asimov's Foundation trilogy. No, this is where really good fanboys (and fangirls) go when they die.

Set around the lives of Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner sharing a ground floor flat somewhere in North London it shows in a disturbingly honest way the lives of the average late 20-something, recently moved to London, wannabe creative, painfully middle-class, skint people in much the same way that David Attenborough might bring to life the daily trials of a family of pandas. Their many rituals and habits are studied in detail as they go about carving their way in the cruel world around them. We see them go clubbing, going to sign on, in the pub, and rescuing dogs from animal testing laboratories. The one thing that leads me to think that this is only a sitcom and not real life is that their flat is always suspiciously clean.

As Tim is a struggling graphic artist trying to break into the world of comic illustration, it's appropriate that the characters are all cartoons themselves. They almost spew stylised behaviour, phrases and clothes. Some even have their own signature moves such as Brian's standardised description of his 'work' when he is asked what he paints. The editing follows this lead with many cut-aways into people's thoughts much in the manner of a thought bubble. The sheer quantity of cultural references is staggering. However, having lived a life similar to this, I know the number of cultural references in real life is at about the same level.

If you're currently aged between 27 and 34, this is the only sitcom you'll ever need to see again. Well, Black Books is pretty good too. Anyway, there are few things that make me laugh as much of this. If you know the words to the Ewok song, watch this.