Spaced
Spaced is a
British television situation comedy written by and starring
Simon Pegg and
Jessica Stevenson, directed by
Edgar Wright, and broadcast on
Channel 4. It is notable for its almost constant dropping of
pop-culture references. Two series of seven episodes have been broadcast in autumn 1999 and spring 2001.
The first series was a nominee for Best TV Sitcom in the
1999 British Comedy Awards. In 2006,
Spaced came 9th on Channel 4's
The Ultimate Sitcom poll, as voted for by sitcom writers, performers, directors and producers, coming ahead of sitcoms such as
The Office and
Father Ted.
|
Main characters, clockwise from top-left: Marsha, Mike, Brian, Twist, Tim, Daisy. |
Tim Bisley (Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (Stevenson) are two
London twenty-somethings who meet by chance whilst both are flat-hunting. Despite barely knowing each other, they pretend to be a young "professional" couple in order to gain a (surprisingly cheap) flat in the distinctive building at 23 Meteor Street, and impress the landlady, Marsha Klein (
Julia Deakin). Also living in the building is Brian Topp (
Mark Heap), an eccentric
conceptual artist; and frequent visitors are Tim's best friend Mike Watt (
Nick Frost) and Daisy's best friend Twist Morgan (
Katy Carmichael). The series largely concerns the colourful and surreal adventures of the two as they navigate through life and decide what they want to do with their lives, come to terms with affairs of the heart, and try to figure out new ways of killing time in largely unproductive ways. Tim and Daisy repeatedly stress that they aren't a couple, but despite (or because of) this, romantic tension develops between the two characters, particularly during the second series.
Tim Bisley
(Played by
Simon Pegg): Tim, rarely seen without his skateboard, his chocolate-colored
beanie or his
Playstation controller, is an aspiring
comic book artist, amateur skateboarder and passionate follower of
cult fiction in many forms (including
video games,
science fiction and especially - at least initially - the original
Star Wars trilogy), is a rather grumpy and short-tempered soul, mostly because his girlfriend Sarah broke his heart and dumped him after an affair with her boss - and Tim's friend - Duane Benzie (played by
Peter Serafinowicz). He's currently writing and illustrating a graphic novel about a boy who has been transformed into a giant mutant bear and the crazed 'doktor' trying to find him to replicate the experiment, but hasn't actually tried selling it because he's afraid people will laugh at both it and him. A traumatic incident in his childhood when attempting to cure a fear of
dogs merely left him terrified of dogs,
lightning and
bamboo instead. He initially works at a comic book shop, the "Fantasy Bazaar" alongside the manager/owner Bilbo Bagshot (played by
Bill Bailey). In the second series he landed his dream job as a graphic artist at Dark Star Comics. He demonstrates more of a work ethic than Daisy and has an adverse reaction to
Twiglets, which make him violent.
Daisy Steiner
(Played by
Jessica Stevenson): Daisy is an aspiring writer, although she tends to spend most of her time actively avoiding doing any writing - or any other actual work for that matter. Whereas Tim is often grouchy and sour, Daisy is sunny, enthusiastic and cheerful, and at times overwhelmingly so. She considers herself to be quite intellectual, even though she only graduated from university with a third. She has a tendency to babble in conversation, making social interactions rather more difficult to navigate than they necessarily have to be. She also has a tendency to interfere in other people's problems or lives as a way of avoiding focussing on her work or her own problems. Daisy bestows most of her love in a shockingly high pitch upon her dog Colin, a Miniature Schnauzer, who she rescues from being put down along with a disgusted Twist. Her greatest desire was to go to India and see the Taj Mahal, a goal which she accomplished between series one and two after having actually published some articles for a change (her trip was also aided by inheritance money from her deceased aunt).
Marsha Klein
(Played by
Julia Deakin): Marsha, the permanently
sozzled landlady, is never seen without a lit cigarette in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other. Once a promising young athlete, she retired from athletics after receiving a leg injury and became a
groupie instead, resulting in several marriages that ended somewhat bitterly and a teenage daughter, Amber, with whom she is near-constantly arguing. She passionately lusts after Brian, an attraction which stems from a hazy, torrid incident in the past where rent negotiations became somewhat more sensual as a result of Brian's sheer poverty. She's utterly delighted to have new, young friends, which is slightly awkward as she's the only one who doesn't know that Tim and Daisy aren't actually a couple.
Brian Topp
(Played by
Mark Heap): Quietly spoken and intense, Brian gives the impression of being almost psychotic and sociopathic; in fact, he's just very shy and timid. A rather bizarre and somewhat pretentious
conceptual artist, he acts appropriately tormented and angst-ridden, particularly when Marsha's lusting after him. His main artistic drives are anger, pain, fear and aggression, and his art is, according to him, 'a bit more complicated' than watercolours. He is in love with Twist, and embarked on a torrid relationship with her before they broke up midway through series two. Despite this, his sexuality is quite complex and frequently alluded to throughout the series, as he seems quite undecided at times. When asked if he's gay he replies that he is not, but in a manner that suggests he thinks he ought to be.
Mike Watt
(Played by
Nick Frost): Mike is Tim's best friend in the whole world. He wishes dearly that he could join the army but unfortunately, owing to a painful incident in their past which damaged his eyesight, he's ineligible and must instead console himself with membership in the
Territorial Army. The first series revealed that Mike had been thrown out of the TA owing to an incident involving manouevres in France, a stolen
tank,
EuroDisney and a rich, socially disconnected fantasy life of Mike's own creation. By the end of the first series however he was readmitted and even gained his sergeants stripes. Mike is very protective of Tim, and subtle suggestions over the course of the series that indicate that Mike might have a bit of a crush on him. Despite his military pretensions, Mike is a sweet and caring individual who is deeply hurt by being put aside in favour of Tim's growing relationship with Sophie in series two.
Twist Morgan
(Played by
Katy Carmichael): Twist, Daisy's best friend, is (in the words of Tim) either 'sweet but stupid or an evil genius'. She 'works in fashion' (i.e. a
dry cleaner) and is an atrociously superficial 'fashion fascist'. She rarely misses an opportunity to comment on Daisy's size, weight or clothing choices - usually negatively. It's unclear how Daisy and Twist met - or, indeed, how they've managed to remain friends all this time. Although she and Brian are social opposites with apparently incompatible fashion sense, they did have an intense love affair which ended badly. It is alluded though that they both still love each other.
Colin
(Played by
Aida the Dog): Colin is Daisy's dog, bought from a dogs' home where he was shortly due to be
put down to cheer Daisy up after she is dumped by her boyfriend
Richard. He is named after the
cardboard box Daisy played with as a child when she wasn't allowed a real dog. Despite his mortal fear of dogs, Tim eventually manages to bond with Colin after they rescue him from being abducted by aliens (although he is actually taken by an evil scientist for testing). In the second series, after Daisy has returned from her travels in Asia, it is clear that Colin feels rejected by her. In the final episode she discovers he has been running off for secret rendezvous with an elderly - and rather sinister - neighbour. Daisy manages to retrieve Colin but, remembering the countless times he has been neglected and the promise of widescreen TV, he runs off again. However, when the old lady suggests changing Colin's name to
Lancelot he returns to Daisy to play happy families with her and Tim. He has the ability to tilt his head sideways, thus prompting anyone who sees it to sigh at his cuteness.
Sarah
(Played by
Anna Wilson-Jones): Sarah is the ex-girlfriend that broke Tim's heart by leaving him for his friend, Duane, and kicking him out of their flat. She later wants to reconcile with Tim but he realizes that he no longer feels the same about her.
Richard
(Played by
James Lance): Daisy's boyfriend. Their
pet names for each other are "
Daisy Duke" and "
Boss Hogg". They were in a
long-distance relationship (he was living in
Hull) but he later breaks up with her over the phone.
Duane Benzie
(Played by
Peter Serafinowicz): The gravelly-voiced back stabber who stole Sarah, away from Tim. He was Sarah's boss and Tim's good friend until Tim learned of their affair. In episode Battles, Tim gets his revenge by shooting Duane in the balls at close range in a paintball game.
Amber Klein
(Played by
unknown): Marsha's bratty teenage daughter. She and her mother constantly argue and the arguments end with Amber storming out of the house. The sound of Amber leaving becomes a
cue to Tim and Daisy that Marsha will come by wanting to talk. Amber's face is never seen. On the DVD commentary it is said that Amber is played by Jessica Stevenson.
Tyres O'Flaherty
(Played by
Michael Smiley): A
bike messenger and a friend of Tim's. He is a
raver and everyday noises such as a phone ringing or a car honking sound like
rave music to him. His raving also makes him prone to
mood swings. He suspects Tim and Daisy are more than just friends.
Bilbo Bagshot
(Played by
Bill Bailey): Tim's boss at the
comic book store. He explains to Tim the story of Gramsci, the dog that attacks the rich on Hampstead Heath. He at one point fires Tim for his inability to get over
The Phantom Menace, but later begs him to return.
Damien Knox
(Played by
Clive Russell): The head of Dark Star Comics, the company that Tim desires to work for. When Tim first submitted his portfolio, Damien laughed him out of the office. Since then, Tim is haunted by visions of Damien laughing and is afraid of submitting a new portfolio to him.
Sophie
(Played by
Lucy Akhurst): Damien's beautiful assistant who helps Tim get hired at Dark Star. They immediately begin dating and have a fun relationship, much to the jealousy of both Daisy and Mike.
Dexter and Cromwell
(Played by
Reece Shearsmith and
Jonathan Ryland): Mike's rivals in the
TA. They destroyed Mike and Tim's
combat robot in an effort to win at the
Robot Wars. Later, Mike earns the rank of
sergeant and becomes their superior.
Series 1
#
Beginnings - Daisy and Tim meet in a small cafe and bond over their mutual search for accommodation (he's been kicked out by girlfriend Sarah, she's a squatter desperate to escape her down-and-out acquaintances), and gradually form a friendship. Just when all seems lost, they stumble upon what seems to be a perfect place - trouble is, it's listed as being for a 'professional couple' only. Thus begins a complicated plan involving faked photos and memorizing every significant (and not-so-significant) fact about each other in order to pass themselves off as a long term couple in order to fool Marsha, their prospective landlady. To their mutual surprise, it works.#
Gatherings - In order to avoid doing any actual work, freshly unpacked Daisy plans a
housewarming party - something to make their home the new hub of north London. Unfortunately, all of Tim's friends are busy attending skateboarding meets or sci-fi conventions (except for Mike, present to provide much-needed door security), and Daisy's media contacts extend about as far as the paperboy (except for Twist, present to provide much-unneeded fashion put-downs), so there's hardly any guests (except for Marsha, present to provide much-needed alcohol consumption, and Brian, present to provide much-needed critiquing of Daisy's baco-foil decorations). Meanwhile, Marsha's daughter Amber is throwing her own party which provides no contest to the housewarming party (such that it is one). For one thing, her party doesn't have the
Time Warp.#
Art - After accepting some cheap speed from some violently friendly Scottish blokes, Tim has spent all night fighting zombies (well, playing
Resident Evil 2) and Mike has somehow managed to get to
Sheffield on
the Tube. Daisy has a job interview at a classy woman's magazine and Brian has an invitation to a new art show by Vulva, his former partner and non-gender-specific-ex-chaste-heterosexual-lover. This causes much angst and feelings of inferiority all around. "
Girl Power!" fails to impress the magazine editors, Brian's much-practiced air of indifference fails to impress Vulva, and Tim's
Twiglets allergy and hallucinations of zombies leads to Vulva getting a much-deserved punch in the face. (Guest starring
David Walliams as Vulva and
Paul Kaye as Hoover.) #
Battles - After getting dumped by her boyfriend Richard (which, given both how wet he was and the amount of times she cheated on him, was a long time in coming), Daisy decides to cheer herself up by getting a dog. Having suffered a fear of dogs since childhood, Tim is not pleased by this. As Daisy bonds with an interesting little dog she calls Colin (named after the pet box she had as a child), Tim and Mike go paintballing, and encounter Tim's arch-nemesis, Duane Benzie, the man who stole Tim's girlfriend. By the end of the episode, Mike will have made the (sort-of) ultimate sacrifice, Tim will have had his revenge, and Brian will have imparted the tragic, yet artistically interesting, tale of his own dog's horrible death. (Guest starring
Peter Serafinowicz as Duane Benzie)#
Chaos - Daisy is strongly bonding with new dog Colin, much to Tim's displeasure. Forced to take Colin out on a walk in an effort to bond with him, Tim is rather alarmed when Colin disappears after Tim challenges aliens to abduct him. When Daisy won't speak to him, and when he receives an anonymous tip-off revealing Colin's location - in the hands of a ruthless, sinister cosmetics testing scientist - he plans a daring rescue attempt in order to redeem himself. Will they succeed? Will a psychotic Marxist dog reveal itself? And more importantly - will Tim let Mike's callsign be
Han Solo? (Guest starring
Bill Bailey as Bilbo.)#
Epiphanies - Tim's bicycle courier friend Tyres pops round for a cup of tea and decides to takes the gang clubbing, forcing Brian to relive a terrible event in his past (where a spilled drink during
Dexys Midnight Runners' "
Come On Eileen" had disastrous results). Mike, thrown out of the
Rough Ramblers following a disastrous
eskimo roll (which was more a case of 'rolling right
Inuit'), rediscovers his manhood with the help of some
Ecstasy and a remix of the
A-Team theme. And Tim and Daisy have their eyes opened.#
Ends - Tim is ecstatic when his ex-girlfriend Sarah decides she wants him back; Daisy is less so, causing much tension around the flat. Mike has an interview at the
Territorial Army to determine whether he should be allowed back in following the '
Eurodisney' incident. Following a heated argument, Daisy finally manages to bash out a few articles, and Tim finally realizes the right path for him. And Brian summons the courage to ask Twist out on a date which, against all expectations, actually goes quite well.
Series 2
#
Back - After receiving an injection of money following the sale of her articles, Daisy returns from her holiday in Asia, but finds it hard to settle back into the mundanity of her normal life after her adventure. Tim has been struggling with his issues with
George Lucas and
The Phantom Menace (which saw him ceremonially burn his Star Wars merchandise), and after being chucked out of home for shooting his cat up the rear end, Mike has been sleeping in Daisy's room, managing to turn it into
Apocalypse Now. Things are not normal, and those sinister black-suited
Agents following Daisy are about to make things even more surreal. (Guest starring
John Simm as Stephen Edwards, and
Kevin Eldon and
Mark Gatiss as the Agents).#
Change - Following a dispute with a young customer over
Jar Jar Binks merchandise and Tim's inability to cope with the
Star Wars prequels, Bilbo fires Tim. Daisy is trying to get money out of the
Job Centre people, despite not having signed on to the dole for three months due to her holiday. Brian is horrified to discover that his relationship with Twist is affecting his artistic output. And after Amber runs out, Marsha finds herself a new lodger - Mike. (Guest starring Bill Bailey as Bilbo.)#
Mettle - Tim and Mike are through to the quarter finals of
Robot Wars, but conflict with Dexter, a TA rival of Mike's, may jeopardise their chances. Daisy lands a job in the kitchen of a restaurant, and immediately comes into conflict with the quietly evil manageress. Brian struggles to prepare an artistic installation at a trendy gallery. In order to triumph against their foes, Tim and Mike must enter the dark underworld of
Robot Wars - Robot Club. Activate. (cameos by members of The Bluetones as Robot Wars geeks)#
Help - Dark Star Comics supremo Damien Knox wants to see Tim's portfolio, so Daisy's unwitting and inadvertent decision to put an unflattering portrait of him
(bearing the legend "I'm a massive wanker!) back into Tim's portfolio is probably not the most helpful thing she's ever done. Both Tim and Mike must enlist Tyres in a daring attempt to recover the item before it is uncovered, but discover that they have an unexpected ally in Knox's beautiful assistant, Sophie. Marsha, meanwhile, invites Daisy out to join her with her exercises, which quickly leads to a vicious, no-holds-barred fight, and Brian takes his mother to lunch which leads to a confession about what he really does for a living.#
Gone - After Sophie calls to cancel a date (leading Tim to instantly decide she's sleeping with her boss), Tim and Daisy spend a night out in
Camden but find themselves in trouble with local youths and Tim's nemesis Duane. Meanwhile, Mike loses Colin. Only the similarities of the male psyche can save them now. #
Dissolution - Tim and Sophie's relationship is gradually getting closer, something which is noticed by Daisy, Mike and Marsha. Daisy and Mike are both hurt and jealous by this, and Marsha (who still believes them to be a couple) is horrified for Daisy. Brian and Twist have broken up; Brian is devastated, Twist less so. Events finally come to a head at Daisy's birthday party, with a drunken confession and a painful betrayal.#
Leaves - The group is now scattered; Twist is in Manchester, Sophie's going to America, and Marsha is selling the house and moving on, and only something 'bloody spectacular' will change her mind. Daisy, hurt by recent events, accepts a job at a small newspaper in Colwyn Bay and prepares to leave London. But just when all looks lost, Mike comes up with a bloody spectacular idea.
References to popular culture — particularly but not exclusively to
science fiction and
horror films,
comic books and
video games — abound in
Spaced to the extent that the
DVD of Series 2 includes the "Homage-o-meter", an alternative set of subtitles listing every reference and homage; for the "Definitive Collectors Edition" DVD boxed set, the Homage-o-meter was added to the first series as well. Providing the artwork for Tim's comic 'The Bear', drawings and doodles were
2000 AD artists
Jim Murray and
Jason Brashill, who also provided other incidental artwork for the show.
Spaced has a distinctive cinematic style set by director Edgar Wright and shot (unusually for a sitcom) with a single camera. In addition to borrowing liberally from the visual language of
horror film, it has particular stylistic mannerisms like the recurring device of scene changes occurring in the middle of a pan. The series' atmosphere is also established by the use of a particular flavour of contemporary
electronica on its soundtrack.
The series is also noted for its regular references to
recreational drug use, from its title onwards: Tim and Daisy are shown smoking
cannabis on a number of occasions, the plot of "Art" is built around the after-effects of a night taking
amphetamine, and "Epiphanies", while not showing any explicit drug-taking, is full of references to the effects of
ecstasy. The drug-taking goes unremarked, as a normal part of the characters' lives, which is no more significant than the
caffeine intake on
Friends.
* When
Simon Pegg first pitched the show to
LWT he described it as "a cross between
The Simpsons,
The X-Files and
Northern Exposure.[
1]
*
Nick Frost is Simon Pegg's best friend in real-life and had never acted before this series. He created the character of Mike Watt just as a joke between him and Pegg. But when Pegg began writing the first episode, he added the Mike Watt character and cast Frost because he knew that no one else could play the character as well as he.
* Colin, Daisy and Tim's dog, is in real life female, and named "Ada", however was incorrectly called "Aida" on the credits.
* Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright both made cameos in
George Romero's
Land of the Dead, after referencing his
Living Dead series of zombie films in the opening sequence of the "Art" episode (series one). This sequence, also influenced by the
Resident Evil video game, later inspired Pegg and Wright's movie
Shaun of the Dead, a comedy homage to the Romero trilogy.
*
Peter Serafinowicz, who stars in
Spaced as Tim's nemesis Duane Benzie, references his
voice-over role as Darth Maul in
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace when, in the "Gone" episode (series two), he utters a variation of his lines from the film: "At last I will emerge the victor! At last I will have revenge!" (The original lines being: "At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.")
* Actor
John Simm appears in the episode "Back", as a man Daisy meets at the airport, but has absolutely no dialogue.
Keith Allen appears in the first series, in a flashback as Tim's evil father. He musters a growled "Timmy-boy!"
* Tim Sampson, the
Native American actor who appeared in the restaurant-based homage to
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (episode "Mettle" in series two) is the son of the actor,
Will Sampson, from the film version. Tim was in the area playing in the stage version when
Spaced was shot.
* A three-disc
DVD special edition was released containing both series and bonus features. At the end of the main bonus feature, after the credits, Tim and Daisy open their front door, with a baby in Tim's arm. Tim then says "I love you" (to which Daisy replies, "I know", in reference to the dialogue exchange between
Han Solo and
Leia Organa in
The Empire Strikes Back) and Daisy gives him a kiss. This is assumed by many to be the end of
Spaced, although some argue that this is a "teaser".
* Actor and comedian
Ricky Gervais appears in a flashback in the episode "Dissolution" as a slightly sleazy local newspaper employee, whose inadvertent typing adds the phrase 'professional couple only' to Marsha's original rent advertisement, thus providing one of the key elements of the plot throughout both series.
*According to Simon Pegg,
John Woo is a fan of the show.[
2]
A third and final series has been eagerly requested from fans and considered for some time by the cast and crew (with Simon Pegg joking that it would end with a
Blake's 7 style shoot-out) but a rumoured movie is not on the cards. Edgar Wright told the official fan website spaced-out that he is "torn" about making more
Spaced and that "we have genuinely talked about it and have some neat ideas that could work in a
Before Sunset /
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? kind of way".
Many see the movie
Shaun of the Dead as essentially a spin-off of the series, featuring many of the same actors and set out in much the same way. Wright, however, points out the differences:
Shaun has many fewer pop-culture and movie references, and tries to avoid the clichés of recent horror parodies in favour of a more naturalistic style as its story progresses.
The success of
Shaun of the Dead was unexpected, both in the UK and the US, and they proceeded to produce a second movie entitled
Hot Fuzz. In a 2006 Radio 4 interview, however, Simon Pegg stated that he'd like to bring Spaced back for a one hour special to "tie up all the loose ends [
3]". However, there have been no formal or significant commitments to a third series of
Spaced, and no indication of a new series or special being commissioned.
Spaced premiered in the
U.S. on
Bravo in 2002. Only four episodes were aired. In 2004, the now-defunct
Trio began airing the show regularly.
BBC America began airing the series on June 23rd, 2006.
*
Spaced Out - official, fan-operated website
*
Edgar Wright Q&A on the
Spaced Out forum
*
Spaced - the potted history - from Blather.net
