Warning: contains spoilers
What can I write about Spaced. What can I write? What can I write…
Alright!
Spaced only ran for two seasons with seven episodes in each and for twenty-five minutes per episode. For something so small, it made a huge impact on a lot of people. It is quintessentially British with a lot of understated humour and sarcasm, and a tonne of popular culture references. Its popularity as a cult comedy is partly down to great production and acting and also down to great characters that find themselves in all too familiar circumstances. There’s a lot in such a small program that a lot of people can relate to.
Daisy (Jessica Hynes) and Tim (Simon Pegg), are twenty-something friends who pretend to be a couple to rent a flat in London from Marsha (Julia Deakin). Brian (Mark Heap) rents the basement below them. Mike (Nick Frost) is Tim’s best friend, and Twist (Katy Carmichael) is Daisy’s best friend. And let’s not forget Colin the dog (Ada), and Tyres (Michael Smiley) the raving cycle courier.
Daisy is a writer who doesn’t actually write much. In fact, her work avoidance skills are something to be proud of – ‘Let’s throw a party!’. Tim is an aspiring graphic artist who works in a comic bookstore (owned by Bilbo (Bill Bailey)) and is afraid of his work getting rejected. So they basically go to the pub a lot, play on the Playstation (mostly Tim), smoke spliffs, and just chill out with no real direction in life. Sounds like a lot of twenty-somethings.
Tim learns to get over his ex, helps Mike build a robot for Robot Wars, and though it’s rather hazy, he realises his true love is a girl called…Hmmm, he doesn’t get to finish that sentence though Mike would happily be his true love. Aww. But Tim and Mike just stay friends, while Brian and Twist (or Twit as the rather jealous Marsha likes to call her), have an on-off relationship. Brian finds happiness then discovers he can only paint when he’s miserable. Daisy meanwhile, discovers she can only write if she’s really pushed because there are far more interesting things to do like going to a nightclub.
Oi oi!
Thanks to Tyres, the gang enjoy what is probably the most relatable club scene on TV. Poor Zammo (Grange Hill reference) would be turning in his heroin overdose induced early grave at the drugs inference in this episode. It is, however, such an iconic scene that I will forever associate the tune Camisra – Let Me Show You (Tall Paul Remix) with that scene. It’s also hard to forget the image of Mike dancing on stage in a bright pink vest and a jester’s hat – once seen, never forgotten. He rocked the look!
Okay, okay. Skip to the end…
Alright! Sorry Tim!
Tim and Daisy don’t ever get together throughout the series though the intention was always there for them to get together. If you watch the documentary, then you’ll see the characters did get together and had a baby girl who Tim wanted to call Luke as he’s a massive Star Wars fan (though clearly not a Leia fan). So I guess we all have to grow up eventually but if you’re ready to relive your youth, or perhaps you’re still young enough to still be in it, then put the kettle on, grab some jaffa cakes, roll a large doobie, and settle down for some A1, tip-top comedy.
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