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Spaced | |
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Genre | |
Created by | |
Written by |
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Directed by | Edgar Wright |
Starring |
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Narrated by |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 2 |
No. of episodes | 14 |
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Executive producers |
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Producers | |
Editors | |
Camera setup | Single |
Running time | 25 minutes |
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Original release | |
Network | Channel 4 |
Release | 24 September 1999 – 13 April 2001 |
Spaced is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the comedic, and sometimes surreal and action-packed, misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bisley, two twenty-something Londoners who, despite only having just met, decide to move in together after she gives up on squatting and he is kicked out by his ex-girlfriend. Supporting roles include Nick Frost as Tim's best friend Mike, Katy Carmichael as Daisy's best friend Twist, Mark Heap as lodger Brian who lives downstairs and Julia Deakin as landlady Marsha.
The first series of the show, comprising seven episodes, premiered in the UK on Channel 4 on 24 September 1999, and the second and final series, also consisting of seven episodes, started on 23 February 2001 and concluded on 13 April.
Both series were nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy.
Daisy Steiner and Tim Bisley are two London based twenty-somethings who meet by chance in a café while both are flat-hunting. Despite barely knowing each other, they conspire to pose as a young professional couple in order to meet the requisites of an advertisement for a relatively cheap flat in the distinctive building at 23 Meteor Street, Tufnell Park, owned by resident landlady Marsha Klein. Also in the building is Brian Topp, an eccentric conceptual artist who lives and works on his various pieces in the ground-floor flat. [ep 1] Frequent visitors are Daisy's best friend Twist Morgan and Tim's best friend Mike Watt. The latter ends up becoming a lodger after Marsha's daughter Amber Weary "flies the nest". [ep 2]
The series largely concerns the surreal and awkward adventures of Tim and Daisy as they navigate through life, come to terms with affairs of the heart, and try to figure out new and largely unproductive ways of killing time. They repeatedly clarify that they are not a couple to everyone but Marsha, but despite this, romantic tension develops between them, particularly during the second series.
The show has a distinctive cinematic style set by Wright[ citation needed ] and is shot with a single camera. In addition to borrowing liberally from the visual language of film it has particular stylistic mannerisms, such as 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 dance music on its soundtrack. [1]
Northern Exposure 's frequent use of fantasy sequences was "one of the key influences" in the creation of the show, and Pegg and Stevenson pitched the show to LWT as "a cross between The Simpsons , The X-Files and Northern Exposure." [2] [3]
The series is dense with references to popular culture, including but not limited to science fiction and horror films, comic books, and video games. The Series 2 DVD release introduced the "Homage-o-meter", an alternative set of subtitles listing every reference and homage; the "Definitive Collectors Edition" boxed set introduced a similar subtitle track for Series 1. [4] 2000 AD artists Jim Murray and Jason Brashill provided the artwork for Tim's comic The Bear, as well as other incidental artwork for the show. Tim's boss Bilbo wears a 2000 AD comic T-shirt whilst lecturing Tim about Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace . [ep 2]
The series is also noted for its regular recreational drug use references, from its title onwards. Tim and Daisy smoke Cannabis on a number of occasions, one episode centring on its use. [ep 3] Tim and Mike take speed on one occasion, [ep 4] and it is implied that Tim, Mike, Daisy, Twist and Brian take ecstasy while clubbing. [ep 5]
Individual tracks that were particularly featured in an episode included "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?" by Louis Jordan, [ep 6] "Smash It" [5] by Fuzz Townshend, [ep 7] [ep 8] and "The Staunton Lick" [6] by Lemon Jelly. A Guy Pratt remix of the A-Team theme song, featured at the conclusion of "Epiphanies", [ep 5] was a fan favourite[ citation needed ], but was never made commercially available.
In 2001, a soundtrack to the first series was released in tandem with the first series' release on DVD and videotape. A second soundtrack was not released, although the series' official fan website has an episode-by-episode list of music featured in the second series. [7]
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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1 | 1 | "Beginnings" | Edgar Wright | Jessica Stevenson & Simon Pegg | 24 September 1999 | |
Daisy Steiner is living in a squat, and Tim Bisley is homeless after breaking up with his girlfriend. The two meet in a cafe and form a friendship as they search for accommodation. When they notice a listing for a flat they like but which is for a 'professional couple' only, they decide to pass themselves off as a long term couple in order to fool Marsha Klein, their prospective landlady. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "Gatherings" | Edgar Wright | Stevenson & Pegg | 1 October 1999 | |
Daisy plans a housewarming party to avoid doing any work. Guests include her friend Twist Morgan, Marsha, and Brian Topp who lives in the same building. Marsha's daughter Amber throws a separate party upstairs, to which all the guests eventually go. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "Art" | Edgar Wright | Stevenson & Pegg | 8 October 1999 | |
After taking some speed, Tim has spent all night playing Resident Evil 2 and Mike has accidentally travelled to Sheffield. Daisy has a job interview at a classy women's magazine ("Flaps") and Brian has an invitation to a new art show by Vulva (David Walliams), his former partner. At the art show, Tim's hallucinations of zombies cause him to punch Vulva in the face before fleeing. The episode concludes with Daisy's idea for performance art, a parody of Bruce Nauman's work "Clown Torture", which leads Tim to remark that it is obviously harder than it looks. This episode served as the inspiration for the 2004 horror comedy film Shaun of the Dead , which both Pegg and Wright were both heavily involved in. | ||||||
4 | 4 | "Battles" | Edgar Wright | Stevenson & Pegg | 15 October 1999 | |
After getting dumped by her boyfriend Richard, Daisy decides to cheer herself up by getting a dog called Colin. Having suffered a fear of dogs since childhood, Tim is not pleased by this. Tim and Mike go paintballing, and encounter Tim's arch-nemesis, Duane Benzie (Peter Serafinowicz), who stole Tim's girlfriend. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "Chaos" | Edgar Wright | Stevenson & Pegg | 22 October 1999 | |
Daisy is strongly bonding with new dog Colin, much to Tim's displeasure. When Colin disappears while being walked by Tim, Daisy suspects Tim of letting Colin go. But Tim learns that the dog has been abducted by a ruthless, sinister cosmetics testing vivisectionist, and plans a daring rescue attempt. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "Epiphanies" | Edgar Wright | Stevenson & Pegg | 29 October 1999 | |
Tim's bicycle courier friend Tyres (Michael Smiley) pops round for a cup of tea and decides to take the gang clubbing. Featured songs: "Synth and Strings" - Yomanda"Let Me Show You" - Camisra | ||||||
7 | 7 | "Ends" | Edgar Wright | Stevenson & Pegg | 5 November 1999 | |
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 an incident in which he stole a tank. Following a heated argument, Daisy finally manages to write some articles, and Tim finally realises the right path for him. Brian asks Twist out on a date, and they begin a relationship. |
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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8 | 1 | "Back" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 23 February 2001 | |
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 normal life. Tim, a Star Wars fan, has been deeply upset by the poor quality of The Phantom Menace . Mike has been thrown out of his home after shooting the cat, and is sleeping in Daisy's room. Two sinister black-suited Matrix -like Agents (Kevin Eldon and Mark Gatiss) are hunting for Daisy after her bag was switched by a stranger (John Simm) at the airport. | ||||||
9 | 2 | "Change" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 2 March 2001 | |
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 claim benefits at the Job Centre, 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. After Amber leaves home, Marsha finds herself a new lodger – Mike. | ||||||
10 | 3 | "Mettle" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 9 March 2001 | |
Tim and Mike are in the Robot Wars quarter final, but their robot is sabotaged by a rival (Reece Shearsmith). Meanwhile, after being fired from several jobs, Daisy starts working in a kitchen, where her new boss (Joanna Scanlan) begins to make life difficult for her. Brian comes under stress as he is given little notice of an upcoming exhibition of his work. | ||||||
11 | 4 | "Help" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 23 March 2001 | |
After receiving a call from the mysterious Damien Knox (Clive Russell) of Darkstar Comics (and his seductive assistant Sophie (Lucy Akhurst), Tim employs Tyres to deliver his portfolio of artwork. Tim removes an unflattering caricature of Damien, but Daisy replaces it in an attempt to be helpful. Tim must then retrieve the job-threatening picture before Damien sees it, aided by Mike and Tyres. | ||||||
12 | 5 | "Gone" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 30 March 2001 | |
While spending an evening out in Camden, Tim and Daisy encounter some young hooligans (Lee Ingleby and Adam Deacon) who accuse them of substituting oregano for marijuana. Meanwhile, Tim's nemesis Duane Benzie steals Tim's house keys in an act of revenge for being shot while paintballing. | ||||||
13 | 6 | "Dissolution" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 6 April 2001 | |
At Daisy's birthday party, cracks begin to form between members of the group. Mike is jealous of Sophie taking all of Tim's time, Brian is tired of Twist using him like a fashion accessory, Daisy dislikes Sophie, and Marsha, still believing that Tim and Daisy are a couple, is upset by Tim apparently cheating on Daisy. | ||||||
14 | 7 | "Leaves" | Edgar Wright | Pegg & Stevenson | 13 April 2001 | |
Marsha, having discovered that Daisy and Tim had lied to her and maintained their deception ever since moving in, is devastated, and decides to sell the house. Daisy is offered a job in Colwyn Bay, while Sophie takes a job in Seattle. Mike concocts a plan to change Marsha and Daisy's minds. |
Spaced was nominated in 2000 and 2002 for a British Academy Television Award for situation comedy. Jessica Stevenson won the British Comedy Award in 1999 and 2001 for best TV Comedy Actress. Simon Pegg was nominated in 1999 for the British Comedy Award for Best Male Comedy Newcomer, and the series was nominated that same year for the British Comedy Award for Best TV Sitcom. The show's second series was nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2001 for Popular Arts. [8]
Spaced Series 1 and 2 were both released on DVD in the United Kingdom. These were followed by a boxed set which collects the previously released single-series DVDs, adding a bonus disc with a feature-length documentary, Skip to the End, behind the scenes of the show, as well as a music video by Osymyso.
Music rights issues long prevented the release of Spaced in Region 1 (U.S. and Canada). Despite the raised profile resulting from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (film collaborations between Pegg and Wright that performed well in the Region 1 countries), no DVDs surfaced between 2004 and 2007. In an interview, it was suggested[ by whom? ] a deal with Anchor Bay Entertainment failed to come to fruition over the music rights.[ citation needed ]
Wright announced the release of a Region 1 Spaced DVD release on 22 July 2008, which included an all-new commentary with Wright, Pegg, and Stevenson, as well as special guests Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Bill Hader, Diablo Cody, Matt Stone and Patton Oswalt. Supplemental features included the original commentaries, the Skip to the End documentary, outtakes, deleted scenes, and raw footage. [9]
Since the show's end, cast and crew associated with Spaced have been quoted with differing opinions as to whether a third series would be produced, with their most recent statements reflecting a consensus that the show has concluded and will not see a third series.
Edgar Wright initially was "torn" about making more Spaced, saying "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". [10] However, in April 2007, Wright confirmed that the show no longer had any possibility of returning in any form, as the actors were all now "too old", and he and Pegg feared it would ruin a good thing. [11] In August of that same year, Wright told Rotten Tomatoes that "there's not going to be a third season, it would be silly now" but that they could "do something that sort of like catches our heroes ten years later." [12]
During an interview with The Guardian in July 2013 promoting The World's End with Edgar Wright and Nick Frost, Pegg stated: "Whenever we get asked about... another series of Spaced... one of the reasons we're not going to do it is because we couldn't possibly write it with any degree of truth now, because that's not where we are or who we are any more. I always find it's better to write from a perspective of truth." [13]
Fox announced on 29 October 2007 that it would commission a pilot for an American version of Spaced, a project they then scuttled in May 2008 following a generally negative reaction from the series' creators and fans of the original show. [14]
Wright was initially approached about an American version after the first series was broadcast in 1999, and felt an American remake was impossible due to the series' fundamental theme. "Same reason it couldn't be a film," Wright said. "Part of the charm of 'Spaced' is, it's people in north London acting out stuff from American films... you know, Hollywood in, kind of, suburbia... American TV is much more glamorous. It doesn't make any sense. I remember that the producer at the time said, 'Yeah, we'd have to change a few things. We'd have to take out the drugs and the swearing, and obviously, Mike can't have guns.'" [15]
Neither Wright, Pegg, nor Stevenson were at any point approached regarding the proposed American remake, which Wright had dubbed "McSpaced", due to the involvement of film director McG. Wright was upset that "they would a) never bother to get in touch but still b) splash my and Simon's names all over the trade announcements and imply that we're involved in the same way Ricky [Gervais] and Steve [Merchant] were with The Office ". [15] Pegg and Stevenson also complained of the "lack of respect" demonstrated by the creators of the proposed American series, who left them out of discussions as well. [16]
Wright was also angry at the media for what he felt was their overlooking of Stevenson's role in the creation of Spaced by connecting the series to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz in news articles. [15]
Julia Margaret Deakin is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the sitcoms So Haunt Me (1992–1994), Oh Doctor Beeching! (1996–1997) and Spaced (1999–2001). Her film appearances include Hot Fuzz (2007) and High-Rise (2015).
Simon John Pegg is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the films Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), known collectively as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, all of which saw Wright directing and Pegg starring alongside Nick Frost. Pegg and Frost also wrote and starred in the sci-fi comedy film Paul (2011).
Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes is a British actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom Spaced.
Joseph Murray Cornish is an English comedian and filmmaker. With his long-time comedy partner, Adam Buxton, he forms the comedy duo Adam and Joe. In 2011, Cornish released his directorial debut Attack the Block. He also co-wrote The Adventures of Tintin with Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright, and Ant-Man, with Wright, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd.
Black Books is a British sitcom created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan, and written by Moran, Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley, Linehan and Arthur Mathews. It was broadcast on Channel 4, running for three series from 2000 to 2004. Starring Dylan Moran as Bernard Black, Bill Bailey as Manny Bianco, and Tamsin Greig as Fran Katzenjammer, the series is set in the eponymous London bookshop and follows the lives of its owner, his assistant, and their friend. The series was produced by Big Talk Productions, in association with Channel 4.
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 romantic zombie comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Shaun, a downtrodden London salesman who is caught alongside his loved ones in a zombie apocalypse. It also stars Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton. It is the first film in Wright and Pegg's Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, followed by Hot Fuzz (2007) and The World's End (2013).
Norman Lovett is a British stand-up comedian and actor best known for his portrayal of Holly, the ship's computer in Red Dwarf.
Kevin Eldon is an English actor and comedian. He featured in British comedy television shows of the 1990s including Fist of Fun, This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, Big Train, Brass Eye and Jam. In 2013, Eldon appeared in his own BBC sketch series It's Kevin. He has also appeared in minor speaking roles in the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Edgar Howard Wright is an English filmmaker and actor. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a signature editing style that includes transitions, whip pans and wipes. He first made independent short films before making his first feature film A Fistful of Fingers in 1995. Wright created and directed the comedy series Asylum in 1996, written with David Walliams. After directing several other television shows, Wright directed the sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), which aired for two series and starred frequent collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
Nicholas John Frost is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has appeared in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy of films, consisting of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), and the television comedy Spaced (1999–2001). He also appeared in Joe Cornish's film Attack the Block (2011). He co-starred in the 2011 film Paul, which he co-wrote with frequent collaborator and friend Simon Pegg. He has also portrayed various roles in the sketch show Man Stroke Woman. In 2020, he cocreated and starred in the paranormal comedy horror series Truth Seekers with Pegg.
Robert Darren Popper is a British comedy producer, writer, actor, and author, best known as co-creator of the mock BBC documentary Look Around You, and creator of Channel 4's sitcom Friday Night Dinner. He also wrote the books The Timewaster Letters, Return of The Timewaster Letters and The Timewaster Diaries under the pseudonym Robin Cooper.
Lucy Akhurst is an English actress, writer and director who has been working mainly in television since the 1990s. She starred alongside Neil Morrissey in The Vanishing Man and then came to prominence in a lead role in 1999's ITV seven-part drama Wonderful You.
Hot Fuzz is a 2007 action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, a police officer who investigates a series of gruesome deaths in a West Country village. Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton and Jim Broadbent co-star.
Litza Bixler is an American and British film choreographer, Artistic Director and Writer. She is best known for her work with Edgar Wright on The World's End, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Shaun of the Dead. Other films with the Wright/Frost/Pegg stable include Nick Frost's salsa comedy Cuban Fury and the romantic comedy Man Up.
Is It Bill Bailey? was a stand up/sketch comedy series written by and starring British actor and comedian Bill Bailey. One series of six episodes was produced and aired on BBC Two in 1998. It has never been recommissioned or released on DVD. It was to be repeated for the first time since original transmission on Dave from 23 September 2008, but was dropped from the schedules a few days before broadcast.
Asylum is a British comedy series which was shown on Paramount Comedy Channel in 1996. Set in a mental asylum, it ran for one series of six episodes. Unlike traditional sitcoms or comedy television shows, it was to some extent an opportunity for stand-up routines by various comedians, mixed with an overall story involving much black humour. It is significant for involving a large number of British comedians, many of whom went on to work on some of the most successful comedy programmes of the 2000s. It marked the first collaboration of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, who would go on to make cult sitcom Spaced and Shaun of the Dead. Many of the characters names were the same as those of the actors who portrayed them.
Hot Fuzz: Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack album to the 2007 British crime-comedy film, Hot Fuzz. The album was released on 19 February 2007 in the United Kingdom, and on 17 April 2007 in the United States and Canada. The UK release contains 22 tracks, and the US/Canada release has 14. In 2023 La La Land Records release a 2 disc expanded edition of the complete film score.
The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy is an anthology series of British comedic genre films directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Simon Pegg, and produced by Nira Park. The series stars Pegg and Nick Frost, with several other actors, including Bill Nighy, Rafe Spall and Martin Freeman, also appearing in all three films. The trilogy consists of Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013).
The World's End is a 2013 science fiction comedy film directed by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg. It is the third film in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, after Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007). Starring Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike and Pierce Brosnan, the film focuses on five friends who return to their hometown for a pub crawl and uncover an alien invasion.