Late to the game again am I? Drat!
So being Australian and thus, in a country where we get everyone else’s sloppy seconds when it comes to home entertainment has been a spot of bother for me many a time. One of these, is that -despite the fact it’s been released everywhere else, Australia has totally missed out on a british sitcom known as Spaced.
Yes, despite the fact that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (and to a lesser extent, their cameos in Black Books and other films/TV shows) have propelled Simon Pegg and Nick Frost into household names of sorts, the brilliant albeit somewhat flawed series which made them household names everyfuckingwhere else seems to have fallen to the wayside because people are too busy watching Matt Lucas and David Walliams act like utter fuckbends in Little Britain.
I, due to a multitude of contacts (read: searched ebay) have finally nabbed a copy of the definitive 3 Disc edition of Spaced, which contains both seasons plus an extra disc of interviews and other bits and bobs.
For those who are also Australian don’t know much about the show, Spaced focuses on the lives of Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (Jess Hynes) two good friends who pretend to be a couple in order to move into a flat in Tufnell Park. Hilarity ensues as they try to keep the facade up among the prying eyes of their landlord Marsha (Julia Deakin) and their conceptual artist neighbour Brian (Mark Heap). Other characters include Daisy’s friend Twist (Katy Carmichael) and Tim’s friend, Mike (Nick Frost).
So how is Spaced? It’s hard to explain, as it both hits home for the viewer (especially those who actually get all the pop culture references), as well as being somewhat distanced from reality. Not to froth fanboyishly over it, but the end result is nothing I’ve really seen until now. Sure, what’s there has been DONE before, but not in the winning combination that Spaced has cooked up.
Spaced as a whole, is brilliant. Pegg and Hynes play that “awkward profressional couple” angle well enough that it’s almost believable. Everyone else also do a great job with their roles and there are only a few times where a character will skip a beat. What makes the characters all the more loveable, is that they’re the kind of people you’d probably know in real life. Spaced is very much one of those shows where you’ll be comparing characters to your friends/family/pets.
My main problem with the show however, is that it kinda relies a little too much on pop culture. So your household’s avid watcher of Keeping Up Appearances might want to skip this one.
As far as the extras go? There is a reason why this is the “collector’s” or “definitive” edition. Both the season discs and the special features disc are chock-a-block with deleted scenes, outtakes, commentary, and much more. One feature of note is the lengthy “making of”, which goes into the history of the series, and interviews pretty much every man, woman, child and lycanthrope involved in the series. Great value for money here.
All in all, a great package of probably one of the best British sitcoms ever made.
