Spaced: The Fried Gold Standard

British TV comedy is an unsteady thing. When it's good it's wonderful, with masterpieces like Blackadder, Porridge, and more recently, Outnumbered and Episodes. When it's bad it's embarrassing, with Not Going Out, 2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Miranda serving to remind us that we're still not out of that Carry On/Benny Hill slapstick innuendo laugh track codswallop that Britain has been unfortunately shouldering since the 60's. For me, though, the show that tops all other British comedies isn't a 20 series marathon or a relic from the dungeons of BBC headquarters. It is Spaced, the first creation from the minds of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. A creation they have yet to match since, and likely never will.

I'm so happy.

To explain why Spaced is such genius, one has to realise how original and off the wall it was. Hell, the first episode aired in 1999, but if it was airing for the first time today, it would still be breaking away from the pack. Channel 4 are notably good at giving new comedies a chance, so it makes sense that they would be the channel to give Spaced its break.What the series did was create a base premise as simple as peas, and add insane characters that had limitless rules for them to stick to. Every character was superb and added to the show significantly, but the stars of the show were always Tim and Daisy, the loser friends that have to pretend to be a couple in order to rent a cheap, comfortable flat. They're not conning anyone into having penthouse apartment in the centre of London, it's a realistic, relate-able suburb, with a somewhat believable explanation as to how all these characters come together. The premise of 'extraordinary people in an ordinary world' is a cliché, for sure, but it certainly doesn't feel like one here. It's a seemingly dull story, told in an over the top, Hollywood way, and that's why it works. Because it shouldn't.

Then there's the humour itself. Spaced consists of a steady barrage of wit, sight gags, slapstick, colloquial jokes, references and setup/punchline adjacency pairs that weave together to create a seamless, hilarious experience that makes you wonder why other comedies simply rely on one form of humour. Take My Family, where the only joke is Ben is stupid and hates his family, or Miranda, where the only joke is Miranda is stupid and ugly. With Spaced, it's a safe bet that your favourite moment in the show will be wildly different to what theirs is. That being said, the numerous film and TV references is probably one of the most celebrated traits of Spaced. It's like Airplane! for nerds; if there was a movie reference you didn't find funny or didn't get, don't worry, there'll be another in five seconds that you will find funny. Rarely are these references substantial to the plot, and serve mostly as little rewards to the audience members that are as geeky as Pegg, Wright and Stevenson. Which is completely the right way round of doing it.

What needs to be taken into account, however, is why the show felt so fresh during its run; because there was barely a run to begin with. With just two 7 episode series', Spaced was over before it could barely get up to full speed, such is often the case with British comedies. Perhaps, then, that's why Fox felt the need to create their own version of the extremely tongue-in-cheek, British show, with predictably, and thankfully, disastrous results. Or, maybe it's a prefect example of cashing in your chips whilst you're on a high and never looking back, making sure you're only remembered as one of the true greats. Whatever the case, Spaced will always be fondly remembered as one of Britains quirkiest, weirdest and funniest TV shows. Let 'em have it.