--- title: "Spaced" year: 1999 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/spaced" fi1m_id: "spaced" imdb_id: "tt0187664" tmdb_id: 745 wikidata_id: "Q114231" fi1m_score: 86 critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-20T21:15:06.945012+00:00" region: "IN" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Spaced (1999) Created by Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Edgar Wright · 27m · Comedy ## Identity Spaced - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/spaced - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** spaced - **IMDb ID:** tt0187664 - **TMDB ID:** 745 - **Wikidata ID:** Q114231 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187664/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/745, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114231 **Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 74 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* A film education is little help when you’re skint, but it does improve the conversation > Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes make *Spaced* a funny, affectionate comedy about being young and broke. Edgar Wright occasionally overworks the film references, but the performances give us good reason to stay. ## Synopsis Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg) and Daisy Steiner (Jessica Hynes) are at the centre of a comedy about being young and short of money in London. Their everyday difficulties share space with film references and situations that push ordinary life towards extremes. The cast also includes Nick Frost as Mike Watt, Mark Heap as Brian Topp, Julia Deakin as Marsha Klein and Katy Carmichael as Twist Morgan. Written by Pegg and Hynes and directed by Edgar Wright, *Spaced* follows its characters across two series, with the problems of getting by set alongside their enthusiasms. ## Review *Spaced* is warmer than its enthusiasm for film references might suggest, and we recommend it with one reservation: it occasionally works too hard at them. Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes write a comedy about being young and skint in London, with Edgar Wright directing. That leaves plenty of scope for embarrassment before anyone starts making the situations more extreme. The pleasure is in seeing how much comic importance they can give people whose immediate problems are quite ordinary. Pegg and Hynes also play Tim Bisley and Daisy Steiner, and their performances keep those ordinary problems worth following. Pegg’s precise timing and Hynes’s more untidy comic manner give the writing enough variation to stop the pair sounding interchangeable. We laughed at the extravagant film references, then felt unexpectedly protective of these two because the embarrassment of having little money remains so recognisable. It matters that the programme lets them be amusing without requiring us to think they are managing particularly well. The supporting performances help, especially Nick Frost as Mike Watt and Mark Heap as Brian Topp. Frost’s directness gives the comedy something solid to work against, while Heap makes discomfort funny without asking us to despise the person feeling it. Julia Deakin, as Marsha Klein, can make a line funny by giving it little apparent importance. Katy Carmichael’s Twist Morgan adds a sharper comic presence, and none of them needs a recognisable film reference to hold our attention. Wright and cinematographer Andy Hollis give the film jokes sufficient visual seriousness to make the exaggeration work. Ordinary difficulties acquire an importance wildly out of proportion to what is happening, and the joke remains readable even if the borrowed cinematic manner is unfamiliar. This is a useful way of showing how large small setbacks can feel to the person having them. Across a 27-minute episode, the visual changes also keep the conversation from settling into a single pace. Sometimes the direction supplies rather more emphasis than is needed. Pegg and Hynes can have a comic situation working perfectly well before Wright underlines its cinematic associations, making us conscious of the joke being prepared. The people briefly become less interesting than the business arranged around them. This is a recurring irritation rather than a reason to stop watching, but anyone with little patience for film quotation will feel it more keenly. A sitcom has to make us willing to return to the same people, and *Spaced* does. The writing gives the cast enough differences to play with, and enough affection to stop their shortcomings making the whole programme sour. That is why the excesses remain tolerable: there are performers here worth waiting for when a joke becomes overelaborate. Its two series contain seven episodes apiece. We would start it for Pegg and Hynes, then give the supporting cast time to become familiar. Some of the cinema jokes will suit devoted film-watchers better than anyone else. Stay with the actors when a reference escapes you; there is no examination afterwards. *Fi1m score 86, published 13 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Spaced worth watching?** *Spaced* is worth watching for anyone who wants a warm comedy about being young and skint, and we scored it 86. Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes give the ordinary embarrassments of having no money real comic weight, with Nick Frost and Mark Heap worth waiting for. Edgar Wright occasionally overworks the film references, so those with little patience for cinema quotation will feel it more. **How long is Spaced, and what is it rated?** *Spaced* has episodes of about 27m. It is a comedy series. **Where can I watch Spaced in India?** *Spaced* is not on any streaming or rental service in India at the moment. It is available in 6 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Spaced, and is it suitable for children?** *Spaced* is a UK 15 comedy, and its content is a matter of adult language and situations rather than violence or fear. The exaggeration comes from ordinary difficulties being played with borrowed cinematic seriousness, not from anything frightening. It is not made for children, but there is nothing here to trouble the squeamish. **How does Spaced compare to Porridge?** *Spaced* is the more affectionate of the two, following young, broke flatmates in London, while [*Porridge*](https://film.one/tv/porridge) is a prison sitcom with sharper insults and tighter jokes. Ronnie Barker's precision gives the earlier programme the more disciplined comedy; Pegg and Hynes offer warmer people and a busier visual manner. Choose *Porridge* for the writing, *Spaced* for the company. **What should I watch after Spaced?** After *Spaced*, try [*Clerks*](https://film.one/tv/porridge) (1994, Fi1m 89): More cash-strapped lives, with sharper insults and rather less affection for customers. Then [*The Young Ones*](https://film.one/tv/the-young-ones) (1982, Fi1m 82): Shared accommodation, poor judgement and a greater willingness to destroy the furniture; and [*Flight of the Conchords*](https://film.one/film/naked-lunch) (2007, Fi1m 78): Being broke leaves plenty of room for elaborate musical distraction and awkward friendship. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Empire**, William Thomas (90/100, inferred): The series is hailed as the funniest, smartest and geekiest sitcom ever made. It brilliantly combines the recognisable experience of being young and skint in London with a plethora of geeky film references and extreme situations. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/spaced-complete-series-region-1-review/) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (A-): The critic praises the show's cult appeal and its sharp take on twentysomething slacker life, noting how it is elevated by rapid-fire pop-culture references and the lead performers' balance of geek sensibility with madcap energy. The review highlights the cinematic direction and homages as key strengths that make the series rewatchable. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/spaced-the-complete-series-1798204586) - **Radio Times**, Lauren Morris (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights Spaced as an underrated, hilarious hidden gem from 1999 whose themes of aimless young adults resonate strongly in 2020 amid pandemic lockdowns. They single out the standout performances, particularly Jessica Hynes as the flawed, relatable Daisy, and Edgar Wright's frantic camera work and pop culture references for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/comedy-spaced-21-relevant-lockdown/) - **The Guardian** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds Spaced an experimental sitcom that breaks from traditional conventions with jump cuts and pop culture references, though notes it is not especially funny. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/books/1999/oct/02/books.guardianreview7) - **Paste**, Oktay Ege Kozak (80/100, inferred): The critic ranks all episodes of the cult British sitcom, praising its inventive mix of character comedy and genre spoofs directed by Edgar Wright. The standout elements highlighted are the sharp pop-culture references, technical flair in set pieces, and relatable ensemble of twentysomething misfits. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/edgar-wright-spaced/every-episode-of-edgar-wrights-spaced-ranked) ## Details - **Created by:** Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Edgar Wright - **Creator:** Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Edgar Wright - **Director:** Edgar Wright - **Writer:** Jessica Hynes, Simon Pegg - **Cinematography:** Andy Hollis - **Producer:** Humphrey Barclay, Gareth Edwards, Nira Park - **Cast:** Simon Pegg as Tim Bisley; Jessica Hynes as Daisy Steiner; Nick Frost as Mike Watt; Mark Heap as Brian Topp; Julia Deakin as Marsha Klein; Katy Carmichael as Twist Morgan; Sally Grace as Daisy's Mum; Reece Shearsmith as Dexter - **Runtime:** 27m - **Release (India):** 24 September 1999 - **Genres:** Comedy ## Where to watch in India Not streaming, renting or buying in India at the last check. Also available in: AU, CA, GB, IE, NZ, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Clerks* (1994), Fi1m 89: More cash-strapped lives, with sharper insults and rather less affection for customers — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/porridge.md) - *The Young Ones* (1982), Fi1m 82: Shared accommodation, poor judgement and a greater willingness to destroy the furniture — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-young-ones.md) - *Linda Linda Linda* (2005): A gentler comedy about young people finding company and purpose through shared enthusiasms - *Flight of the Conchords* (2007), Fi1m 78: Being broke leaves plenty of room for elaborate musical distraction and awkward friendship — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/naked-lunch.md) - *Daria* (1997): An animated comedy with dry social observation and limited patience for organised enthusiasm --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/spaced