INSIDE TELEVISION: INTERVIEW - ANTENNA
EDITED BY ALEX MITCHELL; SPACED CRAFT
by Amy Watts
Simon Pegg was worried about writing a second series of his surreal hit sitcom Spaced. He needn't have been, says AMY WATTS 'I'M not even qualified to write a sitcom for twenty-somethings any more," sighs Simon Pegg. He is pondering his 31st birthday in a week's time and its effect upon the slick yet refreshingly warm comedy he and co-star Jessica Stevenson created together. He shouldn't worry; returning for a second series tonight, Spaced, layered with movie pastiches and quick-fire surreal humour, remains a welcome antidote to the saccharine tone of shows like Friends or Baddiel's Syndrome.
Veteran of both stand-up and sketch show - notably Big Train - Pegg's first foray into writing, centring on the flatshare of Tim (Pegg), Daisy (Stevenson) and Colin the dog was such a resounding success he could be forgiven for feeling nervous about repeating the formula. "Actually, more than anything the success of the first series spurred me on. We had something to live up to, and the series has always been our baby." And so it has, with Pegg and Stevenson writing their own lines and sometimes performing their own stunts. Pegg shows only the hint of narcissim: "Watching myself is the worst - constantly thinking does my hair really look that white ? Writing, though, is pretty cool as you get to do the things you always wanted to, like maybe walking into a bank with a gun, Matrix-style."
Cultural references and surreal flashbacks litter Spaced, creating a narrative structure that allows fantastical storylines combined with kitchen-sink observation. Often described as The Young Ones meets Rising Damp, critics find it hard to pigeon-hole its appeal. Pegg sees the strength coming from immediacy: "We aim to be totally defined by ourselves, that's why there are so many references to what is happening around us now - hopefully, creating a story for the MTV generation, reconditioning people with a two-second attention span."
Drawn by the rapid, stunning sequences, you find yourself strangely involved with Tim and Mike's Robot Wars entry, Marsha's troublesome teenager and even Brian's art. "If you laugh with a character you can often find an emotional affinity. The Simpsons does it brilliantly, a key moment for me being Bart hugging Principal Skinner - as Bart moves away we see that he's pinned 'kick me' on Skinner's back, only to find 'teach me' stuck on his. That's the approach I wanted."
There's no shortage of Spaced devotees prepared to help. The new series features cameos from The League Of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith and Kevin Eldon, last seen in Chris Morris's Jam: "Yeah it's great to get people who are your mates in, but it's never at the expense of the show - they're friends because they're in the business, apart from Nick (who plays Mike), he's my best friend.
"I knew he was funny so I wrote him a part and it just works." That explains the rapport between the boys, but what about the chemistry when Daisy and Tim are caught doing a Moonlighting over the PG tips? He laughs: "We call those our Bruce and Cybill moments. There's a spark there, but those moments usually end with a kick up the backside or Daisy pretending to be Phillipa Forester looking at my robot." Well quite.
So has "The Man Who Thinks He's It" in his stand-up show given up the live buzz for situation comedy? "I'd need to get myself limbered up to go back on the circuit, but I do love the rush: stand-up is the crack cocaine of comedy." So is Spaced a pint of lager and some peanuts?
"With a vodka chaser - it should be friendly yet scary while cocking a wink at the world."
Spaced, tonight, C4, 9.30pm