[jekylljuice]

Spaced

For the first time in ages. Heck, I think I was just beginning at University the last time I saw Spaced. It's a likeably atypical (no laugh track for a start, which is always a bonus) and slightly surreal situation comedy from the same creative team who would later go on to give us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, in which Simon Pegg and the sadly rather short-changed Jessica Hynes play the two leads. The sense of humour is pretty heavily dependent upon movie spoofs and pop culture references, but for the most part not in the glib or irritating way which tends to bog down your standard Dreamworks animated picture (ugh); the folks here do at least make an effort to put their references into a context which is in itself funny, rather than assuming that we'll be automatically amused. And the characters, once you get to know them, are surprisingly complex and interesting. Brian is my favourite.