The highlight of Friday night continues to be Spaced with the flat-mates still arguing over the recent arrival of Colin into their lives. Daisy dotes on the diminutive dog but all Tim can see are teeth and claws. The appearance of an "evil suspicious looking man" and subsequent abduction of the beast leads the friends into a daring raid on a temporary and highly illegal animal experiment lab. As ever references and dialogue from many science fiction and horror movies abound, some so obscure that you need to check out the Spaced section at the Channel 4 website to understand them. Sadly, the ratings haven't been brilliant but with at least two more episodes there's still time to hook a few more converts. ****

(15/10/99) Episode 4: Daisy is dumped by her long-distance boyfriend and settles on the idea of a dog as a replacement. Unfortunately Tim, who suffers from Caninephobia, is scared of dogs and bamboo. However while Tim and Mike are at a paintball match where Tim gets predictable revenge on his ex-girlfriend's new lover, Daisy visits the local dog home and returns with a mutt she names Colin, after the cardboard box which was her pet as a child. Not as funny as last week but this two part story may develop into something better, and still had many flashes of imaginative fun. ***

(8/10/99) Spaced keeps up the standard of witty shows with targets in this episode of performance arts and video-games. Brian, the depressed artist, is even more depressed when his ex-partner in avant-garde performance, the hideous Vulva, invites him to a show. Daisy, who fails another interview when she spouts Girl Power to a trendy magazine editor and Tim who's hooked on a zombie video-game, go along for the free booze. The show and party are quite breathtakingly dreadful of course... and Tim's take on reality suddenly begins to unravel. Great stuff. ****

(1/10/99) Channel 4's latest sitcom continues and while episode two was less funny than the first the series is still visually very good. This week the new flatmates decide to throw a house-warming party. Unfortunately most people are going to a party in the same building so their dips, tin-foil mirror-ball and Time Warp music attract only a few guests. Jessica Stevenson and Simon Pegg who wrote as well as star in the programme are perfect as the mis-matched couple and the allusions to many cinema moments, such as the fridge scene in Ghostbusters and the alien welcome in Close Encounters make witty if not hilarious TV. ****
Audience: not reported (less than 2.17m) © BARB

(24/9/99) In a week when all manner of new and returning sitcoms have been shown, most of which have been below par, it was great to see something new and funny. Spaced is about two strangers searching for flats who agree to act as a professional couple in order to get somewhere clean and cheap. Thinking they need to concoct an elaborate past they easily fool the landlady but each little slip throws them into a riot of paranoia. The show features loads of science fiction/horror allusions the best of which was the sudden appearance of the twins from The Shining as bob-a-job girls. Will their secret be revealed and can they survive living in a building with so many crazy characters? Looks like it will be great fun... *****
Audience: 2.58m (21st) © BARB