by Orlando Parfitt, IGN UK
UK, April 8, 2008
IGN recently caught up with Jessica Hynes to talk about Son of
Rambow, but while we were there we couldn't help but ask a
cheeky question about the current McG-produced remake of
British cult-classic Spaced, which Hynes starred in and
co-wrote. Despite insisting that she wasn't fussed about
the controversial US update - dubbed McSpaced by online
fans of the show - she soon opened up at length about her
disgust for the way the whole affair has been handled.
Hynes said that neither she nor her co-star Simon Pegg were
asked by British studio Granada, who owned the rights to the
show, about a possible US remake, or if they were planning
anymore episodes. "That wouldn't have been that hard," she
said, "it was Granada who actually should have said to us:
'how do you feel about this?' You know I don't think the
matter of selling TV programmes and ideas should be like
selling a bag of sweets over the counter... And so the
fact they didn't actually approach us sort of shows they
were scared of what we would say, i.e. "no, no don't" -
and that's obviously not what they wanted. "
Hynes also slammed the way American TV networks exploit UK
shows: "That's what studios do, they prey on creativity,
they take ideas and barter and sell them and to some degree
British television is all like pilot season... you think
you've made a brilliant, epic TV show and for them it's
just a pilot that they try and turn into a behemoth, a
hundred episodes or whatever. Where it leaves the creators
and originators is nowhere."
Revenge for Hynes, Pegg and co might come in the form of the
region 1 DVD of the UK series, which is released in the States
later this year. She said: "We're going to be out in San
Diego for Comic-Con or maybe in New York, promoting it - I
think that'll be quite fun. Also there's talk that the American
Spaced people will also be there, which will be so weird! I'm
so ready for that! We should basically say, "Your Tim against
our Tim; your Apryl fighting Daisy" - I'll bring her down! No
only joking, I'll give her a cuddle and we'll make friends..."