Spent, BBC review — modelling and midlife crises

Thirty-eight year old model Mia puts a lot of effort into not looking her age and very little effort into acting it. She spends her earnings on frivolities: $36,500 on brunch; $14,000 on crystals. When her accountant disapprovingly lists her expenses, she protests, “You’re making it sound bad because you’re adding it all together.”

Eager to save face — having, after all, invested substantial sums in her appearance — Mia attempts to avoid bankruptcy by fleeing New York for her native London, where she hopes to be given a hero’s welcome by old friends, family and her manager. But she hasn’t bothered to keep in touch with them; no one is particularly enthused about her return or offers to get her back on her feet. As far as work goes, it’s not catwalk shows that she’s being booked for but dog-sitting gigs.

So begins Spent, a new comedy on BBC2 by Michelle de Swarte loosely based on the writer-cum-star’s real experiences of life after modelling. Yet despite its semi-autobiographical roots, the six-part series feels less like an authentic, original story than simply the latest in a long line of comedies about selfish, self-sabotaging, just-about-redeemable millennials. Think Fleabag with a designer clutch. 

This in itself would not be a problem if the show delivered consistent laughs or a trenchant takedown of the fashion industry. Spent struggles on all fronts; the humour is too puerile, the moments of poignancy too engineered, the satire too broad. One scene involving an underage model being plied with drugs at a party involves such a caricature of a sexual predator that it undercuts what should have been an impactful moment. Other meaningful themes — racial fetishisation, gentrification, ageism, mental health — are broached with good intentions but limited wit. 

The show arguably fares better when it doesn’t try so hard. Exchanges between Mia and her old friend Jo (Amanda Wilkin) have a natural cadence and yield funny lines. But while de Swarte brings spark to the role, her character is difficult to warm to. That may well be the point, but that doesn’t make spending time in her company any more enjoyable.

★★☆☆☆

BBC2, July 8, 10pm. New episodes air weekly and are available on BBC iPlayer after broadcast