Episode 1 of Being Human's New Series on BBC 3
A Vampire, a Werewolf and a Ghost Share a Flat in Bristol
Jan 28, 2009
Being Human has returned to BBC 3 as a fully commissioned drama series. The show first aired as a pilot in February 2008, generating heaps of interest in its quirky premise of the flat-sharing neighbours from Hell. The vampire, the werewolf and the ghost - all suffering remorse at their lack of control over the horror of unwanted physical manifestations – was, and still is, a kick ass idea for a show.
Different Actors in New Being Human Series
The Being Human pilot boasted a particularly strong cast, including Russell Tovey (Little Dorrit, Doctor Who - Voyage of the Damned) as the werewolf George, Andrea Riseborough (The Devil's Whore, Party Animals) as Annie the ghost, Guy Flanagan (Party Animals) as Mitchell the vampire and Adrian Lester (Hustle, Bonekickers) as head honcho vampire Herrick. Now the programme has returned as a bona fide series the cull from the pilot is hugely noticeable. Russell Tovey is the only actor left standing from that original, attention-grabbing pilot. Annie is now played by Lenora Crichlow (memorable from the Doctor Who episode Gridlock) Mitchell has morphed into actor Aidan Turner, and Herrick is now played by Jason Watkins (who starred alongside Tovey in Little Dorrit).
It doesn't seem fair to write off the new faces before they've had a chance to prove themselves, but for all the avid fans the Being Human pilot garnered (many quite vocal in internet chat rooms) it is a disappointment to lose Flanagan, Riseborough and Lester. The previous cast seemed to gel together perfectly, providing last years pilot with a spark that was sadly missing, at least from the first episode of Being Human the series.
Being Human Pilot Writer Toby Whithouse Returns
Writer Toby Whithouse promises the series has the same dark tone as the pilot did, as he explains here on the BBC Being Human site. His conviction is encouraging, but although the first episode resisted a simple re-tread of the pilot, many of the minor irritations, inherent in the pilot, still remain. Annie is still a problem character in as much as the creators just don't seem to be able to decide what ground rules to lay down. Can people see her, or not? Why can she touch things, and open doors, but can't drink or change her clothes? Suspension of disbelief is not a problem for an audience already primed for a show about supernatural beings, but the laws of the characters alternative worlds have got to make sense.
It's fine that some people can see Annie. Some people claim to see ghosts in real life. But she should not have been able to take delivery of a pizza, for goodness sake. It would have made more sense for her eerie presence to have sent the delivery boy running in fear. Being Human doesn't seem to know quite how to pitch Annie. Nobody is expecting The Wire's style of hard-hitting social realism from the show, but the characters have got to ring true. If the stories don't hang together with a certain degree of believability, no matter how far-fetched the premise is, audiences just won't care about the outcome. Which seems an awful shame, because the audience that clamoured for the Being Human pilot to be commissioned do care about the show. They care a lot.
Click here for a look back at the impact of the Being Human pilot.
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