Genre drama Being Human follows three twenty somethings who are desperate to find their place in the world despite the fact that George (Russell Tovey) is a werewolf, Mitchell (Aidan Turner) is a vampire and Annie (Lenora Critchlow) is a ghost.
George is desperate for somewhere safe for when he has his “transformations” and Mitchell has a hard time keeping his blood lust at bay, Annie meanwhile is doomed to remain a ghost unless she can fix up the unresolved major issue in her “life” – unfortunately she doesn’t know what it is although she later discovers half way through season one that it is because she was murdered by her fiancee Owen!
The second season ups the ante somewhat with the introduction of several new characters not least “supernatural hunters” Professor Jaggat and Kemp who harbour a major desire to eradicate all three of the flatmates. There was also the arrival of married vampire couple Ivan and Daisy. This second season was also much heavier on action and not all the major players survived to the end.
Being Human very quickly developed a large fan base, its a sometimes uneasy mix of humour and horror but it’s a great concept and carried off well by the cast. There was a one hour pilot episode broadcast 18 February 2008 with Andrea Riseborough playing Annie and Guy Flanagan as Mitchell, a series was quickly commissioned and emerged in 2009 with Lenora Crichlow now cast as Annie and Aidan Turner as Mitchell.
Cast: RUSSELL TOVEY as George Sands; GUY FLANAGAN as John Mitchell(pilot); AIDAN TURNER as John Mitchell (series); ANDREA RISEBOROUGH as Annie (pilot); LENORA CRITCHLOW as Annie (series); CLAIRE FOY as Julia; DOMINIQUE McELLIGOT as Lauren; ADRIAN LESTER as Herrick (pilot); JASON WATKINS as Herrick (series); SINEAD KEENAN as Nina; DONALD SUMPTER as Kemp (season two); LYNDSEY MARSHAL as Professor Lucy Jaggat (season two); PAUL RHYS as Ivan (season two); AMY MANSON as Daisy (season two)
Creator: Toby Whithouse / Make-Up & Hair Designer: Jacqueline Russon / Music: Sam Watts / Production Design: Andrew Purcell / Director of Photography: Tim Palmer / Executive Producers: Rob Pursey (for Touchpaper), Julie Gardner (for BBC) and Lucy Richer (for BBC) / Producer: Matthew Bouch / Director: Declan O’Dwyer
UK / BBC Three – Touchpaper / 37×60 minute episodes / 18 February 2008 – 10 March 2013
