A Vampire, a Werewolf, and a Ghost Live Together in ‘Being Human’

by Josh Roth @ 10:45 am February 6th, 2009

Why are BBC shows consistently better than most US shows? Doctor Who, Torchwood, Life on Mars (the original, UK version), and now Being Human. I think the answer is because they take risks. I could never imagine a US network (even a cable one) green lighting Doctor Who or Being Human, they’re just too out there, too original. Get this, in Being Human a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost share a house in Bristol, each trying to figure out how to survive as supernaturals in a human world. Being Human feels like a modern descendant of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel, at its heart its a clever character drama in the guise of horror. You can catch Being Human on BBC Three in the UK and on BBC America when it hits the States later this year.

George, the neurotic werewolf (shown above, middle), is played by Russell Tovey, who also guest starred in the Doctor Who Christmas Special ‘Voyage of the Damned’ as Midshipman Alonso Frame. Midshipman Frame was one of the best parts of the episode, its good to see Tovey getting a starring role.

Aidan Turner plays Mitchell, a vampire trying to go cold turkey from blood. Mitchell is a bit like Angel, he’s a vampire searching for redemption and trying not to feed. The vampire mythology is a bit screwy (they can walk around in sunlight? What the frak?) but we should let it slide for the good of the show.

Last but not least is Annie the ghost (Lenora Crichlow). Annie’s stuck in limbo, her fiancé (their landlord) has moved on but she can’t. Again the supernatural rules seem bent, she can be seen by some people (mainly other ’supernaturals’), and can touch and move objects with ease.

Not only does the ensemble cast come together perfectly, but the horror moments and special effects are damned impressive. The werewolf transformation scene takes a note from An American Werewolf in London, it’s gritty and real (and uses some very similar techniques). Some of those prosthetic effects really look feature film quality, on a television budget that is phenomenally impressive. In the second episode there’s a vampire ‘porn’ tape of a female vamp feeding on a man while having sex with him. Since vamps don’t show up on film, the man is by himself the entire time until the blood starts to come pouring out. Wow. That moment is straight up horror, and they pull it off wonderfully.

Don’t miss this fantastic new outing from the Beeb. If you’re a Buffy fan, a fantasty/horror fan in general, or just a fan of good TV, this is one of the best and most original shows I’ve seen in recent years. Thank you BBC Three, I look forward to watching more.