Being Human, BBC Three’s hit drama series about supernatural friends trying to live normal lives despite their unusual afflictions, is back – and, says writer creator Toby Whithouse, “It is without doubt our best series yet.”
“A third series is a unique opportunity because it allows you to take all the best bits of series one and series two,” he says. “What we took from series one is the domestic element, and very strong stories of the week with very strong guest characters. Series two had much more of an epic sweep and a breadth of ambition. Series three has allowed us to combine all those things.”
There are a few changes afoot when we meet the friends at the beginning of the new series. Werewolf couple George (Russell Tovey) and Nina (Sinead Keenan) and reformed vampire Mitchell (Aidan Turner) have fled their beloved shared house in Bristol and are looking for a new house to rent in Barry, Wales. They are also without ghost Annie (Lenora Crichlow), who is stuck in purgatory and desperately trying to escape.
Having been such an integral part of the first and second series, it was difficult to leave Bristol behind –but the new location has given the show an extra freshness that has helped in the storytelling. “Our concern was that moving from Bristol and losing the iconic pink house would be detrimental to the show, but actually we found that it really reinvigorated it,” explains Whithouse. “It allowed us to kick off the series with a fresh start and with a renewed energy, and provided us with heaps more material than we imagined.”
Leaving the memories of their much-loved former house behind, George, Nina and Mitchell settle into their new home – a kitsch Bed & Breakfast named Honolulu Heights that boasts many benefits for supernatural sharers. A large basement providing a safe and sheltered environment on a full moon, for one. Whithouse describes the new set as “jaw-dropping.”
“I’ve always said that Andrew [Purcell] our set designer is a genius, and every series we set him a huge new task and he never lets us down.
“The attention to detail is absolutely amazing. I’ve been on set goodness knows how many times but every time I go back there I’ll notice a new detail – something new that he’s popped in – it’s absolutely awe-inspiring what he’s done.”
Being Human has amassed a huge fan-base both in the UK and US, and has even spawned a US remake due on screens in 2011. The pressure of maintaining the quality and popularity of a show which has such a vocal audience is “daunting”, says Whithouse. “I know how important the show is to its fans and so I’m aware that I have a responsibility not to let them down.
“But I think that’s good and quite enjoy the pressure and the challenge. They know the show almost better than I do and I relish the challenge of coming up with ideas that surprise them.”
Series three boasts an impressive array of guest-stars, including Lacey Turner in her first role after EastEnders as Lia, who Mitchell meets in purgatory; Robson Green (Wire in the Blood) as primitive werewolf McNair; Michael Socha (This Is England ’86) as McNair’s son Tom; Paul Kaye (It’s All Gone Pete Tong) as twisted vampire Vincent; Craig Roberts (Young Dracula) as teenage vampire Adam; Nicola Walker (Spooks) as social worker Wendy; James Fleet (Vicar of Dibley) as George’s father George Snr; and Jason Watkins making an eventful return as vampire leader Herrick.
An online extension to Being Human will also launch online mid-way through the third series. Created by Toby Whithouse and written by Brian Dooley, Jamie Mathieson and John Jackson, Becoming Human is set in a fictional college and will follow a new group of characters over nine episodes.
Throughout filming and transmission the Being Human blog www.bbc.co.uk/beinghuman offers fans a regularly updated behind-the-scenes glimpse into the show, with videos, blog posts and news updates from the cast and crew of the show.
Being Human is a Touchpaper Television production for BBC Wales, created by Toby Whithouse (Torchwood, Doctor Who) and produced by Phil Trethowan (Sold).
Executive producers are Rob Pursey for Touchpaper Television (City Of Vice, Single-Handed), Eleanor Moran for BBC Wales and Toby Whithouse.
Series three writers are Toby Whithouse (eps 1, 7, 8), Brian Dooley (ep 2), Jamie Mathieson (ep 3) John Jackson (ep 4), Sarah Phelps (ep 5) and Lisa McGee (ep 6).
Being Human was commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, and Danny Cohen, previous Controller of BBC Three.
Being Human is also being simulcast on the award-winning BBC HD channel – the BBC’s High Definition channel available through Freesat channel 109, Freeview channel 54, Sky channel 169 and Virgin Media channel 187.
BBC HD offers the very best of the BBC’s programming in high definition, bringing audiences the programmes they love with up to five times more detail than standard definition, and exceptionally vivid colours and crisp pictures.
Russell Tovey plays George (Werewolf)
How do we meet George at the beginning of series three?
George is in a place of fresh beginnings. We have lost Annie, and we’ve decided we’re going to leave Bristol – we have to leave, Mitchell doesn’t want to be there anymore. George is unaware of what Mitchell’s been through but he’s worried about it – he knows Mitchell has gone somewhere dark and he is trying to bring him back.
George and Nina are now a unit, they are very happy together for once. That’s their fresh start, and they have their vampire friend with them but it feels as though they are really on their quest for happily ever after – and that is what George has always wanted.
So he is in this place of keeping everything good, everything is fine and going well, so let’s not think about the bad things. Yes, we miss Annie, but let’s just keep going.
How does George feel about the move to Barry?
I think he is sad because the house is always where they made their friendships, the house is always heavily associated with Annie. But I think he loves a new beginning. In the second series him and Nina weren’t really together and he would go off and meet loads of other girls, and loads of things were happening to George. He was very unhappy and just missed her so much. Now they are together, they are going to start afresh and let it be a new beginning, a new page, and I think that is good for George.
Do you think George has a new confidence that we didn’t see in the first two series?
Yeah because he has got a comrade. And yes he gave her [Nina] the curse but she doesn’t blame him anymore, she accepts it. So he’s got someone who understands him completely, accepts him completely and loves him completely, so that in itself makes him a lot more confident and a lot happier. Which I think is tough for Mitchell because he has always felt like he was George’s crutch, a co-dependent relationship – but now it feels like George’s affections and dependency is going onto Nina, and I think that is quite hard for Mitchell.
Does George’s relationship with Nina affect his relationship between the friends?
By George getting closer and becoming more dependent on Nina, and spending all his time with Nina – I think Mitchell ends up feeling neglected. Which is the worse thing that could happen for Mitchell because he needs to feel human and needed, and the reason he has to stay on the straight and narrow is for other people. So if other people start not needing him as much, it’s easier for him to abandon this life choice of abstaining from blood, so he can kind of slip back into the dark side.
I think the knock on effect with Annie as well, is that the friends are kind of…when anyone gets into a relationship, they end up moving on, they end up neglecting their friends and going out and just spend time with the person they are in love with. It’s not a horrible thing, they don’t do it on purpose, but that is just what happens in relationships. And suddenly if you are in a house where someone is in a relationship in that house, there are a lot of different dynamics unlike if you were just single friends. So I think that is kind of a test. I mean nobody turns against Nina, everyone loves Nina, but for George he rather selfishly thinks: ‘Everything is going well for me, so everything should be going well for everyone else.’
And how would you describe the new pad?
The new pad in Barry is huge! It’s an old B&B. It has loads of rooms, the depth on it is amazing when they are shooting, which is great. It is a big 70s throwback, there is all old furniture in there from the 70s, it just completely suits them that they are living in this completely eccentric, ramshackle house that everyone who has viewed the property has found disgusting – but for them, they call it home very quickly.
How does it feel having new werewolf characters this series?
I think that it’s brilliant for the characters because it opens up the werewolf world. I think George is finally in a place where he can explore other werewolves.
I think it is great for the show because it has always mainly been about vampires and so to bring it back to werewolves again and opening that world up is going to be great for the fans.
There are loads of great guest-stars this series, how has it been working with them all?
Every guest star again has been phenomenal. We’re just completely spoilt on this show that people love it and want to do it, so you get the best people turning up. You sit there at the read-through and you suddenly see who is playing these parts and it’s really humbling and exciting. You think ‘Wow, this is the show that I have been working on’, and now we have got to a point where Robson Green’s turning up to do it and James [Fleet] is turning up to do it.
Even the people that aren’t well known yet, they come in and you think: ‘You are incredible,’ and you know you’re going to look back and go: ‘I had a chance to work with them in my show and now they are off doing these big things’. That’s what it feels like with this show, that it’s a big springboard for loads of talent.
I have to ask you about Herrick’s return. George killed Herrick at the end of series one, and at the end of series two it’s hinted that he is coming back. How does that affect George and the rest of the housemates?
Well in this show, it seems like when somebody dies they never really die. For George he ripped the man’s head off and suddenly he reappears, that just doesn’t make sense on any level. Yes, they are living in a world where he is a werewolf and he is a vampire, but even then if you rip someone’s head off, rip them to shreds and bury their body in all different parts of the country – how they can all suddenly find each other again and turn up scar free is baffling.
It’s terrifying for George, terrifying. And Herrick returns, but not as the Herrick we know. So suddenly you have a whole new side to Herrick to be explored, it completely throws the friends, the unit, into turmoil.
Have there been any memorable scenes this year, any scenes that have been particularly fun to shoot?
We always say every year, every scene where we’re together where we get to be our characters in the house – where’s it’s just basically Annie making tea and us chatting are the favourite scenes.
There’s been a lot of drama as well involving the werewolves – myself and Sinead transforming together, and they’ve introduced this cage where vampires take wolves to do dog fights, they put them in there and throw a human in there on the full moon and they watch these fights. It’s really dark but great to film!
But because it is still fresh in my mind, we have just finished the last scene of the third series and it took two days to shoot this really long scene. It was like the longest days ever and really emotional, but a great scene.
When you get the scripts have there ever been moments when you think ‘I never thought they would take George there?’
Yeah, every time I read the scripts. That’s what’s so brilliant about Toby’s writing, there is nothing predictable, I can’t predict what’s going to happen – I always think this is going to happen and then that is going to happen, but he completely takes it from the side and you find yourself saying: ‘Oh wow, I never saw that coming.’
Toby’s knowledge of sci-fi and his knowledge of these sorts of worlds is so vast, he lives and breathes this – where he gets his inspiration from, I have no idea. They are always very incredible and very exciting to read and that is what keeps the show so fresh and brilliant – he keeps people guessing and on their toes and surprising them.
Aidan Turner plays Mitchell (Vampire)
Where do we meet Mitchell as the beginning of Series 3?
From the end of series two myself and George have made this pact that we’re gonna get Annie back [from purgatory] regardless, so true to Mitchell’s word he goes and tries to get her back from purgatory. So he sets off on this bizarre quest to find her and in the meantime sort of finds out a lot about himself. He becomes aware of limbo and brings her back in one episode which is pretty awesome!
He gets a prophecy from Lia at the beginning of the series, how does that affect him?
It haunts him through the whole thing, he’s completely freaked out by it. Because obviously any werewolves that he’s come into contact with have been people he wouldn’t suspect would do that to him, for example George, Nina, Tully. He just can’t figure it out. Then he meets McNair and he mentions something… His immortality has put him in jeapordy which he’s never felt before, so he realises he might die and that’s something he’s very conscious about – because he still has to protect the household and the other guys, and has unfinished business, so if he has to die he wants to choose how he goes. It freaks him out an awful lot and he loses control – and that’s something Mitchell needs, control.
You had scenes with Lacey Turner who plays Lia, how was it working with her?
She’s awesome, she’s brilliant. It’s not enough credit to say she’s highly professional but that’s what she was. She’s such a lovely girl, sort of reserved and quite quiet and I think she’s amazing, she’s done some fabulous stuff. And she’s only ever really done EastEnders so to come in and do it – she’s very fluid, everyone enjoyed it and we were talking about it for weeks afterwards. The producers say her scenes look great and that the scenes in limbo look great.
Can you talk about Mitchell’s relationships with the housemates this series?
It’s a funny one with Mitchell because his relationship with George has kind of changed, but it’s more I guess on George’s side. In the last series it was very much Mitchell trying to ground everything and take control, taking on Herrick’s role and accepting leadership and calming the vampires down a bit. In series three George’s relationship with Nina progresses so there’s a lot of distance between those two [Mitchell and George], and with the other werewolves coming into the house Mitchell feels very uncomfortable. It sort of feels like it’s the start of a relationship ending, certainly changing, and it’s a transition I don’t think either of them are comfortable with but it’s unstoppable. Any time they seem to get together there’s not as many laughs in their relationship, but that’s the way relationships work – they’re variable and change all the time.
I guess Annie falls in love with him and he sort of falls in love with her too. It’s such a grey area because he’s the hero, and she kind of falls for him. I guess it’s one of those things where two people can be a match and something so profound and huge happens like that [Mitchell rescuing Annie from purgatory] it can pull on heart-strings in funny ways. I don’t think Mitchell is prepared for that – I think Annie is and she’s longing for that. I don’t think Mitchell fully knows what he’s getting into but I think he does realise he loves her. But when you have so much else to burn, it’s literally life or death with everything Mitchell seems to do, with huge consequences, in a funny way love comes second. But I’m glad they’ve hooked up as it makes for a nice story!
How would you describe Mitchell, he seems so tortured?
He’s a complete tortured soul, like any vampire. I don’t think he’ll ever be truly happy – he’s always just survived. It’s the struggle you see which I always like. That’s not to say he’s a wet rag – he knows how to have fun and have a laugh and it’s not something he’s completely consumed by, but it’s always prevalent, and it’s always there. It’s something he can’t forget about and his own actions coincide with the safety of other people who aren’t immortal who he feels responsible for, and he’s always carrying that burden around with him. He’s almost like the mother figure rather than the father figure, he provides that security, the comfort blanket. By the final episode you see he reaches the point where he doesn’t want to be that anymore.
It almost feels it’s a ticking time-bomb as the series goes on, was that difficult to play or fun to play?
That’s the good thing about doing a TV show other than a film, there’s so much scope. We’ve only done 22 episodes but still altogether that’s 22 hours – there’s so much room to play on so many levels, there’s so much longevity. Toby’s writing is so good it makes it easy, you never have to think about hitting certain beats it just seems to happen. The very last scene in the last episode when it all kicks off, I was slightly worried that we might not all get there but the dialogue, it just happens naturally, and the emotion just plays itself out.
Herrick is back this series, can you talk a bit about what Mitchell’s response is to it?
It’s strange for Mitchell. The first time he sees him come back into the house it’s a massive shock and immediately his mind flicks to, ‘he survived – he survived something I didn’t think was possible’. That premonition he has to deal with suddenly becomes dissolved and changes because he realises he can survive something like that. He doesn’t believe him when he first comes in because it’s Herrick, and he’s obviously so savvy with his own emotions and so good at playing games, and that’s what he thinks it is. But it takes Mitchell a long time to realise he is actually troubled and doesn’t remember anything. But when Mitchell does realise he sees it as a positive and he needs to find out how to get this information out of Herrick. That ball goes back into Herrick’s court again.
Loads of great guest-stars this series, any particularly memorable or fun to work with?
I loved working with Michael Socha [Tom]. His show [This Is England ‘86] was on while we were shooting so he was on a great little buzz and we were hanging out a lot. It was good fun. It was great with Jason [Watkins – Herrick] again – he’s not necessarily a guest-character – but he’s always one of my favourites. And Robson [Green – McNair] – they’re all great – it’s not interesting to mention everybody but they were all fantastic!
Any scenes that stand out that were memorable to film?
Certainly the last scene. It was like an 8-pager on the last day and it was my idea to shoot it on the last day! It turned out if we didn’t nail it on the last day we were in trouble! That was a platter of emotions. That was a huge one. Being in the new house was fun. Any scenes that were shot in the new house were fun.
What did you think of the new set?
It was awesome – really breathtaking what they managed to do with it. It was so detailed, even the carpet, you swore someone had lived there for years! Such a credit to the art department, that house was brilliant. Obviously it gave us the benefit of moving the camera, there was more space, moving the walls. It gave us the breathing space and allowed the house to become a character. They really outdid themselves.
So this is the third series, how do you think this series compares to the first two?
I don’t know! I haven’t seen anything yet. It certainly felt great and to work with a new director Phil John. It felt exciting and it didn’t feel like we were hitting the same beats as last time. The first series was really kitchen-sink and light and had more comedic sensibilities, and the second series was a lot darker especially for Mitchell, it had a slower burn to it. This series I don’t know, I think the pace has quickened up, it doesn’t stop.
You’ve landed a part in The Hobbit, how are you feeling about it all?
Really excited. It’s funny you go through different phases. You find out about it and you’re bouncing off the walls for a few weeks, then it all settles down, and then as it gets closer coming up to Christmas, I’m a Christmas kind of person I love it, so it makes it more exciting again to know that as soon as that’s up I’m over there! I’m super-excited about it, I can’t wait for it.
Lenora Crichlow plays Annie (Ghost)
How do we meet Annie in the new series, as she got left in purgatory in the series two?
We don’t actually get to see Annie properly till the end of episode one. However, when we do see her in the episode she is in a bad way – she is still in purgatory and frantic about what will happen to her. She is crying out for help and you get a sense of her desperation. It doesn’t look good for her at the beginning of the series, but we do get her back by the end of the episode – when Mitchell comes to her rescue!
Annie doesn’t know about the move from Bristol. How does Annie feel about the move to Barry?
To say she is less than excited would probably be the right thing. I don’t think Annie is great with change. She likes her routine, she likes familiar surroundings. The fact that they’ve moved puts her out a little bit, and then she surveys Barry and is even more unenthused. But she gets used to it pretty quickly and it does become her home. She’s a good homemaker Annie, so she can cope.
Do you think she’ll miss Bristol?
I think there is an element of that, but also a really nice sense of starting again and a fresh start – which I think they all want and need – and for Annie, it’s a chance to make new memories of a place, and wipe the slate clean. There is a lot of stuff that wasn’t so great about the place she was in – and Bristol itself – so the move is for the best.
How would you describe the new pad?
Big! Big and really fantastic – we were blown away by the set. It’s stunning on and off camera. It felt like being in a big dolls house and felt very homely for a set. It was much more solid then the last set and on a much bigger scale. The attention to detail is exquisite – I was so impressed.
Will Annie rescue from purgatory show a different side to her this series?
Definitely. Annie’s done a 360. When we meet her in series three, she is much more empowered and secure – and I think that’s because the worst thing that could have happened to her has happened. She now has fearlessness about her and a real appreciation for everybody that is in her little life. We definitely see a different side to her this series – she has definitely grown.
Does Annie build a particular bond with anyone this series?
Yes. I think she’ll have a particular bond with Mitchell…he saved her, he is her hero – but that’s all I can say on that one! You do though get a hint of what may happen by the end of the first episode.
How would you describe the new characters?
There are some fantastic new characters in the show. This series really starts to pad out the world that the three of them find themselves in. It becomes a lot more complex and you see the scale of what’s going on. It’s not just the three of them in a flat anymore; it starts to filter out into the real world. There are some brilliant cameos and brilliant regulars that take us through series three. You’ll laugh, cry, and drool!
The new characters mean the three of us really start to build up a community, as we realise we are not alone. It’s what I’d call an alternative community, which they are introduced to and when they begin to explore and become part of it, it’s really exciting. But the three of us are still very much a tight unit.
How has it been working with all the fantastic guest stars?
All the guest stars were pretty amazing. Lacey Turner was fantastic – she was great to work with and a lovely person. We had some great scenes together.
Have there been any memorable scenes this year, any scenes that have been particularly fun to shoot?
There’s a scene where Nina and George come in and catch Mitchell and Annie doing something….and that scene has to stand out. It’s a really short moment but we could not get through it because of the hysterics! Russell has to give us this weird look, and I don’t know how he does it, but he managed to have everybody in hysterics. Even members of the crew had to step off set. We were just in absolute fits – professionalism went out the window completely!
When you get the scripts have there ever been moments when you think ‘I never thought they would take Annie there’?
There are a lot of surprises for Annie in this series. The thing with Toby is you just trust him that much that you don’t want to second guess him. I won’t lie – everybody has a pop at what they think is going to happen – but he just manages to make everything make sense, it’s all very organic. And I’m always in absolute surprise by what’s coming next and it keeps me on my toes. It draws me in. Even if you feel you saw it coming, Toby writes it in such a way that you’ll have that ‘huh!’ moment.
But one thing I will say is that you need to stick with series three till the end, the ends a blinder!
Sinead Keenan plays Nina (Werewolf)
How do we find Nina when we meet her at the beginning of series three?
Obviously at the end of the last series they are in the halfway house, we don’t know where they are but they are in a cottage in the country somewhere. They then decide to move to Barry, as you do!
They first start off with herself and George and a reluctant Mitchell viewing a house, a great big four-story house called Honolulu Heights that used to be a B&B. They decide to take it and that’s where they start off their journey for series three.
They are also trying to figure out a way for Mitchell to go and get Annie back [from purgatory], and they decide that Nina has to keep an eye out for a patient in the hospital who is going to die who doesn’t have any relatives. It’s very sad, but someone who nobody would necessarily notice had died – so that Mitchell can be there when he passes through, so that he can pass through with him.
Nina’s relationship with George is going very well, which is nice because it was very traumatic last year. So yeah, she is in a good place, very happy once Annie gets back at the end of the first episode, but then other things start to happen.
Is Nina excited about the move?
Yeah it is a bit of a fresh start, she’s gotten used to the whole thing that she is a werewolf now and she has had a couple of transformations, she is getting used to it and accepting it. The acceptance seems to have taken the place of blame, which there seemed to be a certain amount of when it came to George. But I think once they get Annie settled in, it is a fresh start – but then things go horribly wrong as they always do.
Can you describe the new place they are living in?
The new place that they are living in is absolutely huge compared to the last house. It has got a basement which George and Nina are hoping to use for transforming, it has got a great big living room with a Hawaiian bar, then it has an eating area with a nice organ, and a great big kitchen.
Annie has a bedroom, Mitchell has a bedroom and George and Nina have the honeymoon suite which is beautiful… There’s a guestroom and then there is a fantastic attic where things and people are hidden throughout the series.
There are other werewolf characters this series, how do George and Nina encounter them and how do they become involved?
George first stumbles across Tom when he is out with his chicken on a string because he leaves Nina in the basement on her own. He meets this other guy with a chicken on a string and goes: ‘Hmm, that’s not normal.’
And then later down the line, George and Nina need to speak to them to get some advice, so they go looking for them.
Have you given any tips to the new werewolves this series? Have you seen them when they are doing their transformation scenes and did you speak to them about it beforehand?
No we didn’t, well I certainly didn’t speak to them about transforming. I know what it’s like to follow Russell who is incredible at it, to try and follow that is difficult so you might as well not bother, you just have to find your own way.
Certainly in terms of their werewolf prosthetic and make-up it looks slightly different to ours – so it’s almost like there is a different thread or a different strain. Almost like in families – there is a particular look in a certain family and George scratched me, so our werewolves look slightly similar.
On the transformation days do you look forward to it, or is it something that you dread? How do you prepare for those filming days?
I don’t look forward to it, I don’t necessarily dread it. I prepare by going to bed very early because my first alarm goes off at about half three.
But to be fair everyone on set is brilliant on those days, the director keeps the shot list as organised and as small as possible. You do as little takes as possible, because you can really, really damage your voice. You can try warming up, cooling down or whatever but you are still screaming essentially and there is no safe way to scream – you just gotta scream. You are in very safe hands, and it’s over and done with as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Can you describe Nina’s relationship with Annie and Mitchell this year?
Well obviously now that there are four of us permanently living in the house the dynamics have changed.
It is great to be able to interact more with Annie on girly things, which is how they start off – but again life gets in the way and all sorts happens.
In terms of Nina and Mitchell, there has always been something funny there, they have never been the best of friends. Nothing has ever happened, but you know how you see in real-life, sometimes with your own friends, where you will have two best mates and a boyfriend or girlfriend comes along and things just naturally have to shift a little. That triangle of friend/girlfriend.
Then she also finds out about the Box Tunnel 20. Nina is very straight down the line, there’s right and there’s wrong, there’s no middle ground. Her moral compass is very strong, very particular and she thinks: ‘right I have got this information; he killed 20 people. No matter how nice of a guy he is usually, and how good of a friend he is to my boyfriend he killed 20 people and I have to let somebody know.’
Has Nina changed since the first series since she’s been in a relationship with George?
I think they have both changed and I think the other has changed them. Nina, certainly in the first series, was an absolute battle-axe. She’s got this hard, very strong, ‘nobody can hurt me’, ‘I’m fine on my own’ independence that’s always defensive when you meet anyone like that. I do think that she has a soft centre, but you’ve really got to drill deep to get into that.
So I think he’s made her softer and she’s made him stronger, and he has accepted his ‘werewolfness’.
There are lots of great guest-stars this series – how has it been working with them?
All of the guest stars have been brilliant. Lacey Turner who’s fantastic, I unfortunately only met her at the read-through, because my character had nothing to do with her, but she’s great. Obviously you’ve got Michael Socha, who was in This is England – fantastic.
Robson Green, who was my first TV crush. I was about 10 or 11; I think he was playing Jimmy the porter. I think the first time I met him [on Being Human], I actually blushed in the make-up truck. He came in specifically to say hello and I did get a little bit hot and bothered, I have to confess. He will always be my little hospital porter, and he is amazing, absolutely amazing.
Nicola Walker – episode five playing Wendy the social worker, incredible – I think she should come back and social work elsewhere in the show. Alex Roach, who plays our zombie – fantastic, she is now working with Meryl Streep, see what happens when you work on Being Human!
What have been your most fun scenes to film this year?
There are so many. Usually, the most fun ones are when the four of us are together, but it is not necessarily fun for everyone else because it usually means we take a lot longer because we end up laughing. I don’t mean to point the finger but I’m going to point the finger heavily in the direction of Russell Tovey – he’s the root of all evil.
For someone who has never watched Being Human, how would you describe the show to them?
It’s a show about four 20-somethings, trying to make their way in life and find out who they are, where they want to be, where they want to go, what they want out of life. But it just so happens that one of them is a vampire, one of them is a ghost, a couple of them are werewolves – but that is all kind of incidental, that’s just their issues, their crosses that they have to bear. At the centre of it, at Being Human’s heart – as corny as it sounds – it is about being human. That’s all it is.
Lacey Turner plays Lia
Were you a fan of Being Human and had you seen it before you got the part?
No I’d never actually seen it before. They sent me the script and the box set for the first two series and I watched it, and then I was addicted to it right from the beginning – so I was excited to be playing the part of Lia.
You’re in episodes 1 and 8, did you know how your story was going to pan out?
I knew I was going to be in the first and last episode, but I only really knew the story from the first episode – I never knew what happened in episode 8 probably until a month before we shot it.
What did you think when you read the last episode?
I thought ‘wow’ because in the first episode she comes across as quite hard and evil, but when you get to episode 8 you see a different side to her. She’s such a powerful character and suddenly she sort of crumbles and the audience feel her pain and see why she did what she did.
Was it fun to play someone who has such an influence on the show?
It was brilliant to play because it all comes from just one sentence that Lia says to Mitchell, the whole series is then based on that sentence. All she has to say is that ‘you’re going to be killed by a werewolf’ and the whole series comes from that. By the last episode you find out what she meant by it.
How would you describe Lia?
She’s a normal, late teenage, early 20s girl. She went to vet school, she was training to be a vet. She was just a normal girl.
This is your first role after EastEnders – how did it feel? Was it nerve-wracking?
Yeah, it was, it is the only other TV job I’ve done since EastEnders. It’s so different, we shoot 14 scenes a day [in EastEnders], we spend about half and hour to an hour to do a scene. I go to Cardiff for Being Human and you have the whole day to do a scene. It was nice because you got to play around with the character and try different things. The cast and crew were so lovely. The crew made me feel so welcome. I’d never been to Cardiff, never filmed anything other than EastEnders and they made me feel at home straight away, I really enjoyed it.
Did you approach it differently?
As an actress you sort of want to try different things really, you want to explore different ways of doing things. On a fast show like EastEnders you don’t have the time to do that – you have to decide which way you’re gonna do it and stick to it. So it was nice to have the time to be able to think, ‘I’ll try this to see if it’s better’.
Most of your scenes were with Aidan Turner, and Lenora, how was it working with them?
They’re so good at playing their characters. I had most of my scenes with Aidan, I thought he was fantastic, and they’re really nice people. I really enjoyed working with them.
What would you like to do next, do you have anything coming up?
I don’t know really. I’m going to take a bit of time out and see what happens and take each day as it comes. It’s very exciting. It’s nice because I was in EastEnders for six and a half years and you know what you’re going to do the next day and the next week. It’s nice to not have a plan!
If you could choose between a werewolf, vampire and ghost, which one would you go for and why?
I don’t know if I’d be a vampire or a ghost… Maybe a ghost because she [Annie] can be anywhere and no one can see you!
Robson Green plays McNair (Werewolf)
Were you a fan of Being Human before becoming involved in Series 3?
I absolutely adore the show. I first knew about the show when a friend of mine, Declan O’Dwyer, was asked to direct the pilot. Declan told me about the plot and I just thought that sounded brilliant, what a fantastic premise! I loved the notion of the relationship and the conflict that would appear through those relationships. I watched the pilot, which I loved, and another director friend of mine said he was working on the first series. What’s really interesting about the first series is that people in the industry loved it; it’s a very well respected show on many levels, not only creatively but technically as well. Make-up departments love the show and anyone who wants to aspire to better things in make-up want to be part of shows like Being Human, because they invest so much in the prosthetics.
What do you think is so unique about it?
It’s simple, it’s good writing and a good story – and it’s very well told. But the premise is offbeat, that’s the unusual thing, it is the relationships that are unique. When you listen to the words that come out in Being Human you’re just compelled to listen. Toby has created a beautiful premise and a wonderful story – and it grabs you. Being Human was way ahead of its time, so to speak, and sort of pre-empted the rush in the vampire genre. But Toby was there at the start and I think that’s what makes it different and why people want to watch it.
Before you got the role, did you have a preference as to what supernatural you’d play?
The one thing I had said to my agent was: ‘Get me something offbeat, unusual, something that is against the tide in what people see me in usually’. I was on set with Derek Jacobi when the phone rang, and Michael said ‘How do you feel about playing a werewolf?’ and I said no at first, but then he told me it was for Being Human, so I said, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll do it tomorrow!’ Derek said, ‘A werewolf in Being Human, that’s a masterstroke! You’d be marvellous! Will one be donning fangs?!’ It was just fabulous and I was so excited, it was an absolute thrill and you know, it’s one of those few jobs where money wasn’t important, it was just to improve as an actor, just to have the chance to develop and take on an exciting challenge.
And how would you describe your character McNair?
Well McNair was just a good, hard-working, decent man with lots of integrity. He was living a normal married life and was making his way to the supermarket when he was suddenly abducted by four vampires – as one is on a Saturday night! He had to fight for his life in a cage with a werewolf, and the result of that fight is McNair wins, but he is scarred by the werewolf and therefore has become the monster for the rest of his life.
When they actually discover me, we’ve skipped forward sixteen years, and McNair now has a son – Tom. McNair has two objectives in life – to protect his son and the love he has for him for the rest of his life, but also to wreak revenge on every living vampire on the planet, with his number one target being Herrick.
How was the dynamic between you and Michael Socha (who plays Tom)?
As soon as I met him he was absolutely wonderful, just one of those rarities in what can be a very fickle and unreal world. He was a very real and down-to-earth young man, who had this lovely genuine approach. He also had that lovely glint in his eye and he had a certain edge to him that is very charismatic.
How does your character come into contact with the housemates initially?
Well, Russell’s character come across my son Tom in a forest – this is when George realises there is another young lad like him in Barry. He tells Nina, and when George and Nina finally come across McNair and his son Tom, they seek advice from McNair. McNair has this whole philosophy that the transformation doesn’t make you weaker; it makes you more powerful,
That’s actually quite different to the other werewolves, because he seems to really embrace it.
Well the approach I’ve taken on board is two things in the transformation – McNair enjoys and looks forward to the transformation. He’s accepted his fate, but in some perverse way is enjoying it and especially he’s thrilled at the thought of transforming into a monster to destroy Herrick. He also teaches his son Tom to enjoy it, to embrace it, and therefore he will be strong. In McNair’s words ‘they will become a soldier for the cause’.
How did you find the transformation scenes?
Well I always find as an actor that you’ve got to step way outside your comfort zone in terms of performing – not only on a psychological level but on a physical level. McNair is a very physical character, so I loved the transformation scenes. I took on a personal trainer so I was prepared for the role on many levels; I enjoyed the thrill of it.
How does it compare with other roles that you’ve had?
Well, hand on heart, in the twenty six years I’ve been an actor, I can count on one hand in terms of really enjoying the experiences, and Being Human was one of them. For many reasons – the main reasons were the quality of the cast; I mean, Russell Tovey is an exceptional talent, as is Aidan Turner, and I loved working with Lenora and Sinead. The writing was wonderful, but just in terms of the challenge, it was so different and so unexpected, and it was just more for myself rather than the audience, if that makes sense. You know I was really stepping outside my comfort zone in many ways, and I think it’s paid off.
Have you seen any of the finished episodes?
I have, I’ve seen some scenes that I’m very pleased with, in many ways. Working in Wales and Cardiff with the cast has been an experience that I won’t forget for a long time.
Michael Socha plays Tom (Werewolf)
Were you a fan of Being Human before you took on this role?
No, I’d never seen it before. I had heard about it, but I’d never seen it.
So when you read the script, what did you think?
I really liked the script and I liked the part. I wanted to play something other than the chavvy parts I quite often play. But then, a lot of people around me had seen it and said how brilliant it was, and I missed the first audition because I think I was hit by a taxi. Then everyone was saying: ‘please go!’ and I begged for another audition, so they had me back.
So can you describe your character Tom?
Tom’s been guarded against the world by his dad. He is very innocent when it comes to civilisation and society, he doesn’t have a clue. He’s never been downtown or had a girlfriend, but he’s interested. He’s getting to an age now, like late teens early twenties where he’s becoming a man and he doesn’t really understand the feelings that he’s getting.
But at the same time he can rip a vampire’s head off, so the fact that he is not experienced socially, he really is experienced in the hunting of vampires and killing them. He’s innocent, but then he is also ferocious, and he lives in the woods so he’s got to survive.
What’s Tom’s relationship like with McNair (played by Robson Green)?
He just trusts his dad completely and always does what his dad says. Apart from the storylines when a few truths come out – real disturbing things for Tom. But otherwise, he just abides by his dad’s rules. Sometimes Tom will disagree with his dad. But in general, he trusts him and listens to everything and does what he’s told. He’s a good son I think.
Is it weird coming into a series that is already established?
Yeah, I find it odd doing a guest part if I am not really in it much. Like I did Casualty and I had a real hard time on that, that was when I was really starting out.
I was a bit apprehensive at first as I had just finished This is England ‘86, which was massive, sort of method acting. Everyone’s friends, everyone goes out partying, a very tight-knit group of people and you are with them for two months, you are living together with them. Literally a few days after finishing that I was on Being Human and I was a bit worried, thinking: am I going to fit in? But because of the hours and how much I am doing, luckily in this one I think I am just as cosy now in Cardiff as I was in Sheffield.
Have the other actors been welcoming?
Yeah they are all lovely, they are all wicked. Every single one of them, they are really nice people. I can have a right laugh with them and I know that they are really talented as well and it’s good when you are working with people that you rate. I’d seen Russell Tovey in a thing called History Boys years ago and I didn’t like the film but I really liked him, I thought he was incredible. I told him that within about two minutes of meeting him – that I was just awed by his performance.
We first meet Tom in episode one, how does he meet the housemates?
Tom is doing the circling of the chickens [done by werewolves on transformation night] and he bumps into somebody else, George, who’s also circling the chicken in the woods so it’s a bit like, ‘what the hell is this?!’
Tom has always been led to believe that him and his father are in constant search of the pack, so he sees George and thinks maybe this is part of the pack. He runs to his dad and his dad is like: ‘no, no, no you are not going anywhere near him, I don’t want you anywhere near these people.’ Because like I said, his dad is really guarded. And then George and Nina come and approach McNair, and then eventually we end up at the house.
McNair and Tom are werewolves but they are slightly different to George and Nina in that they embrace their condition more?
McNair’s always told Tom don’t ever be scared of the transformation, your bones come back stronger – every time you transform, you come back a stronger person. He has been told to enjoy it and relish the ‘werewolfness’, which is completely different to George and Nina, who I suppose are a little bit terrified of it and it’s very painful.
What was it like filming the transformation scenes?
I found that if you hold back you are going to look like a muppet, it’s not going to look great at all, so I really just went mental. I just hit that deck and screamed and wriggled. I don’t even remember how I did it, or what I did. Everything that I was taught beforehand went out of the window, ‘cause I was taught by a lady who choreographed the actual transformation, but I didn’t listen to her, I just said: ‘alright love’ and then when I got to the day, I did my own thing really. But it’s half enjoyment, half serious pain.
Is it nerve-wracking doing those kinds of scenes or do you quite enjoy it?
Well I think it’s great. I like scenes where you can scream your heart out because it is a release and once I have done it, I feel wonderful – it’s though I have had a big emotional hit.
When we were doing one scene I kick off against the vampires who kept us in a cage. I was surrounded by all these vampires and Colin the director whispered in my ear: ‘on this one mate, go mad. You see all these vampires screaming and throwing dog biscuits at you, and your dad comes walking in the room, I want you to get confident and just go mad.’ And I did, I went absolutely ape in this cage, just smacking the cage and jumping around all over the place and I felt great after it. But when they said: ‘right let’s do another one.’
I did two, and it was just wonderful to do, it was amazing. Honestly without exaggerating or sounding cliché, it really is therapy.
Tom takes a bit of a shine to Nina, should George be worried?
He just really fancies Nina. She is a werewolf for one, she’s a lovely girl, she’s caring and I think because Tom hasn’t got any experience in the normal world, I think he takes Nina’s caring side as flirtatious. Ah bless him, I feel a bit sorry for Tom. But I think he has dealt with the fact that Nina is with George.
What was it like working with Robson Green, as you work very closely with him because he plays your dad?
It was wicked. I was a bit nervous before I met him because I thought he is massive! He’s a star, my mum really fancies him! But then within minutes of meeting him I was reassured by his wonderful personality. When he is on that set he’s always got something to say about the situation that’s relevant for me and him, and I listen to him whether he is talking to me or not. And I think: ‘he is right actually’. I learnt quite a lot off him when he did his transformation. I watched him first during the rehearsals and I thought: ‘oh I’ve got to do that’. With his reassurance and performance I managed to do the transformation nearly as good as his.
What’s the atmosphere like on set?
It’s just a laugh when we are not working. Russell makes me laugh so much, he is very funny. It’s comforting, like I said I was nervous but every single one of them just made me feel good and easy, so I felt like I fitted in straight away and everybody else who works there, like all the crew are just magnificent, they have really embraced me.
How would you describe this series to fans of Being Human and for people who have not seen it before, what can they expect next?
There is always an undercurrent of something awful just waiting to happen in this one, I think – just little awful, awful things.
BEING HUMAN CREATOR AND WRITER
Toby Whithouse Interview
Can you describe a little bit about where we meet each character at the beginning of series three?
Annie is obviously trapped in purgatory and desperate to get out so we don’t really see much of her in episode one. Mitchell has taken it upon himself to go and rescue her, so he has to find a way to cross over onto the other side.
Mitchell is now carrying a very deep dark secret after having committed a mass murder at the end of the last series, and so is riddled with guilt and shame at what he’s done, and is trying now to make amends.
George I feel is in a state of denial – I think he suspects what Mitchell has done but daren’t acknowledge it, or vocalise it. There was an unspoken agreement they had to get out of Bristol – and they ended up in Barry.
I think Nina is a little mystified as to why they had to make this sudden move. No one’s actually given her an adequate explanation as to why they had to up sticks and leave so quickly. She’s now come to terms with being a werewolf, but she’s starting to feel it’s getting a bit crowded and that there’s three people in their relationship [with Mitchell]. I think she’s anxious to start a life perhaps without supernatural creatures all around them.
There’s some great new characters this series, and new werewolf characters Tom and McNair who span the episodes. Was it a conscious effort to bring in more werewolf characters, as previously there’s been a lot of vampires?
I think it was. It was never intentional but the vampire stories do tend to overwhelm the show – and also we’ve never really done guest characters that are werewolves – not since series one. So we were quite excited to bring in some werewolf characters. And Michael Socha and Robson who play Tom and McNair are absolutely stunning and they’ve made their parts completely their own, and we were thrilled to have them on board.
Also before our werewolves have always been reactive – they’ve always been the ones that have been hunted or abused by vampires. What we liked about Tom and McNair is that they were much more proactive.
What we discover over the course of the series is actually that they’re going out hunting down vampires, and McNair has this rather gory string necklace made of vampire teeth from all the vampires killed over the years. As the series develops we realise that he has a very specific personal reason for doing this.
Can you talk about some of the other characters this year – Adam, Sasha?
In episode two we have a new vampire character called Adam who is a 46-year old vampire trapped in the body of a 16 year old. He suddenly finds himself orphaned when his birth parents die, and so finds himself at the house with Mitchell, George and Nina. They become his surrogate family.
Ever since I’ve started writing Being Human I’ve had people say to me you should have a zombie, or fairy, or pixie, or leprechaun, or witch or something – and finally in episode three we do that. We suddenly have a new kind of supernatural character, I won’t reveal what they are just yet!
Herrick also makes a return this series, were you excited to have him back?
I genuinely was excited to bring Herrick back. Writing for Jason Watkins who play Herrick is an absolute joy. I think he’s one of the most extraordinary actors I’ve ever written for. His performance of Herrick is genuinely jaw-dropping. For a writer he’s an absolute treat to write for – you know you can throw absolutely anything at him and he’ll nail it. He’s the nicest guy in the world but on screen he’s genuinely terrifying. That said, when we brought him back we didn’t just want to bring the old Herrick back, so hopefully we’ve done something quite interesting with the character, which I think will take everyone by surprise.
The storylines are always brilliant, but this series you seem to have surpassed yourselves – where do you start when you’re coming up with them? Is there a process?
We never know where the characters are going to end up. We sit down with no preconceived ideas, we plot out the series on a whiteboard and on that first day it’s this very oppressive, worrying, dazzling white. It’s a long, very strange, frustrating process to start filling it with stories. One of us, either myself, or Phil [Trethowan, producer], or Lauren [Cotton] the script editor, will have an idea for one single story of the week so we’ll pop that up, or have an idea for a series arc for a character. The process is ever-changing, every time we’ve done it we’ve done it differently.
What are the most fun scenes for you to write, is it when all the housemates are together?
I think the show is a collection of different moods and tones and styles and genres, and so I enjoy writing each one equally. I really enjoy the playful banter scenes, and the comedy scenes, but also there’s nothing I love more than a good fight sequence, or a genuinely horrifying scene.
In episode one there’s a very macabre thing that the vampires do to werewolves and there’s nothing funny about it, and I really enjoyed writing that scene – it’s like nothing I’ve ever written before. It really depends what mood I’m in – but one of the good things about Being Human is that given it’s a collection of different styles and tones, hopefully there’s something there for everyone.
The show has a huge following and the fans are very vocal, does this make it more daunting as a writer, or do you like that you get instant feedback?
It makes it very daunting! I know how important the show is to its fans and so I’m aware that I have a responsibility not to let them down. But I think that’s good and quite enjoy the pressure and the challenge. And they know the show almost better than I do and I relish the challenge of coming up with ideas that surprise them.
Have you ever changed something or written something differently because of fans response / suggestions?
I’ll try and do the opposite in a way! For example when they announced the pilot of the show there were people going online saying, ‘oh my god, have you heard they’re doing a show about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost – it sounds absolutely terrible!’ And then the pilot came out and they absolutely loved it! And then we announced we were going to recast the show. And a lot of the fans then said ‘oh no, it’s going to be terrible, they’re going to ruin it!’ And then of course they saw the new cast and absolutely loved them. And then at the end of series one when I killed off Herrick the fans were absolutely appalled saying ‘how can the show survive without Herrick?!’ And then we had new villains in series two which they really liked! And then at the end of series two I brought Herrick back and they said ‘oh no, how unoriginal he’s just repeating himself now!’ So consequently I’m cautiously optimistic the fans are going to like having Herrick back just as they’ve liked everything else they thought they’d hate! So I think it’s probably in the fans interest I don’t listen to them.
How do you feel about the US remake? Have you seen any of it?
I’m thrilled with it! I think it’s absolutely fantastic. They’ve taken the format and made it their own. What’s fantastic is to be able to watch the show as a fan and not as somebody who’s sat rocking and dripping and crying in front of the computer for months to make it. I’m thoroughly enjoying watching it. The performances are great, the writing’s fantastic – it’s terrific.