With the new series of BBC Three’s Being Human just a few weeks away, the publicity machine is slowly cranking into gear with the release of a new promo image (above) and trailer.
The trailer tells us nothing about the actual content of series three, but we know that the team have a long way to go before they’re back to normal (well, normalish) after the traumatic events of series two.
I recommend you keep an eye on the excellent Being Human blog for more news on the return of the programme to our screens – here’s the trailer:
I know, I know: never judge a book by its cover (unless it’s a Dan Brown novel in which case you know to avoid it) and never judge a US remake of a UK TV series by a 90 second preview. I know the rules, but I’m still going to state that my first glimpse of Being Human USA doesn’t fill me with confidence.
Being Human has been one of my favourite shows of the last few years, the story of the vampire, werewolf and ghost flatsharing in Bristol a real oddity in the BBC 3 schedules, mainly because it’s good. Earlier this year I carried out a fairly pointless yet still pretty enjoyable blog-a-thon of the first series and I also started previewing some of the second series, which I may try again in 2011 when the third comes along.
Now, following in the footsteps of other great transitions of UK programmes to America, Red Dwarf and Coupling two which spring to mind (and something called The Office which has done OK), the BBC are sending the format of Being Human Stateside, with 13 episodes of the retooled show due to air there in January.
The downside of this is that original stars Aidan Turner, Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow won’t be reprising their roles of Mitchell, George and Annie. Instead, Sam Witwer will be appearing as vampire Aidan, Sam Huntingdon will be the werewolf, Josh, and Meaghan Rath will be the ghost, Sally, with all the action relocated to Boston.
The interaction and rapport between the original actors was one of the main reasons for Being Human’s success, though I’m sure the producers have done their best to find replacements who are worthy of the roles. The main reason for concern is the lack of involvement of series creator Toby Whithouse, who jokingly(?) commented that he was happy with the programme being made as long as saw a pay cheque:
Though the UK version had a pretty substantial creative team, Whithouse deserves some major credit for shaping the series. Without him are we only going to get a knock-off, albeit an expensive knock-off, of the parent programme?
The first clips are now online and don’t look that promising, the kitchen scene looking like a rehearsal for the final shot and a few fast cuts suggesting it’s going to be a flashier programme. Again, you can’t really judge the first episode on a few clips, and I’m still not sure if I’ll actually watch the American version or stick with the original.
Hopefully it’ll be a welcome addition to the family and American fans will go on to discover the British version as a result. Stranger things have happened, like a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost sharing a flat in Bristol back in 2009, as the original trailer explained:
Keep an eye on the excellent BBC Being Human blog for more updates on the third series of the original Being Human.
Please note that this preview doesn’t include spoilers, but if you’d rather know nothing about the episode then come back after you’ve watched it.
“It’s the library books isn’t it?”
Another week, another flashback and another shock ending which threatens to send Being Human off in another direction from the one we were expecting 55 minutes previously. Can this series lay claim to being the most surprising on British television today? Almost certainly.
It’s London, 1969, and we’re first introduced to…ah, but that would be telling. Typical of Being Human, there’s nothing typical about its opening salvo, a pre-credits sequence which is both shocking and hilarious, as is the programme’s wont.
The past is tied indelibly to the present in Being Human, this episode entwining the two as Mitchell recalls events from one night in the Sixties.
Back in 2010, Ian Puleston-Davies’ turn as Herrick-lite, Wilson, continues to impress, though the absence of Jason Watkins is still felt even with the new band of adversaries faced by Mitchell, Annie and George.
This week Wilson wants to recruit Mitchell to carry out a little job for him, one which goes against the new vampire code that demands that no blood is shed on his watch. This may seem a ludicrous turn of events but it’s given enough conviction from Aidan Turner that there seems nothing unusual with the idea.
I love BBC Three’s Being Human. That’s probably an important disclaimer for this particular blog post so let’s get it out of the way first. I watched the pilot back in February 2008, instantly falling in love with the story of a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf sharing a house in Bristol.
Screened as part of a season which saw six pilots made for the channel, the intention being to turn at least one into a fully fledged series, Being Human may have stood out as one of the most original but it almost fell at the first hurdle. The Powers That Be decided to commission comic book action fantasy-thingy Phoo Action instead and Being Human was dead…or would have been if the fans hadn’t got involved.
Long before Twitter was the force for social good it is (we can debate that one another time), fans set up an online petition calling for Being Human to be given another chance. The short version of the ensuing saga is that they won, Phoo Action high-kicked into oblivion and we now have series two about to start on BBC Three tomorrow night.
I’ve now decided to watch it all again. Starting with the pilot (which isn’t in the DVD set), I’ll run through the series, watching the series first six episodes shown on TV last year.
My comments won’t be the most in-depth on the Internet – it is live after all – but I’ll do my best to capture some of the feeling of the series as it develops. This may stretch into tomorrow depending on other commitments, but I’ll make sure I finish it all by 9.30pm Sunday night. Promise.
There’s no real plan to this live blog other than that. I’ll link off to a few other sites, drop in the odd YouTube clip and trailer if it’s relevant and generally go a bit OTT on the series. Feel free to leave comments if you’d like and follow me on Twitter for the odd interlude and to find out when I’ll be starting each episode…oh, and watch out for spoilers folks…
Back in February 2008 I was lucky enough to tune into the UK’s largest “youth” channel, BBC Three, to watch the one-off drama pilot Being Human. And it was brilliant.
The opening moments introduced us to George (Russell Tovey) as he wandered in the woods near Bristol, stripped off and subsequently turned into a werewolf.
From there it got odder and even more bonkers, with various plot threads chucked at the viewer in the hope that something would stick. It was funny, dark, surprising and generally a breath of fresh air for the channel. The cast also gelled nicely, with Guy Flanagan putting in a fine performance as troubled vampire (is there any other sort??) Mitchell.
Now, almost a year on and following an internet campaign that saw the fans insist that a series be commissioned, Being Human returns for six episodes starting on Sunday 25 January at 9pm on BBC Three, albeit minus two members of the cast, one of which is, sadly, Mr Flanagan.
Still, the creators got it pretty much spot-on first time around so I’m sure they won’t let us down with newbies Aiden Turner as Mitchell and Lenora Crichlow as Annie (replacing Andrea Riseborough). Here’s the trailer:
Sadly the pilot episode isn’t getting repeated, which is a shame. It has however surfaced on YouTube and as it has been there for nearly a year I’m guessing the BBC are happy enough. I’ve linked to it below as it’s well worth a watch.
I plan to review the first episode here when it airs and look forward to it being a jewel in the schedule…here’s hoping.
Adventures in Primetime 