Genre: Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Drama 
Director: Colin Teague, Toby Haynes, and Alex Pillai
Creator & Writer: Toby Whithouse
Cast: Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, Aidan Turner, Sinead Keenan, Jason Watkins, Annabel Scholey, Dean Lennox Kelly
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Summary: Being Human is an extraordinary look into the lives of hospital porters George (Russell Tovey) and Mitchell (Aidan Turner). Toiling anonymously in Bristol, England, they lead lives of quiet desperation under the burden of a terrible secret – Mitchell’s a vampire and George is a werewolf. Deciding to start life afresh and leave behind the dark side, they move into a house, only to find that Annie (Lenora Crichlow), the ghost of a woman killed in mysterious circumstances, haunts it. As the three deal with the challenges of their new lives together, they’re united in their desire to blend in with their human neighbors. However, with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld, constant threats of exposure, and the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on is each other.
Run Time: Two disc set contains (6) six one-hour episodes and nearly two hours of special features
The premise for the BBC’s Being Human sounds like a joke, but it is a serious drama about a vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf living together, struggling to live amongst humanity. The show stars Aidan Turner as Mitchell the handsome, ever-cool vampire, Russell Tovey as George the hopelessly awkward, neurotic werewolf, and Lenora Crichlow as Annie the lovely but lost ghost. Being Human can make you gasp, cry, laugh, and scream at the television all in the same episode. It is an incredibly well-written and well-performed show that is a perfect concoction of the drama, gravity, and silliness of a realistic situation.
Being Human looks at how each of the characters fights to retain their humanity over their individual supernatural conditions concurrently with attempting to find their place within humanity. I think that the show’s message can be read an additional depth in that the characters’ supernatural conditions can parallel real human conditions (addiction, social dysfunction, and lack of identity.)
The show has won the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Television Drama Series and RTS Television Awards for Best Special Effects and Best Film and Tape Editing in 2009.
The Season One DVD set holds two discs with the season’s six episodes split evenly along with a slew of special features that offer a satisfying look behind the scenes of Being Human. There are nearly two hours of additional content, including alternate, deleted, and extended scenes, character profiles, behind the scenes featurettes on the storyline, supernatural mythos, location selection, makeup and costume, and stuntwork. Here are highlights of the extras:
Featurettes:
Character Profiles: Here we have an in-depth look at the foundations of the characters by the actors themselves. I was particularly impressed by how the actors delved deep into every dimension of each character in the show. In the character profiles they go into the context and connections between the characters, exploring each other’s character’s vulnerability and their struggles to define themselves as human.
Vamping It Up: This featurette looks at how the show created their vampires and why they broke from traditional vampire mythos.
Toby Whithouse On The Journey: The show creator talks about how the show and how it began with strong fan momentum in its beginning stages before it was picked up by the BBC and credits the success of the show to fans and their ground-swell support. Whithouse also talks about the key dynamics and the symbiotic relationships between the characters of Mitchell, George, and Annie.
Locations: Why is the show set in Bristol? This featurette looks at how the location was selected and how Andrew Purcell, the production designer, created the look for the fourth character in the show, flat that Mitchell, George, and Annie share, and also the design for the funeral parlor aka vampire headquarters.
Make-up and Costume: Marcus Whitney (make-up artist) and Stuart Meachum (costume designer) give you a quick look behind the scenes at composing each character’s look.
Becoming A Werewolf: Being Human prefers to use practical effects rather than CGI effects for the werewolf transformation. American audiences might find the effects lacking, but even though the special effects of this show are limited by budget, they do the job for the story. This is a character and story driven drama, unburdened by splashy CGI effects.
Video Diaries: Tovey, Turner, and Crichlow had all been given a camera to document their behind the scenes experiences. I must say that these vid diaries are delightful to see, are funny, and give a charming and real look behind the scenes.
Journey’s End: This featurette concludes the set with exit interviews from the cast and series creator Toby Whithouse.
Now, I might be spoiled by the umpteen billion hours of special features from Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro, but I was hoping for more on the costuming and practical special effects on this DVD set. Still, what is offered in this set hits all the high points, focusing on the strength of the show, the story and the characters, and the extended scenes are a wonderful addition. I do wish there were audio commentaries by cast and crew, but perhaps there may be some on future DVD sets.
In my humble opinion, this is a supernatural show for grown-ups. Twihards need not apply. This series is so meaty with complex characters and actual storylines that it might make a Twihard’s head explode. Being Human does not pull punches. It addresses the hard questions that each of these characters face and does not back down.
For individual episode reviews, check out SciFi Mafia’s In Case You Missed It coverage on the first season.
I give Being Human: Season One Four out of Five Stars.
