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Fangs for the memories: Being Human
01/03/2008 . Source: Jessica Martin 
Being Human is a TV tale of a regular flatshare
at least, it is if you are a vampire, a werewolf or a ghost. This new BBC Three drama stars a cast of actors Guy Flanagan (Totally Frank), Andrea Riseborough (Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley) and Russell Tovey (The History Boys) alongside Adrian Lester (Hustle). Being Human explores what it's like trying to find where you fit into the grand scheme of things when you live with an unusual affliction: like being undead, yah-ha-ha! Buy Being Human in the USA - or Buy Being Human in the UK  Mitchell (Flanagan) and George (Tovey) are two twenty-something lads who, like any of their peers, would love to hit the town, pull girls and spend evenings down the pub. Mitchell is a hospital cleaner, good looking, laid back and a hit with the ladies. Oh, and he's a blood sucking vampire. Mitchell's friend George works in the same hospital as a porter. He's an awkward but loveable geek who was befriended by Mitchell two years ago.
George was heartbroken after he had to move away from the love of his life; he had to leave before she discovered that at every full moon, he sprouts a snout, grows a very hairy back and transforms into a werewolf. Having had enough of sleeping in hostels and temporary accommodation, Mitchell and George decide to get a flat together where they can indulge in their love of beer, pizza and watching TV.
They just want to have a go at being normal; being human. Annie (Riseborough) is their uninvited lodger. When the guys move into their new creepy abode they are not expecting to share it with a ghost with a confidence crisis.
Annie used to live in the flat with her boyfriend but following a fatal accident, and now suffering from a distinct lack of self-esteem, she can't move on. So, she spends her time wandering around the house, making cups of tea she can't drink and scaring away anyone who dares try to move into her home. But when George and Mitchell move in Annie's surprised to find two new friends who are as unusual and weird as she is.
Rob Pursey, Executive producer for Touchpaper Television, told SFcrowsnest, "Being Human is a warm, funny, aspirational drama with an irresistible twist. Mitchell, George and Annie are supernatural creatures but they are desperate be a part of a life we all take for granted. It's an exciting and contemporary take on friendship and finding your way in the world. Toby Whithouse's witty, emotionally powerful script makes these three misfits come alive even though they're far from human."
Being Human is commissioned by Danny Cohen, Controller of BBC Three, and Jane Tranter, Controller of BBC Fiction, and produced by Touchpaper Television, part of the RDF Media Group. Executive producers are Julie Gardner (Head of Drama, Wales and Head of Drama Commissioning) and Lucy Richer (Commissioning Editor, Independent Drama). It is written by Toby Whithouse (Hotel Babylon), produced by Matthew Bouch (The Sarah Jane Adventures), directed by Declan O'Dwyer (Wire in the Blood) and executive produced by Rob Pursey (The Queen's Sister) and Julie Gardner.
Cast Interviews
Russell Tovey plays George (The Werewolf)
How did this job come about and what attracted you to being a werewolf?
My agent called me and said she had a script about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost. My first impressions were that it sounded a bit weird. I read it and thought it was absolutely brilliant the characters just happen to be a werewolf, ghost and vampire it's an affliction or condition like living with aids, leprosy or agoraphobia. To play anything other than a human is always good for an actor as it's a challenge. I liked it that he was struggling to live with the fact that he's got this curse.
Who is George and how did he become a werewolf?
George is around 26 years old; he is an academic; he's really bright with an IQ of 156. He was studying for his finals at university and was going to marry his fiancι. Everything was going well for him until he went on a recce to Mexico to find a wedding venue. Whilst he was there, he was attacked by a werewolf. When he came back, the transformations started to happen and he had no idea what was happening to him, so he had to get away. He slept rough on the streets and became suicidal.
George was in a bar one night, about to be attacked by a group of vampires, when Mitchell stepped in and saved him. Ever since, George has been in debt to him. Mitchell took George under his wing, got him a job in the hospital that he worked in and they became good friends. George was struggling so much with his condition the pain of transforming was unbearable. He was lonely and depressed and kept waking up naked in the middle of nowhere after a transformation. He wants so much to be "normal".
A protective bond forms between them and they look out for each other. In an attempt to be normal they decide to get a flat together. Unfortunately, when they move in, they meet Annie (the ghost) and discover that she lives there and has no intention of moving on. Mitchell decides to let her stay and they become like the supernatural three.
George doesn't seem to hit it off with Annie straight away why do you think this is?
George just wants to be normal, so he's a bit wary of her. For 12 or so days of the year, he's a werewolf, so for the rest of the time, he just wants to live like a regular person. George and Mitchell are trying to get some normality into their lives by getting a flat together and, when they get there, the house has got a ghost! When they arrived, she tried to haunt them out, so George was angry that she felt she had the right to scare them out of their own home!
He soon realises that they need her and she becomes a friend. After all, he needs all the friends he can get. He's a social animal if you'll excuse the pun, so to have a relationship with someone who understands the curse he has to live with is a bonus. He can relax and stop worrying about his big secret.
You seem to spend half the programme naked how did you feel about being starkers in front of the crew?
I think as long as it's not nudity for no reason, I'm okay with it. I trusted the crew and as long as they weren't taking the p**s out of me, I was comfortable being naked in front of them.
It's an important part of the character George wakes up naked in the woods because he loses his clothes in the transformation, so I think it'd be more inappropriate for him to wake up in his pants! I hope his hospital job pays well though; he must spend half his life buying new clothes. There was a scene where I was naked by a bridge and all these tourists were walking past I was covered in dirt and blood, so I hope they realised I was filming and not just some sort of pervert!
A little old lady came up to me on set and said: "You're the one who's being running around Bristol naked aren't you? I've heard all about you." I'm well known in Bristol now you know!
How did you find the make-up process? Did you spend a lot of time being made up for the werewolf scenes?
I spent a lot of time getting my body cast my face, head and my body! It was quite claustrophobic to start with, but I got used to it. I was worried about getting a breakout from all the solution. They could re-use my body cast for Madame Tussauds couldn't they? Do you think they'd be interested?
Are you a fan of werewolf films?
I loved Teen Wolf and American Werewolf In Paris I like stuff like that! I'm not a massive fan of heavy Hammer horror films I like The Gremlins, that's about as hardcore horror as I get.
Did you spend a lot of time watching films and reading about werewolves to get into character?
I found lots of stuff on the internet. I wanted to see things for the transformation process, but that's it really. The storyline is more about how George lived with being a werewolf and it's not like I can research being a werewolf. No-one seems to have written My Life As A Werewolf before!
What else have you got coming up?
I'm starring in a theatre production called The Sea, which is written by Edward Bond. It's on at the Haymarket Theatre until April 19. I'm also starring as a rent boy in Ashes To Ashes alongside Phil Glenister for BBC One. I have a small part in Gavin And Stacey (BBC Three) as well but that was a favour for a mate (James Cordon, the writer).
Guy Flanagan plays Mitchell (The Vampire)
What was it that attracted you to this script and playing a vampire?
The script jumped out at me, the idea itself sounded quite kooky. When I read it I thought it was really well put together and the characters were well developed. It's mainly about the relationships between the three characters that just happen to have these conditions. Who wouldn't want to be a vampire? I get to be invincible and bite beautiful people, what more could you want? It's a hard job, but someone has to do it! It's always nice to do something different from the norm and nothing like this has been made, certainly not recently, so it's good to be a part of something that stands out.
Who is Mitchell and how does he fit into the drama?
Mitchell is about 120 years old so he's looking good for his age. He's lived through wars, travelled the world, done everything, been everywhere and met incredible people. Now he's just trying to settle down for a bit. He finds, in George, a genuine guy and a friend. Vampires generally struggle to find friends unless they're fellow vampires, so he's looking to have closeness with someone. If you live forever, you have a different view of the world. At 120, he's overcome the boredom. He's laid back and there's no point getting bored of it all, but he's trying to tame his instincts to bite people.
How did he become a vampire?
He was bitten a long time ago he's probably been other people in the past and changed his name a fair few times. He's seen so many people die so he's got an emotional coolness about him.
He's not always out to get people like other vampires, he has respect for human kind, so he doesn't get off on the challenge of biting. Initially, when people are bitten, they get a buzz out of it, they're often on a different plane but that wears off after a while and he doesn't want to commit people to the sort of life he's been subjected to.
At times, I think he feels it's a curse as there are things he can't do. He can't fall in love or experience the same love as normal people. Once you're committed to this dark world, you just have to deal with it.
There isn't too much emphasis on the vampire fangs how will the audience know that you're a vampire?
It's set out very early on in the drama. We don't milk it though; his fangs only come out at the crucial moments. We didn't want to overdo it; we wanted maximum impact when the moments actually arrive. The characters are very much living in the real world, so we wanted to make them normal, but the vampire is always there. There are so many different forms of vampire with different limitations. To be able to tell the story that we wanted to tell, he had to go out into the light, but he's always wrapped up in a coat, scarf, gloves and sunglasses and UV cream. He prefers not to be out in the sunlight not so much a problem in England!
Did you do much research into vampires?
I did a lot of research on the internet and I've seen a few vampire films in the past but I didn't actively go out and research too much. I didn't want to do too much before I actually got the part. Bram Stoker's Dracula was a good place to start and that was a great book!
Do you think that vampires exist in real life?
I found a fair few people on the internet that think they do. I met some people years ago who drank each other#s blood for fun they weren't under the illusion that they were vampires though. Some people are into things like that. When I was growing up, I was an indie kid, but I hung around with Goths who got the thrill from drinking blood. It's not something I'm really into though, I must admit.
In the supernatural rules, where does vampire come on the chain of superiority?
Vampires are at the top of the chain they would certainly think of themselves as the top anyway. The other vampires don't approve of Mitchell's friendship with George werewolves are pretty low on the supernatural chain; they're not immortal and vampires just see them as dogs. His other friend, Annie, is a ghost, who is even lower on the chain after all, anyone can be a ghost! Vampires are immortal, they're strong and sexual beings I don't know who could oust them from that position.
Vampires live forever, how would you feel about that?
I've got a fair few decades left in me yet, but I wouldn't want to live forever. I'm not religious, but I like to think that something kicks off when you die. I think living forever could be a lonely existence. Although it's a big world and there are a lot of things to see, if you had forever to see it, you'd get it done and you'd want more.
Were there any scenes that particularly stood out for you?
The scene where Mitchell bites his current shag was the first sex scene I'd ever done, so I expected it to take a couple of hours. However, it was the Rugby World Cup Final and this scene was the last scene of the day and we were running over. With 20 minutes to do the scene, I was thrown in at the deep end and all the electricians were threatening to pull the plugs if we didn't get it done because they didn't want to miss the final! I usually like to take my time over these things, but there was no chance of that!
Andrea Riseborough plays Annie (The Ghost)
What attracted you to playing Annie in this drama?
The drama was brilliantly written I think Toby Whithouse is a fantastic writer. I think, because he's an actor, he writes it how you say it. This one was just a lovely job to have. The other thing that enticed me to it was because I knew that Russell Tovey was doing it. I'm a big fan of his and we're good friends now. I trusted the casting director, so I knew that because she has good taste, it was going to be a great piece. I came to the meeting thinking it was wonderful and left thinking it was even more wonderful.
What's Annie like and how does she take to the boys moving into her home?
Annie is a young ghost-next-door. I decided that she might come from Barnsley so I gave her that accent. She's a sweet, yet pushy, young woman who was engaged to be married. She died under suspicious circumstances in her own flat that she shared with her boyfriend. The writer created a back story for each of our characters, so we knew where each of us was coming from. Annie's doing her best to stay sane in a house that she can't leave. She has been in the garden and the house, but can't leave the house, so she's become agoraphobic. She's really pleased to meet George and Mitchell, because they can see her. She's been ignored for so long.
I think we've all felt that we can be invisible, when you've stood in a bar next to a really gorgeous woman who's been served first or when you're with two friends who fancy each other and you feel a bit like a third wheel. That's how Annie has felt since she died.
How does Annie get on with George and Mitchell?
Annie and George have quite a tense relationship initially, because George has been so excited about getting a flat with Mitchell so that they can have a normal life; he's disappointed by Annie spoiling it all. She's got to tread carefully, as she's the spare wheel in the relationship but she's ballsy enough not to completely lay flat like a doormat though. Mitchell is so accommodating, wise and old; I think she becomes emotionally attached to him in a romantic way and starts to admire him.
Did you do any research to get into character?
Annie had only lived with her condition for a short while, whereas the guys had grown and adapted to their conditions. It took her a week to realise exactly what was going on after she died and because she's not met any other ghosts, she doesn't quite know what the protocol of being a ghost is. In terms of research, I decided to focus less on ghosts and more on agoraphobia and what it might feel like to never want to go out. Annie's become so detached from what's happening socially outside of her own space and all the energy she has to exist, is within that space. Outside of that space, she feels powerless.
When she meets George and Mitchell, they give her a new lease of life and she ventures outside the house for the first time. She is getting more powerful with their friendship.
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a ghostly experience?
I believe in Annie. I think I do believe in the "other". I think if I didn't believe in the "other" I wouldn't be afraid of things that go bump in the night. I wouldn't say that I could specifically say what I did and didn't believe in. I've never had a ghostly experience though.
Are you a fan of ghost films? If so, what are your favourites?
When I was little, I used to love Ghostbusters, it was my favourite film. I used to watch it with my dad on Betamax. I haven't watched it for ages though. It's so long ago since I've seen Ghost too; I think it was too grown up for me at the time. I was always so scared of horror films; they scared me so much even if they were bad films. I entered into it all too much imaginatively; I'd go to bed and be terrified of what might happen. Carebears the movie was scary to me!
I have this morbid fascination with scary films, like rollercoasters, I love scaring myself it's just how much you can escape. A film can take you to a different space and time and if you're able to enter into that, it captures you; it can be a terrifying experience. I think this drama has a good balance of being really funny, dramatic and emotionally involving as well as creepy.
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