Being Human: Are You Listening BBC?

Dear Auntie Beeb: commission this as a series NOW!

Being Human is currently airing on BBC3 as a one off drama (and is available for the next four days on iPlayer here) and if the idea of a cleverly written, Brit made, supernatural drama series appeals to you then I urge you to check it out and make sure the BBC know you’ve enjoyed it (either by commenting here, or over on another review I found online).

The premise is neat: Mitchell is a vampire, George is a werewolf. Tired of living the unsettled life so typical of their kind, they decide to buy a house together and try to make a go of settling down. Mitchell suggests he’ll go on the wagon (ie, not drink blood), and George is adamant that he’ll lock himself away every full moon to avoid causing any trouble.

Things take an interesting turn when the couple find their new home comes with a little bit more than just fixtures and fittings, George bumps into an old girlfriend at the hospital that he and Mitchell work in (who thought he was dead), and Mitchell’s vampire buddies put in an appearance (who disapprove of his friendship with George).

The characterisation is a joy, and there’s so much potential with the characters that this pilot introduces. The performances are spot on, particularly George (Russell Tovey) who is totally convincing throughout, whether he’s being brilliantly menacing the night before the full moon, or bursting with excitement at the prospect of getting their own house. It’s also nice to see an old fashioned Werewolf transformation too…none of that CGI nonsense here, thankyouverymuch.

So if you’ve not seen it, go an have a look. It’s probably repeated on BBC3 again anyway, but as mentioned (and linked) above, you’ve got four iPlayer days left.

I just hope my prayers get answered, and the BBC finally realise that UK audiences would lap something like this up. We’ve not had a home-grown vampire series since Ultraviolet.

Doctor Who: 2 - 2: Tooth and Claw

Episode two of the new series starts badly. The "Crouching Tiger meets 28 Days Later" (the director's words, not mine) intro sequence is terrible. Even though a sick little part of me is quite pleased that the "unique way in which the BBC is funded" (my license fee) has given birth to a set of crimson-clad prancing monks performing wire-fu, it's still pretty bad. It's badly shot, the monks don't look terribly convincing and it just feels too cliched to be true. That, and it looks like one of those intro clips that the BBC show before programs.

Thankfully, things get better. Much better. This, I would say, is probably the best stand-alone Davies' episode yet. The script is spot on, with just the right amount of joking at just the right time ("got any silver bullets?" "Not on me, no"). The Torchwood carrot is nicely dangled once again (this is one of the things I like best about the episode, actually), and the concept itself provides a nice take on the Werewolf mythology, even if The Doctor's solution is characteristically bonkers.

The performances are great here too. Tennant seems far more comfortable than last episode, as does Billie (who's far better when she's just Rose, entertaining as last week's performance was). Pauline Collins' brilliant turn as Queen Victoria is consistently entertaining throughout the episode. Interestingly, The Doctor has changed his costume slightly here - he's expecting to land at an Ian Dury concert and has swapped shirt and tie for a less formal t-shirt ensemble - and I don't recall him doing that before. The suit and sneakers remain, but it's interesting (and quite cool) to see a Doctor that can vary aspects of the costume as it suits him.

The real star here is the Werewolf itself. It's clearly CGI, and the transformation sequence isn't likely to give Rick Baker or Rob Bottin any nightmares, but for the BBC on a Saturday night this was cracking stuff. The creature was nicely animated, well lit for the most part, and should provide the obligatory kiddy scares for this episode.

Another great night's telly. Next week: Antony Head(Master), K9, and Sarah-Jane.