Being Human blog: Lia

“In the company of horrors, I learnt about friendship and loyalty, sacrifice and courage... We were blessed as much as we were cursed. In this little enclave of the lost, I witnessed the very best of being human.”

The events at the end of the second series have devastated the group: they’ve been forced to move away from their beloved house in Bristol; Mitchell’s dealing with the after-effects of his bloodthirsty rampage; and Annie’s stuck in Purgatory. Mitchell is determined to save her, but he gets more than he bargained for when he goes through that door.

Being Human is back, and, marvellously, so is the humour. The second series was brilliant, but it lacked some of the comedy and lightness of touch that made the first series such a joy to watch. That’s not to say that this episode isn’t dark in places; it’s just that the lighter scenes allow the darker scenes to stand out all the more; I could have watched an hour of them looking round the house with the dead-pan estate agent. Russell Tovey, Sinead Keenan and Lenora Crichlow are all brilliantly gifted comic actors so I hope the writers take advantage of that fully.

While it’s sad to see the old flat and Bristol setting go, it seems like a wise move to make the change a central part of the story. We haven’t seen much of it yet, but the new set looks brilliant – big spaces and naff decor seem to fit with the feeling of the show, and the depiction of Purgatory as a dark, dank corridor worked beautifully. The little in-jokes, such as the teapot in Annie’s room, show just how much thought goes into set design on this show.

Of course, one thing that Being Human has always managed to get spot-on is the guest casting. Paul Kaye was at his strange, unnerving best in a relatively small role as vampire Vincent. While I knew he was going to be in this series, it was still slightly surreal seeing Robson Green play an aggressive, strong werewolf; hopefully this will pass, as he was excellent. But the biggest revelation of all was Lacey Turner as Lia; the reveal of her connection to Mitchell may have been fairly obvious, but Turner was astonishing in the role, switching from funny and flirty to deadly serious in a heartbeat.

But, really, for all the strength of the guest stars, this episode belonged to the regulars. I’m sure Toby Whithouse is thankful every day that they decided to cast Sinead Keenan in the first series; she plays both the prickly and soft sides of Nina so magnificently that her elevation to a main cast member was long overdue. Few actors cry quite as effectively as Russell Tovey, so his unheard reaction when he thought that Mitchell had failed to bring Annie back was as moving as you would expect. While Mitchell’s journey was more psychologically challenging than anything, it allowed Aidan Turner to brood in the way that only he can. Lenora Crichlow was largely absent, but Annie’s return played to her comic and emotional strengths. The hints that there might be something more between her and Mitchell were a little heavy-handed, but the possibility of them getting together has always been on the cards and I’m curious to see where the programme goes with it.

This was a strong, funny and engaging opening episode that returned Being Human to the heights of its astonishing debut series; now all we need is the return of Herrick to really put the icing on the cake.

See next episode of Being Human, ‘Adam’s Family’, next Sunday at 9pm on BBC3.

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