Being Human creator discusses potential one-off reunion special
Could there be more in store for the supernatural drama?
When the original trio of Aidan Turner, Lenora Crichlow and Russell Tovey departed supernatural drama Being Human, fans were heartbroken.
Pleas for their possible return, Turner’s especially, were rampant on forums, theorising scenarios and even whole season-wide plots that could lead to their comebacks.
Even the the actors themselves had an idea, positing a possible one-off Christmas special that reunited Mitchell, Annie and George in either Heaven or Hell at a convention back in 2016.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com as Being Human turns 15 years old, creator Toby Whithouse opened up about his own thoughts on the cast’s idea, and if he’d ever considered it himself.
“The thing is all three of the characters are dead! If I could come up with a good enough story, I’d be pitching it to the BBC," he told us at the Being Human reunion at BFI Southbank as part of its In Dreams Are Monsters season.
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"I’ve been asked in the past, people say ‘God, it must’ve been really hard when the original cast left, that must’ve been so difficult for you.’
"But I have to say, as much as I love that first cast, what I think would have been harder would’ve been to maintain the quality of what we had, particularly in season 3, with the same characters."
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It’s clear that Whithouse is cautious about returning to the same characters and worlds just for nostalgia’s sake, and knows the importance of keeping things fresh and reinventing in order to keep audiences on the edges of their seats.
This focus on retooling and redefining was at the heart of what kept Being Human on the airwaves for five seasons, ensuring that the show kept moving forward by expanding the world beyond the first trio.
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“The secret was to kind of go for broke," Whithouse explained.
"With the new iterations of the characters, we made them the polar opposites. Where Mitchell had this smouldering fallen rock star persona, we gave Hal OCD, making him tight and rigid and controlled. George was someone who was very fastidious, compartmentalising his life, so then Tom became utterly at home with his animal side and it was the human side he struggled with.”
Although Whithouse has no Christmas special plans in place, the reveal of a now-scrapped Being Human movie leaves the door ajar that perhaps, some day, he could return to these characters and breathe new life into the rustic apartments of Honolulu Heights.
Being Human is available to stream on ITVX.
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