Tuesday 10 January 2012

Coming Soon: BEING HUMAN, series 4

Tuesday 10 January 2012

BBC Three's acclaimed supernatural drama Being Human is back for a fourth series later this month, and the rollout of promotional material has begun. First you can visit the BBC Media Centre for a special introduction by creator Toby Whithouse, quelling fears that major cast changes don't mean the show's days are numbered.

More enticingly, above is a photo of the new-look cast: newcomer Damien Molony as resident suave vampire Hal (left); Michael Socha promoted from guest-star to regular as werewolf Tom McNair (right); both joined by original cast member Lenora Crichlow as ghost Annie (centre).

Russell Tovey is still involved as werewolf George, but is given a surprisingly less prominent position in the photo, sitting in the middle-distance with a face like thunder brandishing a wooden stake and crucifix. A sign that Tovey may actually leave the show earlier than we expected, and that his character's going to be very anti-vampire this year? The complete absence of Sinead Kennan, who's also decided to leave, perhaps signifies an even earlier departure for her character Nina.

There are also some little nuggets in the background: Lee Ingleby sat behind Tovey (reprising his role as an "Old One" vampire from the series 3 finale) Oops, it's actually Andrew Gower playing a vampire called Cutler; Mark Williams appears to the far-left reading a book, playing a character called Regus; and there's someone dressed as a policeman behind him. A replacement for dead vampire cop Herrick? Or just a red herring? And why is everyone sitting in a café? Will that be an important setting for the characters this year?

It's also been revealed that James Lance (I'm Alan Partridge) and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, Sherlock) have roles on the show this year, and Craig Robinson (Submarine) will return as "teenage" vampire Adam from series 3 (and webseries Becoming Human).

Unusually, the eight-part series' episode titles have also been revealed ahead of time: "Eve Of The War", "Being Human 1955", "The Graveyard Shift", "A Spectre Calls", "Hold The Front Door", "Puppy Love", "Making History" and "The War Child".