History Main / BeingHuman

An American remake is in the works. It's to air on Syfy in January of 2011.

* {{Better Than It Sounds}}: The original trailer simply said "A vampire, werewolf and a ghost all share a flat in Bristol". It sounds like an intentionally [[TheyFightCrime bad TV pitch]]--or a joke--but works surprisingly well.

** And then there's Herrick who hasn't been shown as anything less than pure evil.

** It may be a case of hating what you fear. Despite their bluster and bravado you get the feeling that the vampires who beat on George due to the little bit of fear his kind brings out in them. Even [[spoiler: Herrick]] look fearfull about facing a werewolf in close quaters and no escape route. Technically Werewolves are their superiour killing wise.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent - The vampires, like those of ''{{Blade}}'' and ''{{Underworld}}'', have an AncientConspiracy dating back hundreds of years. They create more of their kind by turning humans but a bite on its own will not do this, the victim needs to injest vampire blood to turn. A stake through the heart reduces them to dust, though this seems to work like a human knife wound, it may or may not be instantly fatal depending on how severe it is and a less-severely staked vampire might recover if given prompt medical attention. They consume the ''life force'' in a human's blood, not blood ''qua'' blood, therefore donated blood is no good. Blood dependency is a [[HorrorHunger psychological addiction]] for vampires, not necessary for survival; they can eat and drink normally too. As a clear subversion of most vampire traditions, they ''can'' venture into the sunlight, although Mitchell does admit he's not a "fan" of sun. In bright sunshine, Mitchell dons sunglasses and a heavy leather jacket, although this may be more of an appearance thing than a precaution against the effects of sunlight. They can also be killed by [[spoiler: a bomb blast]] and so very possibly by a gunshot wound as well although this is unlikely to be an option in the UK.

* WallBanger - while there's little that's come out about the American remake of Being Human, and a lot of it sounds ok, there's one thing that is rather hard to get over. They've made Mitchell Jewish.

*** The vampires who where more professional and upperclass lead by a business suit wearing, good humored [[{{Hustle}} Mickey Bricks ]] who had private get togethers in expensive restraunts reminacing good natured about being testaments of history. And how their going to take over the world with blood and fang.

** It may be a case of hating what you fear. Despite their bluster and bravado you get the feeling that the vampires who beat on George due to the little bit of fear his kind brings out in them. Even {{spoiler:Herrick}} look fearfull about facing a werewolf in close quaters and no escape route. Technically Werewolves are their superiour killing wise.

An American remake is in the works.

** Also Kemp. DeadLittleSister notwithstanding, [[spoiler: he casually watches as a werewolf dies in the most gory manner imaginable]], and persuades his accomplices to carry on with the work. For the unconvinced, his second series finale [[spoiler:[[murdering of the psychic, of Lucy and of Annie in absolutely ice cold blood]] tipped him head first across the MoralEventHorizon.

** Also, the original concept of the series was about a recovering sex addict, someone with intermittent explosive disorder, and a agoraphobic.

The second series began filming in late summer 2009 and started airing in early 2010. It was eight episodes long, two more episodes than the first series.

A third series has been announced, with the setting changing from Bristol to Cardiff, as well as an American remake.

* AbandonedHospital - Or at least AbandonedHospital ward.
* AccidentalKiss - [[spoiler: Mitchell/Annie]]
* AffablyEvil - Ivan
* AliensInCardiff - Vampires plotting world domination in Bristol.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation - In-universe example: when watching an old film, Mitchell and George can sympathise with a vampire[[hottip:* :Actually they are watching the 1925 PhantomOfTheOpera movie.]] running from a TorchesAndPitchforks wielding mob.

** George is rebuked for this again in series 2, by Nina, for his describing a possible cure as "insane".
* AsTheGoodBookSays - Kemp is ''good'' at this. Evidently the audition for his part involved reading out a random Bible verse and seeing how many people had fled the room by the end of it.
* TheAtoner - Mitchell
* BackFromTheDead - [[spoiler:Herrick, as of the end of series 2.]]
* {{Better Than It Sounds}} - The original trailer simply said "A vampire, werewolf and a ghost all share a flat in Bristol". It sounds like an intentionally [[TheyFightCrime bad TV pitch]]--or a joke--but works surprisingly well.
* BiTheWay - Seth mentions a male student, a couple in the park, and a threesome with Herrick, all Mitchell's. Although he was talking about blood, it's far from a stretch to assume that sex was involved, especially given that Mitchell has stated he finds it "difficult to separate them".
** In the first episode of series 2, Mitchell nonchalantly describes [[spoiler:Annie's love interest]] as "handsome".
*** Actually he rather nonchalantly says "Nah, he's not handsome" but it could still be read as proof, simply by the delivery.
* BlatantLies - Mitchell and George's landlord Owen wonders why their flat is almost entirely empty, the real reason being that George is a werewolf and accidentally destroyed most of the furniture when he transformed the night before. Eager to make up an excuse, George gives a long rambling explanation about minimalist living. Owen says he would have just figured they were redecorating.

* BoyMeetsGhoul - George is interested in his coworker Nina, but is unsure how much he should tell her about his condition, or when. SupernaturalAngst ensues.
** And in series 2 with Annie and Saul - [[spoiler: This ends badly.]]
* CasualDangerDialog - Lauren after [[spoiler: staking Seth through the chest, allowing George, Mitchell and Annie to escape]]: "Well, he won't be staring at my tits when he speaks to me anymore"

* CelestialBureaucracy - The afterlife that ''doesn't'' involve the men with sticks and ropes is an interminable series of waiting rooms and forms to fill out.

* ChekhovsGunman - In the first episode George briefly bumps into a strange man hanging around in the woods who looks as if he might be waiting for a rape/murder/both victim to show up. He isn't and he's quite important in the second episode.
* CompleteMonster - [[spoiler:Owen. Murderer, DomesticAbuser, [[MindRape Mind Rapist]]... ''[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking unreliable landlord]]'']]

* CursedWithAwesome - In the first post-pilot episode Mitchell says he only became a vampire willingly to save the lives of his men (in WorldWarOne); the immediate reply by the BigBad and fellow vamp is "How ''noble'' of you; [[CursedWithAwesome cursed with immortality]] whilst they withered and died in hospitals and old people's homes."
* CuteGhostGirl - Guess who?
* DarkerAndEdgier - Not that the first series was a musical comedy, but the second series [[strike:already appears to be heading in]] ''definitely'' took a darker direction.

* DeadManWriting - [[spoiler: Tully's]] message to George in the second series finale.
* DefectorFromDecadence - Mitchell [[spoiler:turns his back on the other vampires after Lauren, who he'd turned into a vampire, attacks one of his co-workers.]] Borders on MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch.
* DespairEventHorizon - [[spoiler:Mitchell reaches this regarding humanity after finding out Lucy was behind the bombing]].
* DeusExMachina - Annie [[spoiler:coming back through Lucy's door and stealing the ''alive Kemp'' away through it]] in a spectacular AssPull.
* DevilButNoGod - There's SOMETHING in charge of the life after death...Annie has apparently gotten him/her/them/it REALLY angry by not accepting death. But the afterlife that awaits everyone is a blood red corridor with "Men with sticks and men with ropes" waiting at the end...doesn't sound too heavenly.

* DiggingYourselfDeeper - George is pretty good (or bad, he'd probably think) at these. Especially when Tully is about...

* DiscoDan - Gilbert, lanky [[OopNorth Manc]] who died in TheEighties.
* DistantPrologue - The {{Cold Open}}s of series two are flashbacks to Mitchell's MysteriousPast (except one that shows Ivan recruiting Daisy).
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything - Near the end of [=S1E2=], Tully's interactions with George look and sound a lot like attempted rape. Also, Mitchell's very chilling line "Once a smoker, always a smoker". Meanwhile, George's situation is similar to someone who got a treatable but incurable STD as a result of being raped.

* DreamingTheTruth - Molly, Sam's daughter.
* DyingAsYourself - [[spoiler:Lauren]] asks for an [[ICannotSelfTerminate assisted suicide]] with this justification.
* EmergencyTransformation - Mitchell refuses once, but gives in on a later occasion.
* EnemyWithin - This is how George sees "the wolf". He's probably right, but avoiding the problem doesn't help.
* EstrogenBrigadeBait - ''Mitchell''. Vampire + smokes + Irish accent + permastubble + dark past + TheAtoner = ultimate [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys bad boy]].
* FaceCam - Rather {{Narm}}ishly when George [[spoiler:nearly transforms in public.]] [[SpecialEffectsFailure The dodgy teeth don't help.]]
* FanDisservice - It seems to be a recurring theme in this series that any time a character appears naked, they're either covered in blood or in excruciating pain. YMMV as to whether this qualifies as the above or as FetishFuel.
* FantasticScience - Jaggat's motivation for helping Kemp. Unfortunately she's prevented from letting scientific rigour get in the way of BurnTheWitch.
* FingerlessGloves - Mitchell.
* FoeTossingCharge - Well, more of a "Foe Tossing ''Strut"''. In the series one finale [[spoiler: Annie literally breezes into and ''through'' the vampire safehouse by summoning up an eerie gust and tossing vamps around left and right with her ghostly telekinesis.]]
* FoeYay - Mitchell/Herrick, complete with a lampshade hanging from Lauren.

* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires - Played straight (Mitchell) and subverted (Herrick, Daisy & Ivan).
* FurAgainstFang - Vampires ''loathe'' werewolves, for whatever reason: they'll call them "dogs" and "freaks" to their faces, and beat up werewolves with no provocation. Mitchell is treated with suspicion by the other vampires for hanging around with George. What werewolves think of vampires isn't as clear--werewolves seem to be extremely rare--but they mostly seem content just to give the "psychotic bastards" a wide berth.

* GhostAmnesia - Annie forgets that [[spoiler: Owen killed her.]] Most ghosts seem to forget their deaths in the short term, judging by the shock when they notice.

* GlamourFailure - Vampires don't show up on film, which makes the vampire pornography... surreal.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation - [[spoiler: Owen, after Annie's NotAfraidOfYouAnymore moment.]]

* HandOrObjectUnderwear - George frequently does this after stripping naked prior to his transformations. It's especially strange that he does it when nobody else is present.

* HauntedHeadquarters - Mitchell and George are able to find a city centre house dirt-cheap because it's haunted by Annie. [[spoiler:They don't want to stay there after she moves on.]]
* HeadbuttOfLove - Done several times between different characters.
* HeroicBSOD - Annie, in [=S1E5=].

** Also, Mitchell is shown holding a blood bag ''[[OurVampiresAreDifferent that he cannot drink from]]''.

* CasualDangerDialog-- Lauren after [[spoiler: staking Seth through the chest, allowing George, Mitchell and Annie to escape]]: "Well, he won't be staring at my tits when he speaks to me anymore"

* ChekhovsGunman: In the first episode George briefly bumps into a strange man hanging around in the woods who looks as if he might be waiting for a rape/murder/both victim to show up. He isn't and he's quite important in the second episode.
* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:Owen. Murderer, DomesticAbuser, [[MindRape Mind Rapist]]... ''[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking unreliable landlord]]'']]

* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler:Lauren]] asks for an [[ICannotSelfTerminate assisted suicide]] with this justification.

* SlidingScaleOfVampireFriendliness: In the lower middle. It's ''possible'' to be good... but it's like going off a hard drug while [[WarmBloodbagsAreEverywhere it walks around you.]]

* MagicPants - Averted. Poor George doesn't get Magic Pants when he transforms into a werewolf.

* MindRape - [[spoiler:Owen pulls a [[{{Heroes}} Sylar-worthy]] feat of "mundane" Mind Rape on Annie in [=S1E5=]. First, he does it as he's comforting his current girlfriend, who's freaked-out because a ''ghost'' was talking to her, trying to warn her about him. Second, he denies Annie's very existence whilst he's looking her straight in the eye with a shit-eating grin: "I don't see... ''anything''". Then he twists the knife by admitting that he was cheating on Annie when she was still alive. Evil. Annie ends up in a HeroicBSOD till George pulls her out of it.]]

* NoodleIncident - After Annie suggests the gang do something to bring them closer together after a crappy couple of weeks:
-->'''George''':"No, I'm not going paint balling again, not after last time."
* NotHimself - this seems to be the explanation developing for Mitchell's rather {{OOC}} RoaringRampageOfRevenge, with a touch of SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay hinting at a SplitPersonality.
* NoYay - Tully's scene with George late in[=S1E2=].

* TakeThat - Professor [[spoiler:Lucy]] Jaggart wrote a book about Intelligent Design called ''God's Blueprint''. Her colleagues drew cocks on her labcoat, and it's referred to by Nina as "600 pages of bullshit".

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** They also apparently date other ghost people and force their friends to babysit their ghost babies (who need to be kept cold - the colder the better - and can't be hurt if you drop them) so dead firemen are not scared of by the commitment issues caused by the ghost baby. It's not clear if ghost babies age but they don't seem to until they pass on. The ghost babies can also be calmed down by telling them ghost stories.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic - Despite all the supernatural goings-on, the show is actually a symbolic look at people trying to reacclimate into normal society after events that turned their worlds upside down. Mitchell is a recovering drug addict, George is HIV positive with rage issues, and Annie is a former [[{{Hikkikomori}} shut-in]] trying to reconnect with the real world. The metaphors become especially prevalent during season 2, when Mitchell begins a blood addicts support group, George [[spoiler: accidentally infects his girlfriend]], and Annie, giddy that people can suddenly see her, becomes ecstatic at the prospect of working at the pub down the street.

** This troper was extra horrified and could not go to bed for a while after. The ''thing'' constantly influencing Saul brought back all the wrong memories of [[BuffyTheVampireSlayer First Evil]]. Especially how he urged Saul to sexually assault Annie.

*OurGhostsAreDifferent - Annie's visibility depends on her self-confidence. Normally, only other supernaturals can see her--but as she becomes more confident, she becomes visible to ordinary humans as well. She does not need sleep. She can cook, but can't eat or drink. She can go insubstantial when needed, and can teleport. When a ghost finally resolves what's keeping them earthbound, a door to the afterlife appears, waiting for them. They can also be exorcised, which apparently makes them disappear. She cannot change out of the outfit she died in, but she can touch and move physical objects (and apparently teleport them with her).

*OurVampiresAreDifferent - The vampires, like those of ''{{Blade}}'' and ''{{Underworld}}'', have an AncientConspiracy dating back hundreds of years. They create more of their kind by turning humans. A stake through the heart reduces them to dust, though there's a grace period--a staked vampire might recover if the wound is seen to in time. They consume the ''life force'' in a human's blood, not blood ''qua'' blood; donated blood is no good. Blood dependency is a [[HorrorHunger psychological addiction]] for vampires, not necessary for survival; they can eat and drink. As a clear subversion of most vampire traditions, they ''can'' venture into the sunlight, although Mitchell does admit he's not a "fan" of sun.
** In bright sunshine, Mitchell dons sunglasses and a heavy leather jacket, although this may be more of an appearance thing than a precaution against the effects of sunlight.
*OurWerewolvesAreDifferent - These werewolves are humans [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting cursed to transform]] into savage, near-mindless beasts, closer to man-wolf than wolf-man. They only transform on the night of the full moon, whether they can see the moon or not. Anyone who survives a werewolf attack becomes a werewolf themselves. The curse is transferred by any wound, not just a bite, and the attack always leaves a very visible scar. The transformation can be partially suppressed by staying in a pressure chamber, although so far all attempts to do so have had unpleasant results. One attempt to incapacitate the wolf-form with tranquilisers subsequently caused violent urges and uncontrollable swearing while in human form, presumably due to the wolf's repressed rage. Vampires can detect werewolves, probably by smell, though werewolves can't detect vampires. As fellow supernatural creatures, werewolves can see ghosts. Werewolves are apparently extremely rare in this universe.

** Also, the original concept of the series was about a recovering sex addict, someone with intermittent explosive disorder, and a agraphobic.

*TakeThat - Professor [[spoiler:Lucy]] Jaggart wrote a book about Intelligent Design called ''God's Blueprint''. Her colleagues drew cocks on her labcoat, and it's refered to by Nina as "600 pages of bullshit".

-->'''Josie''': Oh right, I thought perhaps you were a wizard or something.
-->'''George''': A wizard? That's ridiculous.
-->'''Josie''': Once you've dated a vampire you change your criteria for what's ridiculous.

** Don't forget Herrickhe hasn't beem shown as anything less than pure evil.

-->'''Disembodied Voice''' There are men with sticks, and men with ropes, and men with black black feathers on their black black cloaks...You don't want our rascals coming out there, do you?"

** The concept is inverted in a speech by Kemp: "If you believe in God's miracles, you must believe in Satan's". But then, he's crazy, so his beliefs probably shouldn't be taken too seriously.