Every week I meet up with a group of friends for a Stitch n Bitch and we knit, sew and otherwise craft while watching various movies and tv shows. About a month ago Amanda introduced us to a BBC show called “Being Human”. The basic plot of the show is about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost who all live together in the same house and try to find a way to “be human” and fit in with normal people.

I was hooked from the first episode watching a rather hilarious moment involving George, the werewolf, having problems trying to find a spot in the woods to “Change”. After laughing hysterically at that bit I found that I wanted to see the rest of the series. Within a week I had it at the top of my Netflix queue and was happily watching Series One. Like many BBC series, each season is short (this one was only 6 episodes!) but I was captivated by every moment.

Let’s just say I’d much rather watch 6 amazing episodes of a series and feel like I was part of the story than watch the third season of True Blood drag on like it did.

The lore of the supernatural is a little different in this series than often portrayed in other media. For example, Mitchell, the vampire, can go out in the sunlight though he prefers to wear sunglasses to shield his eyes. Vampires also have a very low body temperature that they are all too aware of. You often see Mitchell wearing coats and fingerless gloves to keep warm. Religious symbols and speech do affect them as well as the infamous stake through the heart.

The way that Mitchell describes the change from human to werewolf is captivating. I’d always thought that the change must be painful. After all, your bones are changing shape along with your organs. All of that combined never seemed to be a happy process to me. In the series it’s described as a combination of a heart attack, massive organ failure, tearing and reforming. George’s screams of pain during the change only accent that every time it happens on screen. In the series, the virus (for lack of a better term) can be spread through scratches from a werewolf.

Ghost are very similar to regular lore. They usually appear in the clothes that they died in and are here for a purpose, either to complete something that was unfinished in their lives or to experience something they hadn’t before dying. They can be seen by other supernatural creatures but not by most regular humans. Annie “haunts” the house that she and her fiancé, Owen, rented before her death and she is extremely happy when both George and Mitchell move in and can see her.

I just finished watching Series One last night and I’m going to have to rewatch the last episode to catch a few things that I missed. I already have Series Two ready on my queue (all three discs in a row!) and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Mitchell, George and Annie.

On a somewhat more girly note, Russell Tovey who plays George is so adorable that I find myself alternately face palming and wanting to hug him. Aidan Turner plays Mitchell and I have to admit, though my most recent vampire crush was tall, pale, blond and Swedish I can easily add the darker and rougher Mitchell to my list of “drool worthy” vampires.

The series has an extremely good mix of humor, drama, action and character development that keeps your attention no matter which character is on screen. While British humor may not be to everyone’s taste I think that this series might be worth trying even if you aren’t normally a fan. Let me know what you think of it after watching an episode or two!

Written by: Elf Writer