{"id":30279,"date":"2023-02-18T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T08:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1787213"},"modified":"2023-02-19T20:59:51","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T19:59:51","slug":"toby-whithouse-on-being-humans-legacy-and-how-doctor-who-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/toby-whithouse-on-being-humans-legacy-and-how-doctor-who-changed-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"Toby Whithouse on Being Human\u2019s legacy and how Doctor Who changed everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Being Human turns 15, the creator of the BBC Three cult classic reflects on its origins and ongoing fandom. <\/p>

By Sabastian Astley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 18 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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When I mention that I first saw Being Human at the age of 10, Toby Whithouse laughs. \u201cI wasn\u2019t much older when I started watching Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, that sort of thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whithouse loves a good scare. Best known as the creator of hit BBC Three show Being Human, as well as the brains behind some of Doctor Who\u2019s<\/a> more bone-chilling stories like The God Complex<\/a> and the Under the Lake\/Before the Flood<\/a> two-parter, <\/span>we\u2019re speaking a few days after the BFI hosted him and much of Being Human\u2019s cast and crew at a special reunion screening as part of their In Dreams are Monsters season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Launched by way of a pilot episode in 2008, Being Human went on to become one of the gems in BBC Three\u2019s schedule of scripted originals \u2013 a blend of horror drama and flatshare comedy, it aired\u00a0five seasons between 2009 and 2013 exploring the lives of a werewolf, vampire and ghost trio. The series was initially led by Russell Tovey as George, Aidan Turner as Mitchell and Lenora Crichlow as Annie, before refreshing its cast line-up with Michael Socha as Tom, Damien Molony as Hal and Kate Bracken as Alex.<\/p>\n

Although BBC Three initially told Whithouse that Being Human wouldn\u2019t be commissioned for a full series following its pilot, it was the incredible audience reception and demand for it that ultimately convinced the broadcaster to give the show the green light. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that everything, to a certain extent, is a product of its context. Every year there\u2019ll be some show that surprises everyone with its success, that it\u2019s somehow completely captured the public\u2019s imagination,\u201d Whithouse tells RadioTimes.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at something like Broadchurch<\/a>, that was just a phenomenal success. It was very well written, very well made, but something about it just clicked with the public at that moment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

BBC Three\u2019s pilot scheme was an opportunity for audiences to demonstrate just how much a show captivated an audience; something that was essential to Being Human\u2019s success. \u201cI think, had Being Human happened at any other time? I don\u2019t think it would\u2019ve worked. I think we were very lucky,\u201d Whithouse admits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to 2005, BAFTA had never nominated an out-and-out genre show in its Best Drama Series category \u2013 until Doctor Who<\/a> returned. \u201cRussell [T Davies] not only demonstrated that there was an audience for that kind of show, but he reminded the broadcasters of that seven o\u2019clock Saturday night slot. That notion of a family show that everyone sits down and watches together at that time hadn\u2019t happened for a very long time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

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Doctor Who opened the BAFTA doors to shows like Life on Mars, Misfits, and of course, Being Human. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing Russell did so beautifully with Doctor Who was mixing genres because he approached that very sci-fi show with a lightness of touch. I think Buffy<\/a> is a good comparison, the notion of there being everything quite character related, being quite comedic, but with very dark moments. I think it was that first kind of successful experimentation with mixing genres,\u201d Whithouse points out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in 2008, movie-level budgets simply didn\u2019t exist for television shows, certainly not for BBC Three \u2013 so Whithouse relied on his memories of how series like Sapphire & Steel (1979-82) or Ultraviolet (1998) created their worlds. \u201c<\/span>I think British fantasy stuff tends to rely slightly more on suggestion and implication, rather than demonstrating it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all been petrified by that unknown sound in the dark, minds rushing to fill the void of a potential monster or creature lurking out of sight, he suggests. \u201cA child\u2019s imagination can create something infinitely more frightening than the special effects department. So to me, Being Human just continued that tradition of suggestion, and it also forced us to make the show about character, because character is the one thing that is free.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jason Watkins as Herrick in Being Human<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The value of Being Human was not in its visually impressive feats, but instead its acutely rich characters, enticing the likes of Jason Watkins, Annabel Scholey, Michael Socha and Craig Roberts to appear. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt afforded an incredible calibre of actor; we had guest actors that we\u2019d never be able to afford normally but took massive pay cuts because they just really liked the character \u2013 that happened quite a lot on the show,\u201d Whithouse recalls.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whereas once broadcasters would baulk at the idea of a \u00a3100 million genre show, today it appears to have become the norm. \u201cIt feels now that we must now approach things as if they were a $200 million movie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So how does a genre show stick out amongst billion-dollar IP titans and cut-throat streaming services unnervingly ready to cut a show loose if it doesn\u2019t hit a billion streams in a month? <\/span><\/p>\n

Whithouse believes that the bubble is set to burst. \u201cI think we\u2019ll gradually shift back because the model we currently have is kind of unsustainable. To sort of justify $100 million, or $2 million per hour long episode, at the very least, you\u2019re going to have to be drawing in that kind of audience. But with the sort of saturation that\u2019s happening, that audience is just going to be spread too thinly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>