Snow joke – the old ones return as Being Human aims for fifth series with a big finish

Being Humans audience share fell again this week, after a brief increase for recent episodes, back to the low level it hit with episode three which has so far been one of the lowest rated episodes of the series. Of course these are based on overnight figures which do sometimes get amended later but it’s a surprise given that Sundays penultimate episode was a return to form for the series.

What will happen to Eve as Annie makes her choice?

The Eve plot featured heavily as expected but it was Cutlers plans for werewolf Tom that made the episode a must see and resulted in the gripping cliff hanger ending between Hal and Tom, it was also proof that the new Being Human can still cut it without needing the use of contrived and ill fitting sub plots such as the time travelling ghost. The interplay between new ghost Alex and vampire Hal was fun and introduced a character that if she became a regular would be a welcome addition and (die hard fans close your ears for a moment) could fill in the ghost gap if Lenora Crichlow (Annie) were later to leave the show. Indeed it felt to me that Alex was introduced for just such an eventuality and that perhaps Annie will finally get her door in the series finale.

In a recent interview Being Human creator Toby Whithouse confirmed he has been sketching out ideas for a fifth series but that nothing has been confirmed. With overall viewing figures lower than usual but not really dismal, and with Whithouse full of ideas for a fifth series, it makes sense for the BBC to give the show a chance and renew it for a fifth series and while it’s only speculation I would be surprised if it didn’t return for a new series next year.

It’s likely the series finale will see the Eve plot resolved (probably by Annie not killing the baby) and set the scene for an Eve free series five where the old ones, led by the sinister mister Snow, finally take centre stage and, with a strong enemy, a new series would undoubtedly find more viewers than the current one has.

Mark Gatiss stars as the evil vampire mister Snow

This week we see Annie make her choice, Hal under the influence of head vampire mister Snow, and of course we find out what happens with werewolf Tom.

What secrets does the final episode hold?

Well it’s only speculation but I expect that Annie will come to realise that she mustn’t kill Eve, and that by doing so may even get her door while Cutler will go underground and reappear in a new series as leader of a new set of vampires (a group who may even end up fighting against the old ones).

Although actress Lenora Chrichlow has not announced any plans to leave the show I can’t help thinking that new ghost Alex may replace her as Annie gets her door, walking through it to be reunited with Eve at the same time that mister Snow makes a surprise decision involving former comrade Hal.

As for the Tom and Hal cliffhanger from last week and how that will be resolved well there are a few ways for that to be resolved. Hal could fight him (unlikely), ghost Alex could lock the doors and have Tom trapped until the sun rises (strong possibility), Tom could spill some of the vampires blood and retreat injured as a result or even have Tom realise what he is doing and stop himself.

If I had to guess I’d say the doors get locked and / or Tom gets injured but that’s part of the fun, there are plenty of possibilities and as usual the show may surprise everyone with something unexpected.

What is certain is that the final episode will be one well worth watching, and a big, shocking, finish could be just the thing needed to swing another series.

Fangs a lot – fans throw Being Human a lifeline

The Being Human audience grew to a healthier 862,000 for episode four before falling again to 820,000 viewers for last weeks episode meaning that although the number of people watching it has still fallen considerably since the first episode aired, the overall figures show some fans are returning to the show and giving it a much needed increase in ratings. It’s not a lot but it’s a shot in the arm for the popular series and something it needs more of.

The figures fell every week until episode four, which saw the mysterious Kirby arrive at the house with a message from Nina, which saw them rise again before falling again for the return of Adam in episode five. Will they continue to fall or will this increase in overall ratings continue?

Did Kirby's mind games bring back the fans?

It’s not uncommon for the first and last episodes of a returning show to get the highest viewing figures, viewers naturally want to know how things pick up from the previous series and how they conclude, but a look at the episodes that stopped the down turn show an interesting factor in common.

The Kirby episode was advertised as being about a ghost who returned to help Annie and had a message from Nina, and the following episode brought back a former character from series three, teen vampire Adam.

Its likely, based on the viewing figures, that fans were hoping to see the return of werewolf Nina in some way (even if only as a ghostly cameo), she was after all mentioned as sending Kirby to help Annie in the run up to the episode airing, but there was no Nina and it seems some of the fans who tuned back in decided again to give up on the show, resulting in another drop, but that enough watched the next episode, which they knew really would feature a returning character (Adam), that it was enough to stop the figures dropping as dramatically as they had.

With two episodes left it’s likely the figures will stabilize, though the reintroduction of time travelling Eve in the next episode may put some off, and that as result the series overall audience figures will average out at around 780,000 per episode (based on all figures to date and with an extrapolated increase for the final episode).

The previous series averaged over 1.2 million viewers per episode (only one episode ever had an audience share of under one million) but even allowing for a likely increase of viewers for the remaining episodes this series will have performed far worse in the ratings. Will this cause Being Human to be cancelled?

Will Eve win Annie over?

It’s too early to say, and there has been no word on it yet from the BBC, but while it’s borderline for the show it would make sense for the BBC to commission another series and have that series end in such a way that, should audience figures be consistently low, they could at least wrap it up with a solid finish. Whether they will or not remains to be seen but one thing’s for sure, the sometimes farcical subplot of the time travelling Eve seems to be a key factor in putting off a number of fans.

So here’s hoping they make one more series, and drop the off putting story of a time travelling ghost (Eve saying she has “travelled through her own lifetime” immediately brings to mind cult sci fi classic Quantum Leap whose title sequence used the almost identical phrase and which again suggests that Being Human is borrowing ideas from the world of science fiction and trying to fit them, somewhat unsuccessfully, into the Being Human universe).

Back to that Eve storyline, and just what will happen in the final episodes?

It would seem, based on the trailers and episode guides (and Annies advice from her neighbour in last nights episode) that the show will end with Annie having to choose whether or not to kill the baby and that Hal, despite the burnt arm, may actually be the one who saves her (Eve has been trying to kill the baby, and as the man with the burnt arm Hal is Eves nemesis but the reason could be because he stops her plan to kill the baby. After all a nemesis usually stops someones plans, not help them along, and if Hal is her nemesis he can’t also be the one to kill her as this would be helping her plan succeed and would of course make him an ally, not a nemesis).

This would indeed create a great cliffhanger, Annie crying as she is about to kill the baby and Hal getting in the way as the weapon (possibly one of Toms stakes) heads toward the crying child, the camera stopping as the weapon sinks into Hal or as he lies dying on the floor with Annie  about to try again.

Annie faces a tough decision in the final episode

Whatever happens you can be sure that as usual the final episode will get a good audience and leave them on the edge of their seats wanting more. But if the Eve situation is left unresolved and carries on into a new series it’s likely to be the death blow that finally fells the show. Last night it delivered a less Eve-centric episode and, until her appearance at the end, it felt much more like it used to. Hopefully the producers will wrap the series up by resolving the time travel aspect and returning to concentrating on the interplay between the characters which is when the show is at it’s best.

Being Human – new figures find BBC show needing life support

The latest viewing figures show Being Human losing ground with every episode of the new series. While episode one attracted a healthy one million viewers, by episode two the audience had dropped to 0.7 million.

Now new figures show that by episode three the audience dropped again to just 540,000 placing it well behind less dramatic shows such as ITV2’s “Take me out : The gossip” and falling far below the viewing figures of Skys American import “Hawaii Five O” (which with 0.99 million viewers is in direct competition with Being Human, sharing the same time slot).

Vampire teen Adam returns for one episode of the new series

Because the BBC is not a commercial television channel, it has no advertising and is funded by the public via a tv licence, it means they can afford to take chances that its commercial rivals, funded by advertising revenue, cannot. Were the show on such a commercial channel its future would indeed be pretty grim right now, losing audience share is a key factor in the cancellation of a series and would rightly be seen as a sign that viewers aren’t too keen on it.

Thankfully for fans of the show the BBC can, and usually do, give their series more of a chance when it comes to dwindling market share. It’s unlikely they will rush out and cancel the series in the middle of its run, and they certainly won’t pull it off screen before the series final episode, but what will happen, if viewing figures keep dropping the way they are, is that they may decide not to commission a fifth series for next year.

In previous series it was something that grew on you, something you could dip into as a new viewer. Now, with its new direction, Being Human is in danger of becoming tv marmite, something you either love or hate. As a fan of the show I would like to say I love it but with each episode I find myself watching it more because I hope it gets back on track than because it’s an exciting show.

The cast of Being Human series four

The fact that one of the original cast is still present, and that Hal and Tom’s characters play well against each other, is what keeps me watching rather than the convoluted story of a miracle child who is being attacked by a time travelling ghost. Should Being Human be given a chance? Yes it should, after all it’s unrealistic to expect it to be perfect right away when the cast has changed a lot, but the new story arc isn’t doing it any favours.

As it stands Being Human is still interesting but no longer gripping in the way it once was, it’s as if the show has lost its way and is trying to grab attention with a bold change in direction that seems to be putting off existing viewers without attracting new ones. Now would be a good time for the SyFy channel to premiere their own version of the show, which has proved very popular elsewhere, and pick up those viewers who like the BBC original but no longer love it.

Whether that will happen is doubtful, its likely there is some agreement that UK viewers not get the American version so as to avoid confusion but if it does happen then Being Human fans will once again have a show to really sink their teeth into!