Just as news of the dispatch of my Being Human Series 4 DVD lands in my inbox today, SFX Magazine gifts the world with a huge reveal about the Extras ( and we all like our little extras ) that will leave Damien Molony fans positively giddy with excitement: More. Hal. Press-ups!

Check out the full SFX Review below!

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/04/20/being-human-series-4-review/

Being Human Series 4 REVIEW

Misfits had it easy. Having to replace one of your five leads was a doddle compared to Being Human’s predicament when faced with losing three quarters of its principal cast. That the supernatural houseshare comes out the other side as good as ever is a remarkable achievement.

Release Date: 23 April 2012
2012 | 15 | 459 minutes | £24.99 (DVD)/£29.99 (Blu-ray)
Distributor: 2entertain
Creator: Toby Whithouse
Cast: Lenora Crichlow, Damien Molony, Michael Socha, Andrew Gower, Kate Bracken

The departures of Mitchell, Nina and (in episode one) George end up feeling like a blessing. While the trio were yet to outstay their welcome, so much dramatic water had passed under the bridge — particularly Mitchell going psycho in Box Tunnel — that it was becoming increasingly difficult to believe they could live a normal, incognito life in South Wales. Series four seizes the opportunity to wipe the slate clean, ingeniously setting up a new ghost/vampire/werewolf dynamic without ever feeling implausible.

Returning spook Annie is joined at Honolulu Heights by last year’s occasional guest werewolf Tom and uptight reformed vamp Hal (Damien Molony). Both are fantastic: Tom is an intriguing mix of naive idealist and ruthless vampire hunter; well-spoken Hal, meanwhile is a walking timebomb, a bloodsucker for whom abstention is a mask constantly on the verge of slipping. He’s dangerous in a way Mitchell rarely was, particularly with the arrival of tempting snack/the house’s third new addition, baby Eve.

As the “War Child” of vampire prophecy, the kid’s an effective McGuffin for a series that’s more mythology-driven than its predecessors. Bringing tales of destiny so prominently to the fore can be a sign that a show has lost confidence in its characters, but here the arc plot is expertly judged. Yet in a series that’s unafraid to go to some properly dark places, it’s the humour and likeability of the leads that keeps it watchable. With a new ghost introduced by cunning stealth and a fifth series confirmed, a format that initially looked like it could sustain just a couple of series goes forth looking like it could reinvent itself indefinitely.

Extras: 

101 minutes of bits and bobs, previously featured on the Being Human website (although not everything from the website is here): three short prequels, six interviews, six featurettes and seven deleted scenes. Highlights include the prequel which shows how Hal and Leo came to team up; Michael Socha resorting to the word “sugarlumps” as he manfully struggles not to swear during his interview (still let slip one “****” though, fella…); and a scene where a s******ing crew decide not to bother telling Damien Molony when he can stop doing his press-ups…

Richard Edwards