Thanks so much for posting this! Poor guy.... I was one of those people who was seriously questioning how the show would work once Aidan left, and I now cannot believe I ever felt that way! Damien's first scene set me at ease. Loved him and Hal immediately!
Also, I cannot believe people were actually tweeting him before the show even began and were saying that kind of stuff to him! So rude.
-- Edited by __knightley on Thursday 8th of August 2013 11:17:42 PM
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"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." Marilyn Monroe
Wow. That's so awful. I can't believe the behavior of some people. I was devastated at Mitchell's death but I would never even think to harass the actor taking on the vampire role. It's a job. Everyone needs a job. Crazy! He showed them.
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"I should have left a clue. Like, I don't know, locking him in a cellar and tying him to a fucking radiator!"
I was the same, knightley. I saw the first scene with Leo and thought, 'I like this. This could work.'
I don't know what's wrong with people, harassing him on twitter! I hope they learned from their ridiculous bullying behaviour and never did it again to anyone else.
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
I am not really sure how accurate the quotes are in this piece, but agree with you all about the harrassment. totally despicable in any situation really.
Looking back on that time now, it must have been such a tough position for Damien to be in, people were very vocal with their strength of feeling about the demise of Mitchell and what this meant for Being Human. I admire him hugely for it and he deserves every bit of praise for his success.
On my part, I really felt the loss of Mitchell and wondered how the Being Human team were going to bring that level back, but totally trusted the writers that they could. When Damien appeared on screen I was internally rubbing my hands together and saying 'YES' because here was a completely different character and a character with so much more going on, immediately I was engaged and wanting to know more, soon magnetized and totally invested in Hal's story. Damien as an actor proceeded to blow my mind with his performance in S4 Ep2 '1955' and the rest is history.
Waffle aside, I was a mega Being Human fan from the early days. I wasn't compelled to talk about anything on line until Hal and Damien came along. And then I HAD TO. And then this place was born.
and if we are comparing Mitchell and Hal? Mitchell was like a hot and tasty curry, Hal is a ten course banquet that keeps surprising, and the more you eat the more curious and hungrier you become, you palate begins to identify different flavours yet you know you can never reach the bottom of them all.
Same here domino, Hal is the reason I came online and this is the only place I have come back to over and over again. I have every faith he will have this effect with every character he plays!!! :D xxx
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My name is Ciara and I've been on the Kia-Ora!!!! :D
It is strange how shows that have some sort of cult status, which is what I would say BH has, have a more shall we say dedicated fanbase compared to other shows that are probably as popular...and I think it's the act of change, moving away from what's comfortable, that almost scares some fans which may be why they act out in such a uncaring manner.
I liked Mitchell, but wasn't bothered that he'd gone; George was my favourite character and I was so sad when he died, but I suppose because it was already into S4 (a great twist that they killed him off in the first episode, quite brave really) that I just kept on watching...but then I don't think I was as hardcore as others anyway; I simply enjoyed the programme.
And, heinously I suppose, I didn't really go "OMG! Hal is brilliant" (and Damien's quite nice as well) until the start of S5 with the 1918 flashback...shame on me quite frankly as the 1950 flashbacks are amazing and quite hot, plus the general nakedness going on...and how did I not focus on the "not a man of God" speech...shutting up now
First of all I agree with Domino, those quotes must be a bit out of context. Would fans really have harassed him? Having women with Avi's of Mitchell follow him/contact him at all was probably nerve inducing, but did they say bad things to him? If so, shame on them!
I kick myself repeatedly that I wasn't paying attention to when S4 came out. Well, I do have a legitimate excuse - I'm in the States and didn't have cable at the time (I installed it just before S5 aired in UK, which was a bit of a waste since I ended up watching by other means)
I'd watched S1-3 in a marathon when S3 came out on Netflix, I'm sure that was about better part of a year after S3 aired in the UK? So I went through Mitchell quite quickly. (that sounded less creepy in my head!) What I mean is, fell in love with him, became disappointed in him towards the end with the whining, was shocked and mourned when he was killed, all within a few weeks. And I wasn't invested in the show enough to have gone online and searched out a fanbase.
Then S4 became available on Netflix last Nov and I was curious so I gave it a go again. It wasn't exactly love at E1. There was the shock of it being months later (I was expecting the confrontation with Windham to be where they picked up again), Nina being gone and George getting killed... and Hal wasn't innit too much. I queued up E2 immediately after however and within a few minutes I though "oh the new vampire is cute, funny, quirky... this could be fun, back to the comedy of earlier times". And then came the Man of God speech.... immediately after they left the shop: *pause --> google "actor playing Hal Being Human"--> gobble up all info, drool a little at his CV pictures --> "what, he's on Twitter?", makes note to ressurect unused Twitter account --> see link to DMForum --> unpause, finish watching all of S4 in two days --> signs up and introduces self at DMForum... and the rest is as they say, history!
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
Actually, I think fans may have harassed him. Johnlock shippers of Sherlock have apparently harassed the actress that is taking on the role of Mary Marstan. So I don't put it beyond some of the fans with less of a grasp on reality.
Your journey through Being Human sounds very similar to mine, Whimsy. I didn't find out about the show until seasons 1 - 3 were on Netflix (can't afford the super deluxe digital cable package so don't get BBCA) and S4 was about to start. Well I had heard of the show right before it first aired but it sounded like the set up to a bad joke so I dismissed it. But a couple of friends said it was good and we ran out of other things to watch so Boyfriend decided to give it a try. We blew through the first 3 seasons on Netflix and I fell in love with the show. I loved Mitchell but I got a bit annoyed with the character by the end. I was really devastated when he was killed because the two people I knew who watch the show didn't mentioned it so I had no idea it was coming. Boyfriend looked up Aidan on IMDB and saw that he left the show to do The Hobbit so I knew he wasn't coming back.
I honestly wasn't sure I wanted to bother with S4 but I didn't have much else to watch so I figured I would give it a shot. The first few episodes of S4 were really hard to watch. Kind of painful. But I'm glad we stuck with it once we met Hal. I liked Hal from the start but it wasn't until the Man of God speech that I thought - Hello!
S5 started only a couple of months after we finished S4. I was so excited until I found out that they pulled the plug on the show. It hit me like a truck. When the show ended I had to seek out some comfort and needed a place to obsess a bit where the people wouldn't think I was a freak for being so upset over the loss of fictional characters. I also didn't want to annoy my friends who didn't watch the show. I ran across DM Forum in my search.
Thank you, Domino and the rest of the DM Forum for giving me a place to heal.
I have managed to get one of my friends addicted to the show. She just started S5 and told me tonight that she is especially addicted to HAL and thought she was heading that way with Alex too, like I knew she would be, even though she was also really fond of Mitchell and Annie. It made me so happy to hear it.
-- Edited by Random Jane on Saturday 10th of August 2013 05:59:49 AM
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"I should have left a clue. Like, I don't know, locking him in a cellar and tying him to a fucking radiator!"
Part of me wishes we hadn't been told after the first episode that it was the last Series. Like you said, hit like a truck.... I went from being giddy to depressed... it really hung like a black cloud throughout S5. I wouldn't say it ruined it for me completely but definitely had a different feel than if I hadn't known. One day, after seeing the trailer where it said "The end of the bloodline" I cried for two hours straight. I was sobbing in the car! I know it's just a fictional show, and fictional characters but...
It really has been a blessing to have all of you who "get it" as support. It's supposed to get better with time, but so far that hasn't happened. Perhaps once Ripper Street is under way that will help.
-- Edited by whimsyfox on Saturday 10th of August 2013 07:56:49 AM
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
Fans can be, literally, fanatical. It's the ugly side of fandom. And some people are just arses.
I totally understand why people felt impatient with Mitchell during season three. He doesn't come together and make sense til the last episode - and then he's gone! I did the same thing as your boyfriend, Jane, checked out imdb to see what the gossip was, and yep, found out Aidan had left. When I heard Russell was leaving too, I was quite irked, and couldn't be more surprised that the show pulled off changing the entire cast. And they even played into the longevity of the concept with the history of the triad through the ages. Bravo.
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"Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong."
Wow - what beautiful posts everyone, thank you for sharing your experiences with the transitions Being Human has had. The fact is Damien made a huge impact when such strength of feeling seemed to be working against him. It was an achievement that he and the writers and creators can be proud of.
@whimsy tragically I do remember some not so friendly Twitter posts, I remain gobsmacked firstly just at how rude and insulting that is as a human being, and how lacking in awareness, and how horrible to someone who already had so much pressure upon him to deliver, but also how insulting to the writers and creators, whose vision had brought the very thing people were complaining about losing. It IS sad when a character you have grown to know and love disappears. But, some people took it too far I think.
@HalGal and @Jane it is an amazing testament to Damien and Hal that you were drawn to the forum because of his performance. I am so glad you did, and feel very honoured that you stayed. Jane your words about healing made me realise that this is important for me too, thank you
I can now reveal my agenda for posting this old magazine feature - HalGal put it beautifully: "I have every faith he will have this effect with every character he plays"
We will always miss Hal. and I know we will always honour him and BH here at the forum! but the man that brought him to life the way he did will be doing so again and again and again with new characters, just as he did with Hal. I hope as a fandom we let go of Hal enough, to allow him to do that, but even if we don't, history shows us that Damien's talent will bring something new to totally blow us away.
Mitchell was like a hot and tasty curry, Hal is a ten course banquet
I know the conversation has moved on but.....THIS. Omg....domino - that is just the perfect analogy!!!
Sorry - but I'm going to have to do this now....
I loved BH from the start, but must admit that I was totally a Mitchell(/Aidan) girl (he was the reason I started following the bh blog, although, honestly, I never even considered posting anything until after s4), and was very dubious/curious how it was going to work without him. I liked Annie, but didn't love her until s4; and, much as I loved him, I genuinely couldn't see George working as a character without Mitchell - so was a little relieved to find out he was going too (sorry George fans!!) I was thrilled that Tom was coming back as a main character - but, honestly?....the trailer didn't fill me with optimism about the new vampire.
I hated s4 ep1!! But I realised that it had a lot to achieve, and tuned in to ep2 - albeit with a heavy heart. I know I've said this all before but......the 'man of god' speech convinced me that Damien was fantasitic - that alone made me want to find out more about him......and I found my way here. But it wasn't until Hal come back to the pawn shop - "Jesus Christ", "not quite" - that I was sure I could love Hal as much (who knew how much! lol) as Mitchell!
When Aidan left Being Human - heartbroken as I was that Mitchell would be no more - I was absolutely made up for him that he'd got a part in The Hobbit (doubly so as I'm a huge LOTR fan - although the thought of a 2yr wait was agonising). Ever since I started to hope to believe that Damien's new character in Ripper Street was a recurring role, I have steadily become more and more excited, and now I just can't wait to see DC Flight come to life.
Yes, indeed....next stop Ripper Street - and thank God it won't take us another 2 years to get there!
I can remember when it was announced that Damien had been cast. I hadn't heard of him. I was grieving over the loss of Mitchell (I did not see that coming and it absolutely blindsided me, i was a huge Mitchell fan) and i wasn't interested in him particularly. I knew he was on Twitter but i didn't follow him. I was sore but i wasn't resentful.
One thing i can say that however deep into fandom i got, i distinguished between what was real and what was fantasy. I understand the term respect and however upset i was at Mitchell's departure, i would never ever ever disrespect the actor coming into the show that was essentially replacing him (as in becoming the new vampire in the trinity) I would never be so crass or classless. However a person may feel at the departure of their favourite character, it does not give them the right to denigrate the incoming character. People think that they can say what they like from behind the relative safety of a computer keyboard. That anyone would be so clueless and rude is disgusting.
I remember seeing a picture of him and being curious. As the filming progressed, i became interested again.I remember when Toby said in an interview prior to S4 that people would see him and think 'Mitchell who?' and i remember the furore it unleashed on Twitter. People went nuts, thinking he was disrespecting Aidan. He wasn't, he was enthusing over Damien and with damned good reason. They'd got a diamond.
I started to follow him on Twitter, i said to other people to give him the benefit of the doubt, we hadn't seen what he could do. I saw episode two and i was converted. I really liked him. Then i met him in April 2012, i told him i'd been a big Mitchell fan and i could see in his eyes he was thinking 'uh oh' but he smiled when i told him that i'd become a fan of Hal's, of his and i think he appreciated that. I told him how much i loved his 'I'm not a Man of God' speech and he smiled again and was glad i liked it.
So i'm a fan of his and i make no apologies. He's a sweetie, he's gracious and he's humble. Can't wait to see what he brings to Ripper Street and other projects.
I watched Being Human from Series 1 Ep 1 and loved it from the off but I must admit by the end of Mitchell's time on the show, I was like "I'm bored now". Don't get me wrong, he was a very complex character and I had enjoyed watching him grow and change but, I struggled with him. I don't think the hair helped, whilst a lot of people swooned I just wanted to wash it!!! I know, I know you all hate me now and I'm sorry ;0) Always loved George, Annie, Nina and Mitchell but was intrigued by Tom and McNair and was a smitten kitten the second Hal appeared on screen. He is absolutely perfect to me, effortlessly, breathtakingly (is that a word?) weak at the knees gorgeous and the level of acting and depth of his character are stunning! It felt like a new lease of life for the programme. I felt the loss of Nina, George and then Annie & Eve acutely. I wasn't sure when Annie went that they could take it any further, I faced Series 5 with trepidation, could they really continue with none of the original cast? Boi was I wrong, it was a humdinger right up to the very last second of the last Episode. I will never tire of watching this show and have recently watched it all again, right from the start and loved every minute.
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Lisa
...I bet your skin tastes of salt.....I think I'm going to hurt you.....
I watched Being Human from Series 1 Ep 1 and loved it from the off but I must admit by the end of Mitchell's time on the show, I was like "I'm bored now". Don't get me wrong, he was a very complex character and I had enjoyed watching him grow and change but, I struggled with him. I was a smitten kitten the second Hal appeared on screen. He is absolutely perfect to me, effortlessly, breathtakingly (is that a word?) weak at the knees gorgeous and the level of acting and depth of his character are stunning!
Thats exactlly how I feel about the show. When Damien first appeared I was like wow. My mother was like why.
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I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh.
I watched Being Human from Series 1 Ep 1 and loved it from the off but I must admit by the end of Mitchell's time on the show, I was like "I'm bored now". Don't get me wrong, he was a very complex character and I had enjoyed watching him grow and change but, I struggled with him. I don't think the hair helped, whilst a lot of people swooned I just wanted to wash it!!! I know, I know you all hate me now and I'm sorry ;0) Always loved George, Annie, Nina and Mitchell but was intrigued by Tom and McNair and was a smitten kitten the second Hal appeared on screen. He is absolutely perfect to me, effortlessly, breathtakingly (is that a word?) weak at the knees gorgeous and the level of acting and depth of his character are stunning! It felt like a new lease of life for the programme. I felt the loss of Nina, George and then Annie & Eve acutely. I wasn't sure when Annie went that they could take it any further, I faced Series 5 with trepidation, could they really continue with none of the original cast? Boi was I wrong, it was a humdinger right up to the very last second of the last Episode. I will never tire of watching this show and have recently watched it all again, right from the start and loved every minute.
WELL SAID!!!! Wholeheartedly agree. I did swoon for Mitchell in the beginning, but the hair and lack of hygiene and the placing the blame on others for his shortcomings started to get to me.
And HAL/DAMIEN - breathtakingly weak in the knees gorgeous, level of talent, and depth of character.... he's ruined my life with how breathtakingly, effortlessly perfect he is. I can't believe that I didn't see it until the Man of God speech the first viewing. S4E1 just blindsighted me, I'd been expecting them to pick up at the confrontation with Windham, then you have Nina gone, George dies... But now I watch Ep 1 and see Hal/Damien shine from the first moment those fingers twirl that domino.
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
Ruby, I really admire your decorum on Twitter and elsewhere on the interwebs, and am so glad you got to tell Damien early on your feelings. I'm sure fans like you helped put him at ease, showing him that we can separate the feelings we have for the characters from the actors, and helped him see that he is liked for himself, for his talent and as you say his graciousness and humbleness. That is one of the things that truly makes me proud to be a fan of his, how appreciative and humble he is. I shared the video of when the bloggers gave him my present and the signed pictures I got back with friends outside the fandom and many have commented on how heartwarming it is that he is so sincere and down to earth. God I love this man!
A small part of me is glad I didn't get to see the ugly side of things when he "replaced" Aidan, but the majority of me is kicking myself for not knowing about him earlier, not being one of the first to show him my support. I try to make up for that now, and do so happily. It really was a labour of love making him that quilt.
ok, I'm going to stop now because I'm getting teary eyed for no apparent reason...
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
Whimsy, oh it got ugly on twitter during those first initial episodes with Damien, as well as on the blog. There was a small element who were determined not to like Hal or series four no matter what. They were hardcore Mitchell fans. I fell out with one or two people over it. I can remember having arguments with these people and being so cross that i couldn't sleep the night after a new BH episode aired and not because of the usual reasons (why we used to call it Zombie Monday ;) ).
My sister was with me when i met Damien and she's a big Being Human fan, i may have mentioned that she was the one who introduced me to the show, she chucked S1 at me and told me to watch it. The rest is history. She's not a part of the 'Damien is hot' brigade but she came with me to the stage door to meet him and she got to talk to him, had a photo with him, he signed her programme and she said afterwards what a lovely man he was and she is a fan of his because of that. She has a real soft spot for him after that (and she likes to remind me of how he wished me a happy birthday to my face whenever i'm feeling down in the dumps about stuff)
I'm always respectful to him and i'd like to think that we're part of a core of true fans of his that if he tweets and we respond with little jokes, good natured ribbing and such like that he appreciates that, that we're not part of the more excitable, over emotional group that i'm sure makes him feel a bit uncomfortable. He may not respond to any of us directly on Twitter but i'm sure he appreciates us in his own, shy way (plus i'm very happily married and proclaiming any love for him would not go down well with my otherwise cool and understanding hubby ;) )
Wow - what beautiful posts everyone, thank you for sharing your experiences with the transitions Being Human has had. The fact is Damien made a huge impact when such strength of feeling seemed to be working against him. It was an achievement that he and the writers and creators can be proud of.
@whimsy tragically I do remember some not so friendly Twitter posts, I remain gobsmacked firstly just at how rude and insulting that is as a human being, and how lacking in awareness, and how horrible to someone who already had so much pressure upon him to deliver, but also how insulting to the writers and creators, whose vision had brought the very thing people were complaining about losing. It IS sad when a character you have grown to know and love disappears. But, some people took it too far I think.
@HalGal and @Jane it is an amazing testament to Damien and Hal that you were drawn to the forum because of his performance. I am so glad you did, and feel very honoured that you stayed. Jane your words about healing made me realise that this is important for me too, thank you
I can now reveal my agenda for posting this old magazine feature - HalGal put it beautifully: "I have every faith he will have this effect with every character he plays"
We will always miss Hal. and I know we will always honour him and BH here at the forum! but the man that brought him to life the way he did will be doing so again and again and again with new characters, just as he did with Hal. I hope as a fandom we let go of Hal enough, to allow him to do that, but even if we don't, history shows us that Damien's talent will bring something new to totally blow us away.
Next stop, Ripper Street! who is coming?
Me, me !!! :D thanku and its true, i didnt go through all the mitchell stuff, Damo and Hal is the reason I got into Being Human!!! Without him I would not be into the show half as much!!
i didn't realise what he was up against either, reading it all is quite shocking, poor Damo.:(
Your too modest domino, Damien is the reason I found the forum but he is not the only reason i come back! Where else would keep us up to date with all the latest? :D
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My name is Ciara and I've been on the Kia-Ora!!!! :D
