ONTD

11:17 pm - 03/10/2013

Being Human - Toby Whitehouse's Farewell Blog

Being-Human-series-5-008

And so, farewell.

With a heavy heart we have to say goodbye to Being Human. It's been without doubt the most enjoyable, the most rewarding and challenging experience of my entire career. I think I became a writer so I could write something like Being Human.


A word or two about the ending. We wrestled with the exact nature of the conclusion for a long time. Should it be definitive? If so, should it be a happy ending? Or would that feel somehow cheap and convenient? Should it be bleak? Would our heroes sacrificing themselves to save humanity be a fitting finale? But instinctively I felt that this would be too neat. I think I wanted the ending to be a comma, rather than full stop. The fact is that there simply isn't an ending that will please everyone.

As I've said before the world and the characters should belong to the fans now, and by leaving them dead or even human again would rob the audience of that. And so we settled on something deliberately ambiguous. Though I hope you'll agree that it preserves the defining qualities of the show. Our heroes are left courageous and united - wherever that may be.

But it doesn't quite end there. On the DVD there will be an extra scene - one that takes place, in my mind, a week or so after the end of Episode 6. It answers the question I'm sure you're all asking yourselves now - what's happened to them? Did they save the world? And at the same time it allows scope for further stories, a future life for the show and the characters.

I should point out that this wasn't intended as a way of boosting DVD sales! We always planned to shoot an extra scene for the DVD and when it came to deciding what that scene should be, we thought it would be a good opportunity to give a little closure. Even if 'closure' means the turning of another page.

But that's a little way off. So for now, let's celebrate all we've achieved. And I include the fans and the bloggers and the viewers in that. Together we made the show a success. We plucked it from the strange limbo of 'pilot land', cherished it and nurtured it and made it into something very, very special. So thank you all. From the bottom of my heart. I've always said that the tenacity and loyalty and passion of the fans kept me inspired and determined over the last five brilliant years.
I was asked the other day what I would like the legacy of Being Human to be. The stories that inspired me as an adolescent were the ones that took place in our world. I imagined I was just inches away from some epic conflict and all I had to do was reach out, pass through some invisible membrane and suddenly I'd be immersed in some ancient and secret story.
It made me see the world differently, it prompted me to create stories that allowed me to escape my drab and stultifying world. So in terms of a legacy I'd like to think that our show has made people look at the world in a slightly different way. That it's opened the door, just a crack, to your imagination and fanned the flames of your speculation and creativity. Nothing would make me happier than for these stories to have inspired you to make your own.

Be nice to each other.


Toby x
Page 1 of 3
<<[1] [2] [3] >>
arwens 10th-Mar-2013 11:23 pm (UTC)
im going to need a link asap
slr32 10th-Mar-2013 11:26 pm (UTC)
Is the UK version better than the US version?
skonka 10th-Mar-2013 11:27 pm (UTC)
Hahahahaha
foxhound 10th-Mar-2013 11:32 pm (UTC)
imo yes.
numbedtoe 10th-Mar-2013 11:33 pm (UTC)
by a lot.
jammyjam 10th-Mar-2013 11:54 pm (UTC)
no contest tbh
jandjsalmon 11th-Mar-2013 12:16 am (UTC)
By a long shot.
jaimelannister 11th-Mar-2013 12:46 am (UTC)
I couldn't get through 1 ep of the US one
skonka 10th-Mar-2013 11:27 pm (UTC)
Not believing it so it didn't happen. Preparing for Season 6








shangman 10th-Mar-2013 11:34 pm (UTC)
not enough lady mary gifs tbh
skonka 11th-Mar-2013 12:05 am (UTC)
Excuse me.





chikntetrazzini 11th-Mar-2013 03:19 am (UTC)
I was really disappointed that Hal was such a cold fish kisser.
shangman 10th-Mar-2013 11:30 pm (UTC)
ugh it was awesome

I sort of wanted more devil because he is so fucking great, but it was still great and I like that they all ended up properly human and qt.

Edited at 2013-03-10 11:32 pm (UTC)
therearewords 10th-Mar-2013 11:31 pm (UTC)
Muuh.

And now I'm gone because I don't want spoilers.
nefertitii 10th-Mar-2013 11:31 pm (UTC)
i watched the first episode but i got a bit bored. does it get better/should i give it another try
shangman 10th-Mar-2013 11:34 pm (UTC)
Of the first series? TBH I'd say give it a few episodes for the characters to grow on you. It does get better, and series 4 -5 are FANTASTIC and awesome.
nefertitii 10th-Mar-2013 11:35 pm (UTC)
what if i just jump straight into series 4
fred2265 10th-Mar-2013 11:42 pm (UTC)
Yes, for sure..
lanavis 10th-Mar-2013 11:43 pm (UTC)
It gets better.
numbedtoe 10th-Mar-2013 11:32 pm (UTC)
I has a sad. love this show
gracefulstalker 10th-Mar-2013 11:33 pm (UTC)
It was perfect. It was happy but was it? All the misdirection was the fanfare that the ending deserved. Great great great, so happy it went out with a bang.

Also I cried for like the last half hour. Especially at Tom & Allison.
alf_alf 11th-Mar-2013 08:48 pm (UTC)
i started to cry from when the devil offered them their seperate happy worlds, and then basically didn't stop
isthisdesire 10th-Mar-2013 11:39 pm (UTC)
Still haven't watched last weeks episode. I keep avoiding it. I still have the last 3 episodes of Merlin on my HD to watch lol

nicenicegirl 11th-Mar-2013 12:01 am (UTC)
i think i'm still in denial about the Merlin finale tbh
nemo_de_la_meer 10th-Mar-2013 11:41 pm (UTC)
Yay, now that they're all out I can have a marathon! :)
bodyline 10th-Mar-2013 11:43 pm (UTC)
forever disappointed Tom/Hal didn't happen
_______awshucks 10th-Mar-2013 11:45 pm (UTC)
I'm patiently waiting for a download link! Ah, I can't wait to watch..bittersweet, imo. I haven't been as impressed with this past season so I guess it's easier to say goodbye but I will always miss Mitchell/George and Tom/Hal.
lachica2000 10th-Mar-2013 11:49 pm (UTC)
I'm not so patient about it. I'm almost at the throwing shit stage.
hera_bearrra 10th-Mar-2013 11:51 pm (UTC)
SOBBING

I'm not ready
nicenicegirl 10th-Mar-2013 11:59 pm (UTC)
i stopped watching once the original cast left. did any of them make an appearance in the finale??
klmnumbers 11th-Mar-2013 12:02 am (UTC)
No, but there was a big throwback at the end -
It panned across the mantle and showed Mitchell's gloves, George's Star of David, Annie's teacup, Nina's sonogram, Eve's bib... then Hal's domino, Tom's stake, Alex's phone number that she wrote out for Hal
jaimelannister 11th-Mar-2013 12:23 am (UTC)
I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THAT I WAS TOO FIXATED ON THE ORIGAMI WOLF

WHAT DID IT MEAN I'M SO CONFUSED
shangman 11th-Mar-2013 12:03 am (UTC)
no but it's 10000000 times better without them tbh
klmnumbers 11th-Mar-2013 12:01 am (UTC)
OMG THIS SHOWWWWWWW. Ugh, I can't believe it's over. I'm going to write my spoilery thoughts under an lj cut.

I don't think the happy ending was ~fake. I think it was done like that just because, as a writer, Toby wanted some ambiguity and for people to talk about it (just like Inception). Apparently, there is an extra scene on the DVD which takes place a week or so after the end of episode 6. So, I suppose more light will be shed on it at that point.

ANYWAY. I said I wanted the series to end with Hal human. I GOT MY WISH AW YEAAAAAAAAAAH



Edited at 2013-03-11 12:04 am (UTC)
jaimelannister 11th-Mar-2013 12:24 am (UTC)
I will be buying the DVD asap for that scene.

I didn't even think of it as Inception-like (but I literally just finished it - I waited til it was up on iplayer)
beieeutiful 11th-Mar-2013 08:39 am (UTC)
Toby's such a teaaaaaase. Upload the scene online when you get it please?:)
Page 1 of 3
<<[1] [2] [3] >>
This page was loaded May 24th 2013, 2:19 am GMT.