Being Human Series 5: Captain Hatch Spoilers
With Being Human due to return to our screens for a fifth series in February, some spoiler information has been released about the role of, Captain Hatch, played by Phil Davis (Quadrophenia, Whitechapel).
The shows creator / Writer Toby Whithouse revealed to SFX that he was having trouble finding Captain Hatch’s “voice”. Then he pictured Phil Davis (whom he’d previously worked with on 2007 sitcom pilot Other People) in the role, and suddenly it all fell into place. So it’s no wonder the actor found the role a comfortable fit.
“It’s like slipping into a pair of shoes,” explains Phil Davis. “Sometimes they fit immediately, and sometimes you have to wiggle your toes a bit. But this was pretty easy to get the hang of. It was irresistible, because it’s so well-written. He’s very clever and very funny. He kills people with a smile on his face – or persuades them to kill themselves. I want the audience to enjoy his evil and be scared of him at the same time. I want them to be laughing and then stopping dead.”
“It’s a brilliant performance,” Whithouse enthuses, “imbued with such presence and danger, and that effortless evil that Phil does so well. I wrote it, but I’m genuinely chilled by some of the stuff he does. And he’s not afraid of making himself look ghastly. Hatch goes through a transformation as we get towards the end, but up until that point Phil was happy to make himself look utterly rancid!”
When we first meet Hatch, rotting away in that filthy room, he’s in a terrible state.
“I’m one of those rare actors who comes out of make-up looking far worse than when he went in!” Davis jokes. “They blacken my teeth, paint veins on my forehead and put earwax dripping out of my ears – it’s a pretty disgusting sight. He’s described as ‘a little angry fist of a man’ to start with, but as he gets more powerful, he becomes more relaxed and urbane. ”
Whithouse also revealed a big spoiler for episode six which is the final of the series. He teased: “This one has cameos from two guests from last year… no, Mitchell isn’t coming back, because he’s dead. And so are George and Nina! We’re not only told what Captain Hatch’s plan is but we see it played out, in some of the biggest setpieces we’ve ever done. And the end will leave you guessing. There will be much discussion about the end…”
Being Human returns to BBC3 in February.
