Being Human is back with its fifth series tomorrow, so how does the opener fare?

“The Trinity” spends a good deal of time setting up the rest of the series as it moves the pieces into play. It’s a tightly packed hour with new characters introduced and several flashbacks to the past.

The conclusion of Series 4 saw the new housemate trio of Hal (Damien Molony), Tom (Michael Socha) and Alex (Kate Bracken). The story picks up not long after the finale. Well, long enough for Hal to grow a scruffy beard. When we first see him (in the present), he’s still tied up in the living room and is being “tortured” by Tom and Alex.  It’s not the type of torture you’d expect; instead he’s merely being subjected to the a view of the messy house whilst being spoon-fed mashed banana by Tom. It’s moments like this that make you appreciate how well the show balances the bizarre comedy with drama.

Eventually Hal is freed and, after a thorough clean-up of the house, the next task at hand is to get himself and Tom a new job. Their search leads them to another hotel in Barry, managed by Patsy (Claire Cage), who takes a shine to Hal immediately. Also residing there is Captain Hatch (Phil Davis). It’s no secret that Davis is playing the main villain of Series 5 and although his screen time is fairly short, he almost steals the show with his performance. Initially coming off as a bit of a spiteful old man, when the truth about him is revealed you learn the threat has never been bigger. We are also reacquainted with Mr Rook (Steven Robertson), the shadowy suit who first appeared in last year’s finale. Although his intentions for mankind appear good, developments promise interesting things to come.

The episode also features several other new characters. In flashbacks to the past we meet Hal’s former acquaintances: werewolf leader Lady Catherine (Victoria Ross) and pervy sorcerer Jeremy Swift (Emil). Initially these seem to lack connection with present day events, but things become clearer in a late game twist. In the present, meanwhile, we’re introduced to Ian Crumb (Colin Hoult), an office “joker” who, after an unfortunate hit-and-run accident, ends up being turned into a vampire. Hoult’s scenes are a bit hit-and-miss, particularly some of the humour. He becomes more interesting later on at least.

With Annie gone it falls to Alex to fill the ghosty void. The dynamic between the trio naturally feels a little different – more like bickering siblings than before. They all play off each other well though. Damien Molony’s Hal is brilliant particularly as he continues to wrestle with his bloodlust (and his OCD). Tom is rather sidelined this episode, although does share a couple of sweet moments with Alex. Her character receives some nice development when the sassy Scot comes to terms with her death. And there’s a great scene when she torments Mr Rook using her supernatural powers.

Perhaps due to the slightly later timeslot (10pm instead of 9pm), the episode seems cruder, ruder and more gory than before. There’s also several F-bombs (mostly dropped by Alex). A couple of scenes feel like things have been a bit pushed too far for a cheap laugh.

Overall though, it’s a solid opener that paves the way for an interesting series ahead.

8/10

Being Human returns Sunday 3rd February at 10pm on BBC3.