Being American

America is to get its own version of cult BBC3 smash hit show Being Human. Syfy has ordered 13 episodes of the show about the house-sharing ghost, werewolf and vampire which will be made by RDF Media USA, currently best known for making US versions of reality shows like Secret Millionaire, How To Look Good Naked and Wife Swap. Now it seems Being Human is in for a culture swap.

The British series is produced by RDF subsidiary Touchpaper TV, and is currently filming its second series (though the cast has taken time out to record a Halloween message . A few years back, the BBC showed Syfy (or Sci Fi as it was back then) the script for the pilot of the British series, hoping to get the US network to come aboard as a co-funder, but the deal fell through.

"It turned out great as we can now do an American version," reckons Syfy president Dave Howe. "We've always been keen on vampires and werewolves, and we loved the originality of Being Human, the fact that the fantastical creatures in it are very young, accessible and charming."

Howe also stresses that Syfy will not "slavishly replicate the British version,” and sees it as a potential companion piece to Sanctuary, with which it shares similar subject matter. The search is now on for a writer. We don't want to sound mean but, erm, Joss Whedon may be out of a job very soon…

Click here for series creator Toby Whithouse's initial reaction.