David Farnor | On 13, Jan 2015

Channel 4 has released the first picture from its upcoming sci-fi series, Humans.

The show, produced by Channel 4, AMC and Kudos, is set in a parallel present, where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ – a highly-developed robotic servant eerily similar to its live counterpart. In the hope of transforming the way they live, one strained suburban family purchases a refurbished synth only to discover that sharing life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences.

The photo features actress Gemma Chan, who plays Synth Anita. She is joined by a stellar cast that includes William Hurt, Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd), Tom Goodman-Hill (The Devil’s Whore, Mr Selfridge), Colin Morgan, Rebecca Front (The Thick Of It) and, fittingly, given its dark subject matter, Neil Maskell from Channel 4’s other recent sci-fi show, Utopia (now sadly cancelled).

The drama, written by the British duo behind Spooks (Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley), is based on Swedish series Real Humans. William Hurt plays George Millican, a widower who has formed a close relationship with his out-of-date synth Odi, whom he treats more like a son than a piece of machinery.
Parkinson plays Laura, a woman who seems to have it all – a great career as a lawyer, a loving husband, three children. But inside, she’s struggling with her own unresolved demons. In a misguided attempt to help the situation, her husband Joe, played by Goodman Hill, buys a Synth. Played by Chan, Anita is the pliant, servile automaton that all Synths are supposed to be – but every now and then, she does something inexplicable. Something…almost human.

The hour-long, eight-episode series was originally set to mark the entry of Microsoft into the online video game – a programme that would rival Sony’s own original series. The programme would have aired on both the Xbox platform in North America and Channel 4 in the UK. Since then, though, Xbox Entertainment Studios has closed its doors, which means Humans will air on AMC in the US instead.

Photo: Des Willie for Kudos

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