Contains spoilers forHumansseries one.
Over eight episodes in 2015,Humans domestic drama span out into a sci-fi thriller.
Series one was focused on the reunion of Mias Synth family.
Its finale saw them divided once again and on the run.
Among the humans, rumblings of discontent with the Synth penetration of everyday life were getting louder.
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One of the gratifying things about the first series ofHumanswas its domestic focus.
It wasnt all robot armies and massive battles, it was essentially about families.
It seems though that series two is opening the world up.
Emily, youve described it as epic I think?
Emily Berrington:I did.
Its very much still personal.
Gemma Chan:Its definitely not all explosions and big action scenes!
It still has that very intimate, domestic character-driven storylines, at least for most of the series.
The stakes are very high though.
How do the international locations affect your characters?
Are they displaced around the world?
Will Tudor: Its hard to say without giving anything away.
There are lots of locations this series.
EB:Nobody stays in the world that youve seen them in before.
I think thats true of pretty much everyone in the series.
WT:Which is great, because we really see people challenged.
We see them outside their comfort zones.
I remember my colleague describing that relationship [between George and Odi] as like Geppetto and Pinocchio.
Is that your take on it?
WT:Thats lovely!
There were so many references that kept coming up.
But I do like that a lot, Pinocchio.
EB:It was all up to the audience to feel it, wasnt it?
Niska in particular has been shaped by her experiences.
By the end of series one, shes met at least one human, i.e.
George, who has been loyal to her and that she has been able to depend on.
WT:Such a lovely scene, that.
EB:I loved those scenes.
Because prior to that point, Niska had been an object of abuse in many ways.
So yes, you certainly find out more about her past prior to the beginning of series one.
Shes still very much who we know her as.
Gemma, what can you tell us about series two?
GC:I think it will hopefully surprise people in a good way.
Its still rich with possibilities.
Its not just going over the same thing.
And Mia is interacting with some of the new characters?
Hes running a cafe in a very run-down seaside town and Mia is working there.
For Mia, its the first time in her life that shes trying to discover who she is.
Shes putting herself out there and it doesnt all go to plan!
Actors often talk about their characters in terms of what they want in any given situation.
In series two, what is it Mia wants?
GC:She wants to be able to live.
She wants all of them to be able to live their lives, whatever that means.
Was it always the plan for him to return?
WT:Its always so up in the air isnt it?
There had been conversations about what could happen in the first series but you just never know.
Your character can get an upgrade and voila!
EB:Thats what were hoping!
That whatever happens, you could always make it back somehow!
WT:You just hope theres another version made of your Synth model!
Which way does it lean in series two?
Definitely, you do.
Very much the philosophical side keeps going though.
Reading the first few episodes, I got very excited by the ideas of it.
It makes your brain start to whir.
[Laughing] Because weve all read so much and talked about it so much non-stop.
Its amazing that a show can inspire that I think.
Has it changed your perspective on AI in real life?
Gemma Chan:Definitely.
This is a car thats going to have to make life-or-death decisions.
Would we want a machine to make that decision for us?
Its been really eye-opening.
Its a wider range of jobs.
EB:I think its made me very wary of the aspects of technology that replace our own abilities.
Theres a fine line between something saving you time and replacing a bit of you that could be useful.
Ive certainly become more and more aware of that.
I do think as a result of the show Ive tried to be less reliant sometimes on technology.
I try not to always use self-check-out and things like that!
In the past it was what makes us different to animals?
It makes me think what makes me human?
WT:And how we care for people.
Certainly with the Odi storyline and the theme of elder care.
GC:I think it would be great ifHumansdoes start a conversation about those things.
Slowly thats become something we have to think about, like driverless cars.
The idea being that if something robotic can have responsibilities then it should also have rights.
Theres series three a courtroom drama!
Theres already been talk about moving beyond series two.
EB:Oh, I know what he was talking about.
Certainly when I read how series two ends, I gasped [laughs].
GC:The stakes are really high by the end of series two.
I dont know what series three would look like really.
Theyd expected a more ambivalent response.
Were you always firmly on their side?
GC:My sympathies were with the Synths in series one.
Im probably a bit biased because I was playing one.
I think whats interesting in series two is maybe its less obvious who is vulnerable when.
Gemma Chan, Will Tudor and Emily Berrington, thank you very much!
Humans series 2 starts on Sunday the 30th of October at 9pm on Channel 4.
