The fourth series of Being Human sees a shift in the house where a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost live. For Annie the ghost, the change sees her becoming a carer for the baby of two werewolves. And Lenora Crichlow, who plays her, couldn’t be happier…

What can we expect to see happening to Annie in series four of Being Human?
She’s a very emotional mother-type this year, as she’s got the little baby to look after. We had several babies — two sets of twins that we rotate — as well as a fake ‘jelly’ baby. That takes up a lot of her time. Plus she’s also adapting to her new household.

Does she take to motherhood quite naturally?
At first, she takes to it a bit too seriously. In a normal context, you’d say she’s a pushy mum. She’s slighty hysterical and manic and latches on with both hands, deciding that this is who she is now and this is what’s going to define her. She’s going to succeed at raising this child, who will be a genius. So she’s a bit full-on at first and tries to create this family atmosphere — ‘I know you’re a wolf and you’re a vampire, but let’s pull together and have some good family values!’

What was it like for you to take on that role?
For me? Oh broody, get out of the way! I love children. And these babies’ personalities are all so different.

How does she come together with Hal (Damien Molony), the new vampire?
It’s almost as if a balance has to be kept within the house. She has to let Hal and werewolf Tom [Michael Socha] in, but she doesn’t want to let herself get too close to anyone. It’s like damage control. But she does soften.

Can you elaborate on the ‘old ones’ being a big threat in this series?
They’re centuries old and they’re attracted to our home. They don’t have to be invited in and they can break a lot of the old vampire rules. Without Mitchell there, it’s terrifying for Annie and she’s only just met Hal, so can she trust him? The more you hear about them, and you don’t see them, the scarier it gets.

Annie's vampire lover Mitchell, was killed in series three. How is she coping?
We move on, don’t we? Well, the first part of the series sees Annie frantically trying to keep a sense of herself. There’s a lot of adjusting to losing the validation she had. She has to be responsible for the baby, and pretends that everything is fine. But there are a lot of emotions boiling away. But then halfway through, she puts Hal and Tom to work and just watches them do press-ups. She’s over it. She’s like, ‘Mitchell who?’

Aidan Turner (who played Mitchell) left last year, Sinead Keenan (Nina) has confirmed that she’s not returning for this series, and Russell Tovey (George) has said that he’s leaving. Do you miss everyone?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss them. I miss them desperately. We’ve been on such a journey together. But at the same time, I think that the new cast members have seamlessly made it into something different and it really works. I was nervous, but now I feel like the Queen Bee!

Have you had any texts from Aidan on the set of The Hobbit?
Yes. He’s bored as hell. He can’t stand it and wishes he was here! It’s very dull in New Zealand (laughs). It’s all going swimmingly from what I hear. They’re working very hard. He sounds like he’s having a great time.

Any chance of a romance for Annie?
I’ve put in several memos. So far though, nothing. She’s too busy playing mum — and having a little perv from the sidelines for her own entertainment!

As a ghost, Annie is stuck in the same clothes she died in. Do you get bored of grey?
You noticed that it’s this year’s grey? Four years of grey. I’ve given up having a costume change, although there have been variations. It goes with her emotional state. Real die-hard Being Human fans have spotted differences. This year, it’s all very flowy and mothery. She has to swaddle the baby so she can carry it outdoors, which means hiding it in the clothes. Whenever I see people wearing these clothes outside, I think, ‘Come on. That’s an Annie rip-off!’

Do you get recognised a lot?
Yes, when it’s on TV, although I still get recognised for Sugar Town, which was about four years ago. I mostly get, ‘Oh you’re on that ghost thing.’

Being Human does have a huge fan base…
Massive! We have the best fans. They’re so loyal. They often know more about what’s going on than we do. There were some lovely fans who came down from Nottingham, dressed as myself and Nina. They were fantastic and seriously devoted. It was chucking it down with rain and they waited right til the end, two days in a row. There’s all the blogging as well. I’ve not done a show that does that before.

Do you go on the websites?
Yes, especially when we do little behind the scenes things and people put up questions. So you can go on and see what people have said. I don’t Twitter though. I’m really technophobic. I wouldn’t know how to blog or respond to things.

Have you seen the American remake of Being Human?
I haven’t seen a whole episode, but I’ve seen clips of it.

Was it a bit weird seeing someone else play your character?
A bit, but she’s doing a great job. But she's in totally the wrong grey! It’s a bit strange and I’m never going to be impartial. Maybe 10 years after finishing this show, I’ll go back and watch theirs.

Have you spoken to any of the cast?
No, but our executive producer went over and they wanted to meet us. We’re here in Barry, so come and get us. I’d love to meet them all.

Do you believe in ghosts?
I don’t really know. I believe we have a soul element to us as people. Where it goes, I don’t really know. I’ve never met a ghost, but I’ve never really gone looking for one. I do believe in something bigger than ourselves. Who knows? Anything’s possible.

Elaine Penn