Nathan Young
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Nathan Young is a fictional character from the British
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
''
Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...
'', portrayed by
Robert Sheehan Robert Sheehan (born 7 January 1988) is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in ''Misfits'', Darren Treacy in '' Love/Hate'', and Klaus Hargreeves in ''The Umbrella Academy,'' as well as film roles such a ...
. He first appeared in Series 1 Episode 1 and departed in a webisode entitled "Vegas Baby!" after Sheehan quit the role. He serves as one of the main protagonists of the show. Nathan is given
community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...
where he is caught up in a storm which gave him the power of
immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...
. Nathan has also been involved in a romantic relationship with Kelly Bailey (
Lauren Socha Lauren Marie Socha (born 9 June 1990) is an English actress. She rose to prominence during her role as Kelly Bailey in the E4 comedy-drama television series ''Misfits'', for which she won a BAFTA TV Award in the Best Supporting Actress categor ...
). Sheehan was nominated for a BAFTA for his role as Nathan.


Casting and character creation

Casting for the part was announced on 17 August 2009 by
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
. Fellow cast member Iwan Rheon revealed that Overman who created the character discussed how to write their parts with the cast and later began writing for them as actors. Misfit's executive producer Petra Fried announced Robert Sheehan's decision to leave at the Kapow convention in London on 10 April 2011. His departure was addressed in an online webisode titled Vegas Baby! that debuted on the Misfits website on 15 September. On his decision to leave Sheehan said "It's nice that the show's successful but it doesn't mean complete blind and unadmonished loyalty - 'If something is very successful you should stick to it like a barnacle!' That's definitely not my thinking. I think I've made the right decision, yeah". On a possible return Sheehan said "There's no point in saying never. It holds a very fond little place in my heart. No, it's been a great big part of my life and there's no point in turning your back on something completely. I'm not doing that, I would never say never".


Development


Characterisation

E4's official website describes Nathan as having "an answer for everything, sarcastic wit, and a fondness for pushing things too far" and that "underneath the cocky quips and sarcasm, Nathan isn’t as unemotionally untouchable as he makes out".
Tim Dowling Robert Timothy Dowling (; born June 1963) is an American journalist and author who writes a weekly column in ''The Guardian'' about his life with his family in London. Career Dowling worked in data entry for a films database before he became a fr ...
of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described him as the "Irish one who talks too much" of the group of "foul-mouthed young criminals". Digital Spy described him as a "smart aleck". The ''
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
'' described him as "hyperactive" and "irritating as hell". ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' described Nathan as "cheeky" before later branding him "the annoying gobby lad".


Storylines

Nathan steals some
pick 'n' mix Bulk confectionery is supplied in a container with loose confectionery to be dispensed by weight or quantity, or containing a number of retail-size bags of confectionery, typically used in vending machines. Unbagged bulk confectionery is typicall ...
from a bowling alley and continues to aggravate the situation. He causes a disruption and when the manager threatens to phone the police he tells him to do so before stapling him in the hand. Nathan is given community service for this disruption. While on his first day of community service, Nathan is caught in a storm. He appears unaffected, unlike those he is doing community service with. Nathan's mother,
Louise Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...
(
Michelle Fairley Michelle Fairley (born 1964–1965) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She is best known for playing Catelyn Stark in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2013). She has since appeared in the USA Network series '' Suits'' (2013), the ...
), kicks him out of his house for his behaviour towards his step-father, Jeremy (
Jo Stone-Fewings Jonathan Stone-Fewings (born 1967) is an English actor. He studied at Hereford College of Arts and at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, and began his career in 1989. He has been a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) since 1994. H ...
). Nathan begins living in the community centre. The group kill
Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
(Danny Sapani/Louis Decosta Johnson), as an act of self-defense, and bury him. Nathan sleeps with
Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...
(
Amy Beth Hayes Amy Beth Hayes (born 8 October 1982) is a British actress. She is best known for her roles as Kitty in ''Mr Selfridge''; Lucy in "The Entire History of You", an episode of ''Black Mirror''; Ruth in ''Misfits (TV series), Misfits''; Clementine in ...
/Clare Welch) who he discovers has been affected by the storm and is really 82 years old. In an alternate timeline, the group are killed because
Curtis Donovan Curtis Donovan is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 science fiction comedy-drama ''Misfits'', portrayed by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Curtis appears from the series inception and was the only original character to appear in all of the f ...
(
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Nathan Lloyd Stewart-Jarrett (born 4 December 1985) is a British actor, best known for starring as Curtis Donovan in the E4 series ''Misfits'' and as Ian in the Channel 4 series ''Utopia''. Early life Stewart-Jarrett was born in Wandsworth, ...
) used his power of
time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
to change the events, preventing him from ending up in community service; Nathan, however, survives and is told that when found by paramedics he was almost dead.
Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...
(
Jessica Brown Findlay Jessica Rose Brown Findlay (born 14 September 1987) is an English actress. She played Lady Sybil Crawley in the ITV television period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Emelia Conan Doyle in the 2011 British comedy-drama feature film '' Albatr ...
) begins manipulating people into behaving how she wants through her power of
suggestion Suggestion is the psychological process by which a person guides their own or another person's desired thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by presenting stimuli that may elicit them as reflexes instead of relying on conscious effort. Nineteenth-ce ...
. Nathan kidnaps Rachel using a gun and takes her to the roof of the community centre. She can't or won't revert those back to their original state and she realises Nathan's gun is only a water pistol. She and Nathan brawl before both falling to their deaths. After Nathan's funeral he wakes up in his coffin, realising he is
immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
. The group dig Nathan up after they receive a message from Superhoodie.
Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
(
Evelyn Hoskins Evelyn Hoskins (born 13 May 1988) is an English actress best known for her role as Shona Wark in the British BBC1 hospital drama series ''Casualty''. Evelyn's other television appearances include an appearance in ''Holby City'', also as Shona ...
) begins causing trouble for the gang. Kelly Bailey (
Lauren Socha Lauren Marie Socha (born 9 June 1990) is an English actress. She rose to prominence during her role as Kelly Bailey in the E4 comedy-drama television series ''Misfits'', for which she won a BAFTA TV Award in the Best Supporting Actress categor ...
) agrees to have sex with Nathan after months of flirting. Lucy, who is a
shape shifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited ...
, takes on Kelly's form and causes trouble between the pair. Nathan discovers he has a younger brother,
Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...
(Sam Keeley). Jamie and
Lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in mu ...
( Catrin Stewart) join the group at a nightclub where they take drugs, reversing their powers. Lily's power of cryokinesis is reversed to
pyrokinesis Pyrokinesis is the purported psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of pyrokinesis. Many alleged c ...
and while in a car with Jamie she sets fire to it, killing them both. Nathan, who also has the power of
mediumship Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or ghost, spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship o ...
, sees Jamie's ghost who leads him to his father and they decide to give their relationship another try. Nathan falls in love with Simon Bellamy (
Iwan Rheon Iwan Rheon (, ; born 13 May 1985) is a Welsh actor, singer, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series ''Misfits'', Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', and Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars ...
) after
Vince Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname. It may refer to: Given name People * Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player * Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...
(
Nathan Constance Nathan Constance (born 7 January 1979 in London) is an English actor and Voice Over Artist. He is best known for his work as a character performer in AAA Video Games, as handyman-turned-Prison Officer Josh Mitchell in prison drama series, '' Bad G ...
) uses his power to tattoo people and control how they feel. Nathan and Kelly decide to consummate their relationship, but Kelly changes her mind when she decides that it would be best if they were just friends. Nathan is killed and deduces it was Jessica (
Zawe Ashton Zawedde Emma "Zawe" Ashton (; born 25 July 1984) is a British actress, playwright and narrator. She is best known for her roles in the comedy dramas '' Fresh Meat'' and ''Not Safe for Work'', the Netflix horror thriller film ''Velvet Buzzsaw'' ...
) who killed him. When Jessica shows interest in Simon, Nathan tries to warn him off, but Simon does not believe him. They later realise
Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
(
Adrian Rawlins Adrian John Rawlins (born 27 March 1958) is an English actor best known for playing Arthur Kidd in '' The Woman in Black'' and James Potter in the ''Harry Potter'' films. In 2019, he starred in ''Chernobyl'' as Nikolai Fomin. Early life Rawli ...
) is responsible.
Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...
(
Jordan Metcalfe Jordan Metcalfe (born 24 May 1986) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Adil in the sitcom Genie in the House. Metcalfe has appeared as Jake in ''The Queen's Nose'' in 2003. He has played the roles of Chris Travis in '' Heartb ...
) goes public about his power. The group are exposed and become famous. Brian becomes jealous of the group's fame and begins killing them. He reduces Nathan to a state of
vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...
although Curtis rewinds this timeline. Nathan begins a relationship with
Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...
(
Gwyneth Keyworth Gwyneth Anjuli Keyworth (born 15 September 1990) is a Welsh actress. She was born in Aberystwyth and began acting in a local Welsh language youth theatre group. She went on to appear with the National Youth Theatre. Since graduating from the R ...
), who is pregnant but has no clue who the father of her child is. To support her and her baby, he sells his power of immortality to
Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
(
Matthew McNulty Michael Anthony McNulty (born 14 December 1982), known professionally as Matthew McNulty, is a German-born British actor. Early life McNulty was born on 14 December 1982 in Hanover, Lower Saxony, West Germany, and lived in Berlin and Münster ...
). As a result of this
Nikki Nikki may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Nikki (Barbie), a fashion doll in the Barbie toy line * Nikki (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Nikki and Paulo, from the TV series ''Lost'' * Nikki, the mascot of Swapnote * N ...
(
Ruth Negga Ruth Negga ( ; born 7 January 1981) is an Ethiopian-Irish actress known for the AMC television series ''Preacher'' and the film '' Loving''. For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the latter, Negga received several major nominations from the Ac ...
) is killed. The group steal money that
Elliot Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the name ...
(
Edward Hogg Edward Hogg (born 26 January 1979) is an English actor, known for portraying Jesco White in ''White Lightnin, Stephen Turnbull in ''Bunny and the Bull,'' Eugene Mathers in ''Indian Summers,'' Segundus in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (miniser ...
) has collected while falsely claiming to be
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
reborn to buy new super powers. In ''Vegas Baby!'' Nathan along with Marnie and Nathan Junior are staying in Vegas. Using his new power he begins scamming the casinos by using his power to make the dice land on all the right numbers. He is caught out when he uses his power to cheat to get eleven on the dice although he uses the numbers four and seven. He runs back to the hotel room but is eventually caught where he bids farewell to Nathan Junior. Nathan now in an orange jumpsuit is imprisoned and uses his one free call to phone Simon. Rudy Wade (
Joseph Gilgun Joseph William Gilgun (born 9 March 1984) is an English actor known for several roles, including that of Vinnie O'Neill in the Sky One series '' Brassic'', Marcus in Hollyoaks, Eli Dingle in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Jamie Armstrong i ...
) picks up and states that he is the new guy and he doesn't know a Barry before hanging up. Nathan is last seen being dragged away from the phone by the police to a cell while shouting "Save me, Barry!"


Reception

Sheehan was nominated for a BAFTA for his portrayal of Nathan but lost out to
Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most no ...
who stars in Sherlock. Sheehan was nominated for Outstanding Actor in the fiction category at the
Monte-Carlo Television Festival The Monte-Carlo Television Festival is held every year in June in the Monaco, Principality of Monaco at the Grimaldi Forum, under the Honorary Presidency of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco. The opening ceremony ...
in 2011. The Herald described him as a "curly haired Irish smart alec called Nathan (Robert Sheehan), to whom writer Howard Overman has given all the best lines".
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
also commented that "So far his only power seems to be the gift of incessant back-chat. Played by Robert Sheehan, he's the breakout star of the show".
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
describes him as "Motormouth Nathan was the pivot here, prodding, challenging and provoking the others into revealing themselves".
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
responded to the character saying he was "clearly the most quotable of the quintet". After Nathan decides to join the circus so he can be repeatedly killed they added "Quite right: who'd really get all superhero-ish just because they've got some powers?" The ''Metro'' described him as a "cult hero".
MSN News MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...
described Nathan saying he was "undoubtedly the star of the show".
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
described Sheehan as the "leading light of E4's Asbo superheroes drama", describing him as a "cocky motormouth" before questioning "Can Misfits survive without Nathan?" After the character's exit was confirmed, Digital Spy commented that he was "much-loved". Keith Watson of the ''Metro'' commented positively on his exit saying "rather than dismiss this key character with a couple of lines of mumbled dialogue, his farewell is deftly handled in an online mini-drama all of his own" saying his time on the show was spent "bemoaning being short-changed in the superpower department – finally cashes in the chips on his shoulder" before adding "he’s going to leave a Misfits-shaped hole in my heart". Neela Debnath of ''the Independent'' spoke of Sheehan's departure upon the beginning of the third series saying the absence of Nathan, who she described as "universally popular and well-liked", was the "starkest" difference in the series. Debnath expressed that although for a large number of people Nathan was "the most entertaining character on the show" because of his "schoolboy humour and penchant for annoying everyone but the audience" his departure did not detract from the quality of the show. ''The Guardian'' branded Nathan their "favourite cocky yet lovable and immortal character" but after Rudy's entrance questioned "As for that void after Nathan left? Well… Nathan who?"


References


External links


Nathan Young
at
E4.com E4 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The "E" stands for ''entertainment'' and the channel is primarily aimed at the 16/18 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Nathan Television characters introduced in 2009 Fictional Irish people Misfits (TV series) characters Fictional characters with accelerated healing Fictional characters who use magic Fictional spiritual mediums Fictional characters with immortality Fictional characters with death or rebirth abilities Male characters in television