John Mitchell Season 1

John Mitchell (Aidan Turner),is a 117-year-old vampire (born on 29 July 1893)[8] with the appearance of a young man in his twenties. He has chosen to give up drinking blood and preying on humans, attempting instead (insofar as it is possible) to become human again. Like other vampires, Mitchell has enhanced strength and sense of smell, and his eyes turn completely dark when he has blood lust or when he wills it; though it appears that he is slightly weaker when he abstains from drinking blood, he can survive without it. His image can't be captured on film and he has no reflection in mirrors. Although he can survive daylight, his eyes are overly-sensitive to natural light, prompting him often to wear sunglasses outside in the daytime. He often wears dark clothing, rings and fingerless gloves. Publicly quiet and calm, he works as a hospital cleaner ( a deliberate choice, as it's a low-status, low profile job which enables him to live quietly with the minimum of commitments or chances of exposure). Mitchell is almost always referred to by his surname by his friends.

Born in 1893 and Irish by birth, Mitchell fought as a young soldier in World War I, when he was originally recruited as a vampire by William Herrick. He encountered Herrick after a battle, stumbled upon him and several other vampires who were picking through piles of bodies for anyone living to feed on. Mitchell agreed to feed Herrick and become a vampire in exchange for Herrick leaving the rest of his men alone. He rejoined his regiment, hoping that no one had realised that he's changed, but became so hungry that he steals poison from the medical supplies, kills one of his friends and drains his blood before deserting the army and running away. At some later point he rejoined Herrick and the vampire community, accepting his new vampire nature.

In his early years as a vampire (and before his conscience was reawakened), Mitchell was quite a hero within the vampire community, who still circulate stories of his exploits amongst themselves. These seem to be a cause of great guilt for Mitchell who has asked Herrick to stop the retelling of the stories as he would prefer to be forgotten.[9] At several points, he has faced a conflict of emotions as he debates whether to 'convert' people dying around him to prevent their deaths. In the 1960s, Herrick gave Mitchell the opportunity to kill a young girl that they had lured into their car. Mitchell showed guilt and anger at the easiness of the kill and let her go. He told Herrick that she had escaped, prompting the suspicious Herrick to say that he would keep a closer eye on Mitchell.[6] Mitchell has attempted several times to abstain from drinking blood (one attempt was a New Year resolution for 2000, with the aid of a fellow vampire called Carl). At this time, Mitchell showed an extreme addiction to blood, as well as heightened aggression, lack of control and extreme panic due to blood withdrawal.

Mitchell's reluctant rescue of the werewolf George from a squad of fellow vampires, and the subsequent development of their friendship, further awakened his conscience, and he eventually opted to drift away from the vampire group in Bristol and to join George in living quietly. After 'converting' Lauren into a vampire (as covered in both the pilot episode and Series One Episode 1), Mitchell, infuriated at himself, decided to fully give up the blood and to attempt "being human" once more. He continues to take care of George, particularly around the full moon when George transforms.