"Primeval" (2007) TV series 2007-????

Creators:

Tim Haines
Adrian Hodges

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

When strange anomalies in time start to appear all over England, Professor Cutter and his team have to help track down and capture all sorts of dangerous prehistoric creatures from Earth's distant past.

Plot Keywords:

Team | Dinosaur | Cretaceous | Time Travel | Special Forces

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Andrew Lee Potts	...	Connor Temple (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Hannah Spearritt	...	Abby Maitland (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Ben Miller	...	Sir James Lester / ... (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Juliet Aubrey	...	Helen Cutter (23 episodes, 2007-2009)
Lucy Brown	...	Jenny Lewis / ... (18 episodes, 2007-2009)
Douglas Henshall	...	Nick Cutter (16 episodes, 2007-2009)
James Murray	...	Stephen Hart (13 episodes, 2007-2008)
Ben Mansfield	...	Captain Becker (10 episodes, 2009)
Laila Rouass	...	Sarah Page (10 episodes, 2009)

Also Known As:

Primaeval (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

UK:60 min (6 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Canary Islands, Spain

Company:

ITV Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Screenwipe: (#3.4)" (2007)

Breath of fresh prehistoric air

After the tragic disappointment that was Torchwood, and after noting that one of S-Club's finest was to star in it, I didn't hold out much hope for this programme - I was surprised to find that I loved it. This is mostly to do with the incredible talent of Douglas Henshall who somehow manages to add gravitas to the show even when battling a twelve foot poisonous centipede - no mean feat. I also especially loved Andrew Lee-Potts' sci-fi and conspiracy theory nut. The only disappointing cast member is Hannah Spearitt - her acting ability is fine - but there doesn't seem to be much reason for her to be there and only looks about 12 years old. She also lives in a huge apartment which no zoo-keeper would be able to afford but, hey, with giant insects on the underground (the least of its problems) who am I to talk about realism? Likewise with James Murray - way too pretty to be a lab technician - and seemingly just there to give the odd smug quip. Overall Primeval is immensely enjoyable and I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the series. Yes it's silly, yes some of the lines are a bit duff, but the characters are lovable, the writing is pretty tight and full marks to ITV for not churning out yet another hospital/cop/vet drama.