Primeval is a British science fiction television programme produced for ITV by Impossible Pictures. Created by Adrian Hodges and Tim Haines, who previously created the Walking with…
Documentary series, Primeval follows a team of five scientists tasked with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across Great Britain and containing prehistoric and futuristic creatures which enter the present. First broadcast in the UK on February 10th 2007 and since expanding to an international audience, overall reception of the programme was positive during the first and second series, maintaining a 25% audience share in the United Kingdom during both series to date. Prior to its August 9th 2008 broadcast on BBC America, the programme received generally positive reaction from American critics as well. The third series, which ITV announced on January 30th 2008, began on March 28th 2009.
Plot
Universe
The series takes place in, and is just a small section of an extensive alternate universe, nicknamed the Primeverse by fans. The in-universe concepts and the majority of worlds featured are taken from pre-existing works, and are difficult to appreciate without some prior knowledge of real life palaeontology and other Impossible Pictures shows such as Prehistoric Park and the Walking with… series. Tim Haines and Adrian Hodges have added places and characters not covered there. There is also the possibility that the Primeverse will be featured in future Impossible Pictures productions as writer Adrian Hodges has stated that he’d like to take the Primeverse “in another direction one day”.
Timeline
This is a chronological list of the events and episodes of the show, although due to the time travel element of the show, many events take place on dates across a wide-spanning timeline. Not all of these events have a definite date, however, and as such there is some noted controversy over their placement; testament to the significance of the series’ continuity and the chronology within its fandom. Similarly, Helen Cutter’s stories, set during her eight subjective years of travelling through time, have no distinctly recognisable chronological place within the series’ timeline.
Creatures
Primeval’s most recurring monsters, known only as future predators, are a future evolution of a bat. This is a list of species featured in Primeval. The list includes some imaginary species which are not prehistoric, but are nonetheless not native to the present era. For the first series, various creatures were re-imagined by the producers for dramatic effect. The series also features creatures from the future. However there is one exception in season 1, the Dodo.
Cast
The series features a cast of five main characters plus supporting cast who investigate time anomalies for the British government:
Current cast
* Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts) Cutter’s one-time student, becoming the research, equipment and logistics specialist.
* Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt) herpetologist and assistant zookeeper.
* Claudia Brown/Jennifer Lewis (Lucy Brown) In the first series, Claudia Brown was a Home Office official and the team’s government liaison, but disappeared at the end of Episode 6 due to a timeline change. Jenny Lewis, an identical woman, was introduced at the end of Episode 7, serving as the new Public Relations officer for the A.R.C.
* James Lester (Ben Miller) a senior Home Office official and administrator of the team.
* Helen Cutter (Juliet Aubrey) palaeontologist, villainess and Cutter’s estranged and long-lost wife.
* Captain Becker (Ben Mansfield) a Special Forces soldier who is assigned to help protect the team from potential danger.
* Sarah Page (Laila Rouass) – An Egyptologist, Cutter recruits her into the team at the beginning of series 3. Her job is to investigate ancient myths and legends involving creatures to see whether any of them can be explained by anomalies.
* Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng) – policeman who becomes involved after an incident with his brother.
* Christine Johnson (Belinda Stewart-Wilson) – Lester’s new boss. She seems to have her own agenda after a flashback revealed she sent her own team through an anomaly.
