Primeval

BBC Warner

R2 DVD Set

Reviewer: Michelle Taylor

Primeval is a British science-fiction series in the vein of Torchwood and Sanctuary. Created by Tim Haines and Adrian Hodges, the two men behind the wildly successful Walking with Dinosaurs and Beasts and Monsters documentaries Primeval is the perfect way for them to further explore the creatures that have made them famous in a more plot driven show. There seems to be an emerging renaissance of British science-fiction television at the moment with various high quality series both resurrected and newly conceived being made that are really giving US productions a good run for their money, and in my mind Primeval is most definitely one of the best. With beautifully rendered CGI long since extinct or not yet evolved creatures are brought to life that seamlessly fit into the contemporary British environment, creating an air of jaw dropping astonishment. Made for only three seasons the show had a rather unique spin on the secret organization theme that I think was extremely entertaining; instead of dealing with aliens, supernatural entities or so called “abnormals” its overarching narrative deals with seemingly random anomalies that act as inexplicable doorways into the earth’s distant past, or distant future... and their associated denizens. Made by Impossible Pictures for ITV the series had a truly fascinating premise, and brilliant characterization. A carefully assembled team of specialised experts working out of a dedicated building called the ARC (Anomaly Research Centre) seek to monitor, contain and deal as best they can with the effects of each and every anomaly as they happen and with any prehistoric or futuristic creature that invariably comes through. Under the auspices of the UK government the Primeval team work tirelessly to study the anomalies and the apparently unpredictable and complicated pattern in which they come and go, and when the need arises (as it frequently does) to put their lives on the line for the greater good of humanity.

For the first two seasons the team is led by the irascible but brilliant evolutionary biologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) his dependable aide Stephen Hart (James Murray) and two younger members in the shape of nerdy technical and logistical specialist, Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts) and a feisty herpetologist and zookeeper, Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt) who over the course of the series form a close romantic bond. Abby and Connor end up living together in her apartment and over the course of the series they adopt three adorable prehistoric critters helplessly stranded in our time; a curious little Coelurosauravus they call Rex, and two Diictodon they name Sid and Nancy. The overall team is led by an officious, dry witted yet highly competent government official named James Lester (Ben Miller) and Claudia Brown/Jennifer Lewis (Lucy Brown) who in her first incarnation acts as the team’s mousy government liaison officer, and then in her second incarnation as its haughty PR official who is put in charge of general damage control. After first Stephen Hart and then Nick Cutter die in the line of duty three more characters duly make their appearance; Captain Becker (James Mansfield) a Special Forces soldier assigned to help protect the team, Sarah Page (Laila Rouass) an Egyptologist recruited by Cutter to help research the possible manifestation of anomalies throughout human history and the new maverick team leader, ex-policeman and all round good guy Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng) who falls easily into his role. Unusually the series arch villain is a woman, and long presumed to be deceased wife of Nick Cutter. Helen Cutter (Juliet Aubrey) is not your average Hollywood villainess in that she is an exceedingly intelligent, dangerous and resourceful palaeontologist dead set on wiping out the human race... which she’s convinced is utterly beyond redemption. After an experience in a post-apocalyptic future Helen had mistakenly come to believe that Nick and his team were somehow responsible for the world’s future calamity, and that they must be stopped at all costs, and by any means. So having used the anomalies to jump from epoch to epoch she has spent eight long years purposely travelling in time, and hence has acquired mysterious future technology and an unsurpassed knowledge of how to predict exactly where and when an anomaly will happen.

In this rip roaringly fun series our heroes face an onslaught of creatures from Silurian Scorpions, Scutosaurus, Giganotosaurus, Raptors and Mosasaurus to Smilodon, Colombian Mammoth, Terror Birds and even Dodos. Speculative futuristic creatures are also included from the aptly titled Gremlin, Mer and Megopteran to the truly frightening Future Predators. The characters are generally well rounded and likeable; and even the series baddies are engaging and affable enough, though of course eventually they get their just deserts. Apart from the ever present threat from the calculating Helen Cutter there is also a shadowy government organization led by a power hungry bureaucrat who is intent on learning how to control certain creatures as deadly weapons, especially the volatile Future Predators, and this organization seems to be the true culprit responsible for the devastation that Helen has seen in the distant future... and wrongly blamed on the Primeval team. Due to financial difficulties ITV had announced that they were going to discontinue Primeval but because the series was deemed too immensely popular to let go Impossible Pictures have struck a deal with BBC Worldwide and Pro7 to coproduce two further seasons, to be shown on ITV sometime in 2011. There is also rumour of a feature film in the works, to be coproduced in conjunction with Warner Bros. If you haven’t seen Primeval yet and are obsessed with dinosaurs and extinct megafauna, or just beasties and creepy crawlies in general I suggest that you give Primeval a try. I did, and rather pleasingly I found it to be remarkably enjoyable!

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