Primeval: Volume 1

There's a new link in the food chain-and we're it!
Has mankind come to the end of the evolutionary road? Find out in a place where Darwin's theory has come full circle - and past and present collide. Suddenly, prehistoric creatures are everywhere. Evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall, Frances Tuesday) determines the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very existence. Even Nick's wife is back from the dead. A wildly entertaining fantasy series, Primeval combines the dazzling special effects with a haunting love story.

Series 1
When the past and the present collide
When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter discovers prehistoric creatures alive and well in the present day the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very existence. Unexplained anomalies are ripping holes in the fabric of time, allowing creatures from the very earliest stages of Earth's development to roam the modern world. Cutter and his team struggle to keep the looming disaster secret while dealing with savage dinosaurs and other deadly foes. Cutter also has to deal with a deeply personal dilemma - he discovers that his wife Helen, missing believed dead for eight years, has actually been travelling in the past; now she is back with possible answers to the riddle of the anomalies, but is it an answer she is willing to share? Primeval combines the dazzling special effects of Walking With Dinosaurs with a haunting love story, and asks a terrifying question - has mankind come to the end of the evolutionary road?

Series 2
Get ready for more monsters, more action, more thrills and more adventure! Evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter and his team are back to do battle with more savage dinosaurs and other deadly foes, as unexplained anomalies continue to rip through the fabric of time, causing havoc in the present day. Claudia reappears, looking exactly the same, but with no memory of the past, or Nick. It seems he altered the present when he went back in time, but how? And now, bizarre creatures from the future are materialising too. Connor still has a penchant for Abby, but will they ever get it together? Meanwhile Helen is acting suspiciously, and Stephen doesn't know whom to trust. One thing's for sure, there is definitely a traitor in their midst...

Series 1
Episode 1 - Prehistoric creatures burst through a rip in time and our team find themselves running for their lives from the hungry jaws of a flesh-eating Gorgonopsid.

Episode 2 - Mammoth spiders attack London's Underground, but in the darkness of the tunnels lies something more sinister still.

Episode 3 - An ancient sea monster attacks two lifeguards in a municipal swimming pool while a mother makes a terrifying discovery when her utility room starts to flood.

Episode 4 - When a flock of comical-looking dodos appear through the anomaly, no one realises that they have brought with them a dangerous parasite.

Episode 5 - Connor's carelessness reveals Rex's presence, and an aerial anomaly releases a new danger thirsty for blood

Episode 6 - The team meets its most terrifying adversary yet - a predator from the future

Series 2
Episode 1 - Cutter returns to the present, to find the team based at a futuristic-looking HQ called the ARC, Claudia wiped from everyone's memories and the oily Oliver Leek in her place. Meanwhile, another anomaly has opened and a raptor is loose in a local shopping mall.

Episode 2 - The team tries to rescue trapped workers from giant, noxious carnivorous worms that have taken up residence in a skyscraper, the new PR guru bears a striking resemblance to Claudia, and Abby takes an instant dislike to Connor's latest love interest.

Episode 3 - When a young paintballer is attacked by a sabre-tooth tiger at an adventure holiday park, it seems that the new anomaly detector has failed. However, Cutter begins to suspect a conventional explanation - and Connor disgraces himself.

Episode 4 - When a disco boat comes under attack and a teenager goes missing, Cutter and the team discover weird mer-creatures from the future lurking in the canal. Abby is snatched and Connor blames Cutter. Can they rescue her, or is she dead already?

Episode 5 - Entering the latest anomaly, Stephen and Cutter discover a young girl and her dog - and a world full of giant scorpions. Trapped in the Silurian desert, they must stay alive long enough to find a new exit - but will their own world be the same one they left?

Episode 6 - When the anomaly detector is sabotaged, Cutter sets a trap to catch the traitor on the team. Helen enlists Stephen's help, but swears him to secrecy. Connor is badly injured by a future predator. Rex goes missing.

Episode 7 - Held captive at the abandoned Ministry of Defence base, the team learns of the project to breed future predators. and that the anomalies herald the imminent extinction of the human race. Can Connor and Rex help them escape, and can anything be done to avert the catastrophe?

Written by Tim Haines, Adrian Hodges, Bev Doyle, Richard Kurti
Directed by Jamie Payne, Cilla Ware, Andrew Gunn, Nick Murphy
Produced by Paul Fritt
Executive Produced by Tim Haines, Cameron McAllister, Adiran Hodges
Original Music by Dominik Scherrer
Cinematography by Adam suschitzky, Jake Polonsky, Grahame Frake, Chris Hartley
Film Editing by Nick Arthurs, Adam Recht, Liana Del Guidice, Jamie Trevill
Costume Design by Jacky Levy, Joey Attawia

Nick Cutter (played by Douglas Henshall)
Age: 36
Height: 6'
Place of Birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
Hobbies: Collecting records, playing pool, wind-surfing, online chess
Cutter graduated from his university with a first-class Honours degree. He then went on to research and lecture in Evolutionary Zoology at Central Metropolitan University, where he works closely with his friend and colleague, Stephen Hart. Cutter's wife Helen, also an Evolutionary Zoologist, disappeared mysteriously eight years ago and was presumed dead. He always believed that he would see her again, and his intuition was not wrong. Cutter is recognised as one of the top minds in his field. Whilst he believes that there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, he feels quite differently about the intelligence in the Government. He has always preferred fossils to live animals, including his students, which doesn't bode well for Connor. Cutter likes to relax by supping single malt whisky and listening to Joy Division.

Stephen Hart (played by James Murray)
Age: 32
Height: 6'
Place of Birth: Torquay, Devon
Hobbies: Surfing, rock-climbing, squash, boxing
Stephen works at the Central Metropolitan University, alongside Nick Cutter. He is passionately committed to wildlife conservation and believes humanity is destroying its own environment through unchecked industrialisation. Stephen was a junior fencing and shooting champion, an Olympic prospect, but he gave it all up to study natural history. He does, however, still manage to run about 30 miles a week. He had his heart broken when he fell in love with a student and has never really got over it. Although he claims to have no interest in fashion, he does have a suspiciously large collection of GQ magazines in his bathroom.

Connor Temple (played by Andrew Lee Potts)
Age: 23
Height: 5'9
Place of birth: Blackburn, Lancanshire, England
Hobbies: Playstation, movies, vintage comic-book collecting, model-making
Connor is the epitome of Geek Chic. He has a secret crush on Abby Maitland, which everyone knows about, including Abby. Connor Temple loves pizza; in fact he rarely eats anything else. He hates exercise and loves TV. He prefers not to go out in case he misses something which may never be repeated, so he really is quite happy with a night in and a pizza. Connor believes that George Lucas is a god. His favourite films are the original Star Wars, but not the later three. He has always rather fancied himself as a crime-buster and wanted to be part of the Scooby Doo gang as a kid. Connor believes that UFOs are real and that Governments have hidden the evidence. He secretly wishes he could be abducted by aliens. Connor once did the Vampire ride at Alton Towers 12 times in succession. It made him sick, but he didn't mind.

Abby Maitland (played by Hannah Spearritt)
Age: 22
Height: 5'2"
Place of birth: Brighton, Sussex
Hobbies: bird-watching, yoga, martial arts, dog-training, lizards
Quirky Abby visited the Galapagos Islands when she was a child, and has had a love affair with lizards ever since. She has happily adopted Rex as her new pet. Abby left university after only a month because she found a job as a zoo keeper. At the zoo, Abby worked closely with lizards until her funding was cut. Abby always falls for the wrong man; she definitely likes them moody and a bit dangerous. Her hobbies include yoga (ashtanga), karate and kick-boxing. She is also rather fond of karaoke. Most of the time Abby prefers animals to people. This does not include spiders though; she has a chronic fear of them!

Claudia Brown (played by Lucy Brown)
Claudia joined the Civil Service after studying Law at university. She believes that an official Civil Servant should take everything in her stride, including dinosaurs! Claudia is an only child. Her hobbies include riding (which she does well), dancing (which she does not so well) and cooking (which she does terribly). Her secret ambition before the anomalies was to quit her job and sail around the world. Claudia was engaged for two years, but broke up with her fiancé one month before the wedding. She has had no relationships since. She isn't sure whether or not she likes Nick Cutter, although she does think that she might be falling in love with him. Her favourite film used to be Jurassic Park, though that is no longer the case.

James Lester (played by Ben Miller)
Age: 40
Height:5'10"
Place of birth: Aldershot, Surrey, England
Hobbies: Golf, bridge, shooting, tennis, garden design
James hates mess and disorder, particularly when it is caused by dinosaurs. He believes the Government knows best and the public have no right to know anything. Politically, he has no strong allegiance, but he is extremely good at office politics. You wouldn't know this, but Lester is married with three children. He never talks about his family, nor in fact anything to do with his personal life. His middle name is Peregrine, which is his most closely guarded secret. He went to a comprehensive school and hates public-school boys. Actually, he pretty much hates everybody. He plays squash and tennis, both very aggressively. He owns 50 suits, all of similar design and colour, He does wear brightly coloured ties, but this is only because someone once told him it was trendy.

Helen Cutter (played by Juliet Aubrey)
Age: 35
Height: 5'8"
Place of birth: Ipswich, Suffolk, England

Hobbies: Formerly: archaeology, travelling, sailing, photography, trekking. No known hobbies for the past eight years.After graduating from university (where she met and fell in love with Nick Cutter), Helen had her first book on genetic mutation published when she was in her early 20s. She believes the theory of natural selection fails to explain everything and has made it her life's mission to improve the theory. To say she is passionate about her cause is an understatement. Helen believes that human reliance on machines and technology has fatally weakened our animal instincts. She likes to keep her own instincts honed with frequent sessions of white-water rafting, abseiling and rock-climbing. Eight years ago, Helen went missing mysteriously and was presumed dead. However, Nick discovered that she has been living on the other side of the anomalies.

Oliver Leek (played by Karl Theobald)
Age: 33
Height: 5'8"
Place of birth: Birmingham, England
Hobbies: Online war-games, butterfly-collecting, plane-spotting, cooking
At first glance, Oliver is the perfect corporate creep - enthusiastic to the point of unctuousness, obedient to the point of being servile. He is always looking to please his boss, Lester. Oliver wears sharp suits (often modelling himself on Lester, but careful not to outshine him). When he found out where Lester buys his suits, he went to the same tailor in a bid to impress him, but Lester hasn't noticed. Oliver is not quite an outright figure of fun - he's a bit too sharp for that - but he is close and his cringing manner to Lester makes him regarded with amusement by the team. Oliver hates sport in any form, especially football. At school, he was always the last one picked when football teams were chosen in the playground. Sometimes even when he was the last one left, he still
wasn't picked. Oliver is obsessively clean and tidy. He polishes all his shoes every evening and rarely goes out in case he is too tired to clean his shoes when he comes home. He enjoys reading books about famous people, and one day plans to write his own book about famous people's assistants. Privately contemptuous of elected politicians, Oliver believes Britain would be a lot better off it was run by the Civil Service. Led by him. He prefers Severus Snape to Harry Potter. Oliver eats out once a week, always at the same table in the same restaurant. The waiter never recognises him. He had his heart broken at university, when the girl he fancied laughed out loud when he asked her out on a date. He is much more ambitious than he looks.

Caroline Steel (played by Naomi Bentley)
Age: 22
Height: 5'3"
Place of birth: Hackney, London, England
Hobbies: Running, dancing, fencing, squash, kick-boxing, paintballing, metal-detectors
Caroline is beautiful and arrogant in the way that some beautiful people can be - she knows how attractive she is and knows she can get pretty much any man she wants. Connor has no chance. She is amoral and greedy for money, but underneath it all she does have a heart. She is dazzlingly fashionable and poised. The well-groomed and sophisticated opposite of Abbey. She was voted most popular girl in her year at school. Caroline has had many boyfriends, but has never been dumped. She always does the dumping. She goes out clubbing at least four times a week. Despite being good at school, she swore she would never read another book once she left. She hasn't. She once auditioned for The X Factor but failed at the audition stage, on the reasonable grounds that she can't actually sing. She is now planning to have a go at Big Brother. Caroline is much smarter than most of the boys she dates, but is careful not to show it in case they feel intimidated. She once went to yoga, but gave up after five minutes because it was ‘boring'. She now favours kickboxing, on the grounds that it is both good exercise and intimidates the hell out of blokes. She likes dogs and cats, but hates lizards.

Series 1
"A few words I didn't expect to be typing this decade: Saturday night on ITV1 is great! ... In true British-TV, budget-stretching style, this first series is only a six-parter, but in an ideal world it will run for 16 weeks with a 20-minute break before returning for another four months, and then just go on for ever, like Casualty. Unlike Casualty, however, Primeval made me smile all the way through, though admittedly for a woman who is slightly outside of the dinosaur-loving demographic a lot of that smiling came as a result of the presence of delicious Douglas Henshall. ... There are big, bitey, roary Scarysaurii and ickle, squeaky, flying Cutosaurii, and a lovely shiny cast of attractive young scientist-types ready to try and track them down ... Primeval is terrifically good fun, nostalgic and modern at the same time, and exactly what ITV needs to give itself a confidence boost. I love it to pieces. Look out, Dr Who."
 - Kathryn Flett, Observer

"This show is fun ... What you see is what you get: big scary dinosaurs, people on a mission and a whiff of the plainly ridiculous. Perfect Saturday night telly, in fact."  - Matt Baylis, Daily Express

"It's great fun, with cute flying lizards, a sabre-toothed killing machine (think Esther Rancid on steroids) and Snow Patrol on the soundtrack, just asking to be ripped to shreds ... a TV Jurassic lark."  - Garry Bushell, People

"This preposterous prehistoric adventure just gets better with every episode.`'  - Will Hodgkinson, Guardian

"The word on the street is that Primeval is the new Doctor Who. ITV1 has seen a bit of that 'classy but populist sci-fi serial' pie, and they want a slice. And you know what? It looks as if they've got it ... it's shaping up as good, good stuff. A crispy baked potato. A well-turned pie."  - Caitlin Moran, The Times

"Primeval has taken a leaf from such American sci-fi nonsense as Buffy, in casting beautiful people. It works. Hannah Spearritt, Douglas Henshall, Lucy Brown and James Murray are not only an attractive cast but play it like they actually believe it. On the evidence of the first episode, Primeval is a hit, which should have children hooked on Saturday nights."  - David Stephenson, Express on Sunday

"ITV make a bold bid for the BBC's traditional Saturday night family TV slot with this surprisingly good dinosaur drama ... Luckily for them, it has legs. Not to mention some very sharp teeth."  - Sarah Hughes, Observer

"...wildly entertaining ... the presence of Douglas Henshall, as hero Professor Nick Cutter, instantly gives this a touch of class."  - Victoria Segal, Sunday Times

"...so good..."  - Dan Sabbagh, The Times

"...the show certainly scores ... with its polished production values and computer-spun monsters - a genuinely brutish zoo of gallivanting gigabytes from the people who did Walking with Dinosaurs."  - James Saynor, Sunday Telegraph

"I loved Primeval on ITV on Saturday night."  - Dominik Diamond, Daily Star

"My children loved it ."  - Thomas Sutcliffe, Independent

"I thought ITV1's Primeval got off to a pretty good start last week and I will definitely be tuning in tonight. It's not the monsters, the mystery or the mayhem that's the main attraction but the gloriously sexy Douglas Henshall, who makes Doctor Who David Tennant look like a callow wee boy."  - Lorraine Kelly, Sun

"...for a throwaway kids' drama with some extra cash on top it ticks a lot of boxes. ... most clichés are covered. Why, there's even a prehistoric flying lizard/glove puppet called Rex for the kiddies..."  - Ian Hyland, News of the World

"A monster hit ... Primeval promises to be the Tyrannosaurus Rex of Saturday night telly. Top computer animation brings a cast of dinosaurs out of extinction and into the modern world. And boy, do they look mean! ... But Primeval isn't just for the sci-fi fans - it also features gripping stories of love, laughter, fear and courage."  - Kate Jackson, Daily Star

"...wholly enjoyable ... Worth watching alone for the sight of a dinosaur rampaging through a comprehensive, the big budget quality of the special effects makes up for other artistic defects."  - Will Hodgkinson, Guardian

"it's all entertaining enough ... the ever-charismatic Douglas Henshall (filling the Christopher Eccleston/ David Tennant 'serious actor does family fare' role with some relish) ... Stephen Hart (the distractingly pretty James Murray) ... Ben Miller has a lovely time as the out-and-out bad guy, a slimy Home Office official, and while the special effects are occasionally hokey they still manage to raise the odd scream."  - Sarah Hughes, Observer

"Don't get me wrong - there is nothing whatever the matter with prehistoric monsters bursting out of washing machines and chasing people around the laundry room. The same thing applies to giant spiders terrorising the Northern Line and monstrous alligators in the swimming pool. I'm all for it. Nor is there anything wrong with men in black who have square jaws and lethal weapons looking purposeful. But the big bonus in this series is the undercurrent of humour, which comes mostly from the nerdish anti-hero in a silly hat (Andrew-Lee Potts) who epitomises the coolness of the uncool."  - David Chater, The Times

"...Rex, a pet baby dino with wings, who chirrups away in a sweet and human fashion - kids will adore him..."  - Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Series 2
"... a cheerful, uncomplicated series ... The actors are likeable, the monsters are magnificent and the dialogue is frequently funny."  - David Chater, The Times

"Plenty of corny gags create a nice balance between the silly and the scientifically plausible."  - Will Hodgkinson, Guardian

"A BIG thank you to the programme schedulers at ITV and BBC1 for spacing out Doctor Who, Robin Hood, The X Factor and Primeval, so that my nine-year-old daughter and I have had something sensational to watch on Saturday night pretty much every weekend for the past year. This family telly is keeping me in the house an hour longer before I go to the pub."  - Dominik Diamond, Daily Star

"Primeval is good, old-fashioned Saturday-evening family fun, packed with breathless chases, ‘silly' comedy moments and cosily scary bits."  - Alison Graham, Radio Times

"...slick, well-acted ... entertaining drama ... Primeval made a welcome return, with more hilarious dinos breaking through an ‘anomaly'."  - David Stephenson, Express on Sunday

"Primeval is terrifically good fun, nostalgic and modern at the same time ... I love it to pieces."  - Observer

"The producers have developed elements that worked last time, and nipped and tucked things where necessary to create a slightly edgier, spookier feel."  - Mark Wright, Stage

"Primeval returns with swaggering confidence ... there is a lot of excitement, surprises, some blood and scares and plenty of humour as well. It's a slick package that entertains effortlessly."  - Darren Humphries, Sci-fi Freak site

"Taking in time-travel, dinosaurs and government conspiracies, it is widely entertaining ... Primeval is a Jurassic lark."  - Sunday Times

"...it's thoroughly enjoyable hokum."  - Jane Rackman, Radio Times

"There are TV series in which special effects play a central role. Doctor Who and Torchwood are the two obvious ones, and the prehistoric monsters in Primeval are equally impressive ... But special effects, however sophisticated, have their limitations. Crucially, what makes all three series such fun to watch is the humour. It's the yeast in the bread."  - David Chater, The Times

"...well executed fun ... the characters in Primeval are actually likeable, and their adventures are unpretentiously enjoyable ... the whole thing is so slick and good-natured that it's easy to forgive the formulaic nature of the show. And anyway, what's not to like about a family of vicious ‘raptors charging through an empty shopping centre with an angry Scotsman haring after them on a motorbike?"  - Paul Whitelaw, Scotsman

"Escapist fun makes for a monstrous hit."  - Craig McQueen, Scottish Daily Record

"...ambitious and enjoyable..."  - Daily Telegraph

"...all-action sci-fi drama..."  - Daily Mail

"...tight and exciting..."  - London Evening Standard

"Monsters - of the extraterrestrial, prehistoric or psychotic variety - are always good value on television, and there is a magnificently disgusting species of monster in tonight's Primeval. These are huge worms that survive in noxious stench. They need to breathe toxic gas the way humans need oxygen. They slither around making noises like distressed whales and, having first squirted them with green and brown slime, they suck and grind their victims with hundreds of little teeth."  - David Chater, The Times