Primeval: New World
Canada - Space - Finished
Great Britain - Watch - Tuesdays at 9pm
Germany - ProSieben - Fridays at 22:50pm
America - Syfy - June 8th 2013
For Primeval reruns, check your local TV listings
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Here’s an (old) article of Ruth Kearney analysing Jess and talking about Primeval 5. Contains some mild spoilers if you have no clue of what’s happening in Series 5.
What does Series 5 hold for Jess?
“Series 5 is really exciting for Jess, because as well as carrying on with her really important role back in the ARC, she gets to have a bit more fun in the field and play with guns, like the rest of the team. She gets to see some of the dinosaurs too. But she’s not trained and definitely not military; very ill-equipped for that kind of thing.
“That lends itself to quite interesting scenes and episodes. But in general, her relationships with the team have developed and she’s more at ease with people.”
Talking about relationships… there’s one member of the team who she’s particularly fond of.
“Yeah. She has a massive, unrequited crush on Becker. She gets a bit bolder with her flirting in Series 5. Ben (Mansfield) is great fun to work with. Her never-ending crush on Becker is a bit sad, but it definitely livens up the workplace!”
Let’s take a head start to tomorrow’s episode. A funny quote anyone? Here’s also a shortish clip containing some spoilery material. Remember that the episode starts already at 5:40pm.
Admiral: This man, Connor Temple, he’s an elite operative, of course?
Lester: Yes, yes indeed. The very highest calibre.
The majority of you thinks that the best moment of S05E01 was when Abby&Connor kissed, although Becker’s tank wishes were quite close. There were altogether 275 votes.
The first episode of Series 5 got 2.55 million viewers excluding ITV+1 and ITVHD. For comparison, the premiere of Series 4 attracted some 5 million and Series 5 on Watch 694,000 viewers. Not great but ITV can expect nothing else with so little promotion. Thanks to Nu1tha for the information.
Here’s a review of Primeval with fun comments but also with some criticism. No real spoilers so everyone can read it.
Primeval’s schtick of sending young, bright-eyed lads and lasses off to fight dinosaurs could always be described as Blue Peter does Torchwood: and here’s a series they made earlier. While viewers with the obscure channel Watch might have caught Series 5 over a year ago, the rest of us have had to wait until Saturday before ITV finally showed the next installment of the sci-fi romp.
Perhaps you’ve never seen the show before – or need to step through an “anomaly” to go back in time to remember what its all about – but here’s the gist of what usually happens. A scene featuring happy civilians going about their joyful business is suddenly interrupted by a gigantic prehistoric monster erupting from a hidden temporal anomaly. So far, so extra-terrestrial Casualty. The team from the ARC (Anomaly Research Centre) – which includes trendy whizz-kid Connor (Andrew Lee Potts); surly-bloke-with-a-gun, Matt Anderson (Ciarán McMenamin); and an ex-member of S Club 7 (Hannah Spearitt) – are then dispatched to deal with the crisis. Relishing his role as the disgruntled head of the organisation James Lester, is Ben Miller, who carries all the comic elements of the show.
Here go screen captures of today’s episode. They were capped during the Watch broadcast (hence the logo) but they’re the same anyway. It was so hard to pick my favourite quote so here’s two of them. By the way, how many of you are seeing the series for the first time? Check back later for new reviews and ratings.
Quote of the day
Lester: (to Jess) Don’t worry, Matt will find him. If you were an insect, would you want to eat Connor?
…
Matt: We’re going to have kill it.
Becker: Finally common sense. Leave it with me.
In this article ITV spokesman says they haven’t commissioned any more episode but also admitted that Primeval isn’t cancelled (yet). Don’t hold your breath but it was intestingly said.
For terrestrial fans of Primeval, the waiting is over. After a 16-month hiaitus on ITV1, the colourful, dino-flavoured sci-fi caper is back on Saturday nights where it belongs.
Series Five, which aired on Watch last year, sees the comely crew of the Anomaly Research Centre tackling big burrowing insects, ship-sized liopleurodons, a raptor, a T rex and a battalion of other beasties.
And time portals whisk the ARC angels off to Jurassic oceans, Victorian London and a scary, toxic Earth of many years hence.
Primeval is bigger and bolder than ever, in other words, and to think it could all have been so different…
In 2009, after three series, and despite healthy ratings, Primeval looked as dead and buried as a fossilised trilobite. Cancellation! But a rescue package saved the programme from extinction and gave us two more seasons – Four and now Five.
So where are we now? Well, “Previously on Primeval”: mystery man Matt revealed that he was from the future; his fancy woman Emily returned to the 19th century; and squillionaire scientist Philip Burton was exposed by Danny as a bad egg who’d been in cohoots with femme fatale Helen Cutter. Remember her?
In Saturday’s opening episode Philip introduces Connor to his “philanthropic” plans for mankind. It’s a hit-the-ground-running reintroduction to a series that has grown in confidence, and put more time and energy into developing a story arc. This run of episodes really builds to a terrific, life-or-death crescendo.
But it’s not all roar-and-claw. There are cute romances, plenty of laughs, thanks to Ben Miller as sardonic pinstripe James Lester, and stacks of CGI-bolstered action.
As for the future, ITV is remaining tight-lipped. A spokesman did recently volunteer, “We haven’t commissioned any more episodes.” Which sounds a bit ominous. But when I pressed him as to whether that meant the show was cancelled, he gave me an emphatic “No”.
And don’t forget the Canadian spin-off, Primeval: New World, which began filming in March.
So for now, Primeval is alive and well, and quite possibly thudding down a high street near you…
Let’s go back in time and read Andrew Lee Potts talk Primeval 5 in 2011:
How does Series 5 start for Connor?
“Well, he’s working for Prospero as well as at the ARC, under the watchful eye of Philip. His relationship with Abby is starting to fall apart, as it is with the rest of the team. He still gets involved with the team’s work on a day-to-day basis, but he’s conflicted at the start of this series on which path to take. He loves working with Abby and helping the creatures back to safety, but there’s this billionaire scientist who thinks he’s a genius, who pampers his ego and gently pushes him in the directions he wants him to.
“He just doesn’t know what to do. All he wants to do is finish the work Cutter started, and he told him he wouldn’t let him down. When he lost Cutter he lost a big role model, and I suppose he’s still searching for that.”
Have you enjoyed filming in Ireland?
“Hannah and I, as a couple, have been very lucky because we got to come over as a unit – Hannah, me and our little dog Stanley. Dublin’s an awesome place to work. I filmed here last year and I really liked it, so when I got told we were shooting in Dublin I was really pleased.”
The ITV premiere of Primeval is tonight on ITV1 at 6pm, don’t forget to tune in. This is a very special episode for me because I saw it at the advanced screening in London last year. Check back for screen captures later. Enjoy!
An underground creature brings chaos to the city, forcing the team to chase around the city to track down the movements of this vicious burrowing creature. When the creature strikes for the final time, the team find one of their own in mortal danger and fight to save their life.
Win tickets to meet Hannah Spearritt and Ben Mansfield:
If you’re a fan of Primeval we’ve got a great competition for you!
You could win two tickets to ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London – starring Hannah Spearritt (Abby) & Ben Mansfield (Becker) – then meet them both afterwards for photos and autographs!
To be in with a chance, tweet from zeebox during this Saturday’s episode (6pm, ITV1)… use the hashtag #primeval, and tell us in THREE WORDS why you love the show!
zeebox is free to download for iPhone, iPad and Android phones – find out more at here
Thanks for taking part in our Primeval soundtrack competition! Read more
about it and see the lucky winners 
