Primeval series 1

The first series of the British science fiction programme Primeval began on 10 February 2007 and concluded on 17 March 2007 after airing six episodes. Primeval follows a team of scientists tasked with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across the United Kingdom through which prehistoric and futuristic creatures enter the present. The first series stars Douglas Henshall, James Murray, Andrew-Lee Potts, Lucy Brown, Hannah Spearritt, Juliet Aubrey, Ben Miller and Mark Wakeling. Originally conceived by Tim Haines in the aftermath of the production of Walking with Dinosaurs (1999), Primeval was worked on as a concept by both Haines and Adrian Hodges for a lengthy period of time, intended as a BBC production. The BBC ultimately turned down the project after the revival of Doctor Who in 2005 due to deeming Primeval to be too similar, whereafter ITV was approached. ITV enthusiastically commissioned the series, which received a £6 million budget. Haines and Hodges thereafter approached directors Cilla Ware and Jamie Payne, each of whom directed three episodes each. Every episode of the first series of Primeval was intended to be unique in both the creatures featured and the atmosphere of the episode. Though commissioned as a contender for Doctor Who by ITV and dismissed before its release by some commentators as a "Doctor Who ripoff", Primeval became both a critical and an audience hit upon its release, with the first episode being viewed by over seven million viewers. Critics praised Primeval for its overarching story arc, its feel and atmosphere, and its choice of creatures. Most critics also felt that the series overcame its early dismissals and succeeded in becoming something unique in its own right. Other than Nick Cutter, played by Henshall, the characters and their development throughout the series were met with a more mixed response from some critics.

Episodes

Cast

Main cast

Guest cast

Production

Development and writing

Primeval was the idea of Tim Haines, the television producer behind the hit nature documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs (1999). Haines came up with the idea of producing a television drama with prehistoric creatures created with the same techniques used for Walking with Dinosaurs; his first attempt was the successful The Lost World (2001), an adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle novel of the same name. After The Lost World, Haines then came up with the idea of Primeval, initially provisionally titled Cutter's Bestiary. Among the influences for Cutter's Bestiary were the old science fiction films of Ray Harryhausen, fossil ghost lineages, Jurassic Park and King Kong. Haines was joined on the project in 2004 by Adrian Hodges, who devised the new title Primeval and produced some scripts for the BBC, the first of which envisioned it as merely a 90-minute television film. After several years of working on the concept, the BBC turned down Primeval in 2005 due to the revival of Doctor Who, which Primeval was now dubbed to be too similar to. After being turned down by the BBC, Haines and Hodges pitched Primeval to ITV commissioner Nick Elliott. Elliott greenlit the series on account of liking the scripts produced by Hodges and out of a wish to replicate the success of the revived Doctor Who. With production secured, Haines and Hodges then moved on to recruiting directors and casting characters. Haines and Hodges hired the two directors Cilla Ware and Jamie Payne; though neither was much experienced with action, both were experienced with drama. The first series of Primeval had a budget of £6 million, a million per episode. Every episode of the first series was envisioned as being stylistically and conceptually different from the others, with unique creatures and atmospheres. As a result, the directors made the decision to approach each episode as if they were "unique film[s] in [their] own right".

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