Primeval

Okay, so the dinosaurs are a little hokey, but I really enjoyed the first episode of Primeval. The fact of the matter, you've got to look at it from the perspective that it's a UK-based fantasy series - so you've got to make sure you've taken a huge dollop of irony with the hole thing. I mean Torchwood is set in Cardiff - and making it look like a dynamic city took some hefty salt pinching on the viewer's behalf. So the Forest of Dean being the site of a portal to the past where dinosaurs can hide is really a walk in the park. So,getting past the dinosaur that moved like a Doberman - and the flying dinosaur that seem to have been taking cute lessons from my cat, the cast were interesting. Only Ben Murray and Hannah Spearitt were actors that I immediately recognised. I kind of knew Douglas Henshall's name. But the stand out actor of the first series was James Murray as Stephen Hardy. The tracker and hunter, with a penchant for playing chicken with huge carnivorous dinosaurs, is a good looking bloke. I reckon that he out-charisma-ed everyone off the screen. Ultimately, I laughed my socks off at the machismo, but that didn't stop me enjoying it.

Prior to watching it I had low expectations. It sounded like an afternoon kids show but I was very wrong.

The concept is well imagined and it seems to be aiming at an older audience. Curiously the first two episodes had a zero body count, then they suddenly seemed to change their mind and the bodies started stacking up.

The largely unknown actors put in pretty good performances. Surprisingly ex "S Club 7" member Hannah Spearritt is a capable actress. The DVD extras reveal she is less capable at throwing rocks though - the one she was meant to throw at a creature hits the cameraman! The CGI effects are excellent for a TV series with a strictly limited budget, almost film standard largely thanks to the previous ground breaking Walking With Dinosaurs, with only the occasional wobble.

However while the overall story is engaging the script writer ought to be fired for the details. Our belief in the characters is disrupted at regular intervals when they do something unbelievably stupid just to keep the story running. For example when being told to run for the trees the character can be clearly seen running along side them, and after armed special forces are driven off by creatures they are content to let unarmed scientists face them alone, not intervening even when hearing they are in trouble on the radio. Every episode has such incidents which require forceful suspension of belief.

The characters also need to be developed more and their strengths played to to justify their continued participation in the project, as some of them are tenuous.

Despite these script failings the series shows a huge amount of promise and I am delighted to hear a second series has been commissioned which I will certainly be watching.

I recommend you give it a try. You may be surprised.

After seeing the trailer for this six-part ITV series. I thought it to be another cheesy attempt to cash in on the current British sci-fi phenomenon. The tag line 'Time For Adventure' was the real put-off for me, though. And I thought it to be another clumsy clone of the massively popular re-make of 'Doctor Who' After watching the first episode (mainly out of pity) I had a change of heart. Sure, the special effects could use some dusting-up, but the show seems to have it all. Massive dinosaur fight scenes for the kids, a love-triangle for older viewers, witty one-liners even a missing wife for all you 'Lost' fans out there. The one thing that worried me, though, is the scenes of Abby jiggling around in her panties due to her humid flat. Now, I have no personal problem against this, but it seems like ITV are just asking for trouble from over-worrying mum's by making a show for kids at around eight on a Saturday night and then going straight on and plonking that in there. My underline: May not be to everyones tastes, but worth a shot for any 'Doctor Who' or 'Life On Mars' fans.

I must confess I just watched this mini-series because I watch any film with monsters in it. I didn't expect anything much, but the 6 episodes of series 1 turned out to be a real surprise which left me wanting a series 2! PRIMEVAL is a flawless combination of comedy elements (with cute dinosaurs) and action elements (with big bad dinosaurs), and it manages successfully to appeal to both kids and mature viewers. The special FX are excellent, and conflicts make the human characters interesting. PRIMEVAL also has a whole bunch of really good ideas: let the creatures appear in the neighborhood, maybe next to your washing machine - not on a distant tropical island! Instead of the typical T-Rex, let's have a little known creature from the Perm age or even a predator from the future (so, they aren't even dinosaurs from the scientific POV). Instead of killing all the creatures, try preserve them and bring them back home to the age they came from, as any change in the past is potentially dangerous. Clever entertainment! Which also shows in the characters, since they are far from stereotypes. Helen Cutter (Juliet Aubrey) for example. On one hand, she saves lives and gives help, but on the other hand she won't speak the truth, is unscrupulous and cannot be trusted. Primeval - haven't seen any better series recently!

I didn't expect a great deal from Primeval which is perhaps why I now find myself pleasantly surprised by it. The casting is excellent and story lines, although sometimes far-fetched, are nevertheless highly enjoyable. It's the little gem on Saturday night TV which these days are pretty much few and far between.

For those who are keen to compare it to Doctor Who and Torchwood, I must say I personally don't think it's similar to either of them. Yes, it's the same genre but give the thing a chance! -- I'm not sure half the people who have slated this have even watched it.

At the end of the day, Primeval was never going to be groundbreaking - and, to its credit, I don't think it sets out to be anything of the sort - but it is a great piece of telly fluff that'll certainly keep me tuned for series two.