Check out the new press release and episode descriptions for Series 5 of Primeval, returning to BBC America on 11/12 (Beware of spoilers!):
PRIMEVAL COMES ROARING BACK TO BBC AMERICA’S SUPERNATURAL SATURDAY
From the creator of Walking with Dinosaurs, Tim Haines, and the screenwriter of My Week With Marilyn, Adrian Hodges
This November, Primeval comes roaring back to BBC AMERICA’s Supernatural Saturday – bigger and badder than ever before. In the highly-anticipated new season, dark secrets bubble to the surface, testing relationships to the limit as anomalies – holes in the fabric of time – become more unpredictable and numerous, with more far reaching consequences than ever before. The end of the world seems to be just around the corner – will the team be able to stop the approaching apocalypse before it’s too late? From creators Tim Haines (Walking with Dinosaurs) andAdrian Hodges (My Week With Marilyn), the fifth season finds the team racing to stop the destruction of the world, while also preventing secrets from causing their own demise. Primeval premieres Saturday, November 12, 9:00pm ET/PT on Supernatural Saturday.
When rips in time, called anomalies, started opening across the UK, dangerous creatures from the past and future began appearing in the most unexpected places, endangering lives and putting the whole of humanity at risk. A crack team of specialists were appointed to deal with these “creature incursions,” creating the Anomaly Research Center (ARC), which has now become privatized. This season an underground creature causes chaos to a city, a nuclear submarine encounters an anomaly in the sea and a raptor roams the same streets of the infamous murderer Spring Heeled Jack in Victorian London.
As they race to stop the destruction of the world, will secrets destroy the team first? Matt (Ciarån McMenamin), the field leader, seems to know more about what is going on than he’s revealing and suspicions are raised about his motives. Gutsy zoologist Abby (Hannah Spearritt) quickly works out his secret and confronts him after seeing his violent reaction to an underground future creature, which nearly kills her boyfriend Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts) – tech genius and Star Wars fan.
Businessman and scientist Philip Burton (Alexander Siddig) has recruited new lab assistant April (Janice Byrne) to work on his experimental research. But is there more to her presence in the ARC than meets the eye? She’s like a female Connor – scientifically minded but fiercely loyal to Philip. The new technology Connor and Philip have been working on is set to change the future of the ARC and the anomalies. But Connor is becoming increasingly suspicious of Philip’s motives – does he really have the best interests of the ARC at heart? Meanwhile, Jess (Ruth Kearney) at the ARC Control Centre needs all her wits to send the exhausted team racing to deal with the increasing number of anomalies, while Home Office official James Lester (Ben Miller) faces surmounting scrutiny from the authorities about the team’s work.
The stakes are high and lives are lost. The team seems to be facing a losing battle, running out of weapons and time while fighting to save the ARC and bring down hordes of future predators. At the brink of catastrophe, it seems as though everything could be changed forever. Could this mean the end of the human race?
BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy, four Golden Globes and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 70 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.
CAST AND PRODUCTION CREDITS
Matt
Connor Andrew-Lee Potts (A Passionate Woman, Alice)
Abby
Becker
Jess Ruth Kearney (Holby City)
James Lester
Philip Burton
April Leonard
Emily Merchant
Producer
Executive Producer Tim Haines (Walking with Dinosaurs, The Lost World)
Executive Producer Adrian Hodges (My Week With Marilyn, Survivors)
Primeval is an Impossible Pictures, Prosieben and Ingenious Broadcasting co-production for ITV/BBC Worldwide in association with Watch and BBC AMERICA
***SPOILERS WARNING***
EPISODE SYNOPSES
Episode 1
An underground creature brings chaos to a city, forcing the team to chase around its streets 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. Episode 1 premieres Saturday, November 12, 9:00pm ET/PT.
Episode 2
When a nuclear submarine encounters an anomaly and prehistoric marine creature, Liopleurodon, in the sea, the team are called aboard to help. They soon find themselves under attack once more, and get sucked back through an anomaly, with Liopleurodons damaging the outside of the sub. The team must not only capture the panicked Eustreptospondylus aboard, but fix the sub exterior in order to get home. Episode 2 premieres Saturday, November 19, 9:00pm ET/PT.
Episode 3
Matt finds himself in Victorian London having followed a displaced raptor through an anomaly. Realizing its to blame for several gruesome murders in the area, he tracks it down only to find Emily (Ruth Bradley) attempting to do exactly the same thing. Despite attempts from an angry mob and her own husband, Emily and Matt are forced through the anomaly with an angry raptor, where Emily is forced to make a tough decision about her future. Episode 3 premieres Saturday, November 26, 9:00pm ET/PT.
Episode 4
Philip and Connor secretly open an anomaly within the ARC, only to be invaded by a mass of scurrying future-beetles, who force the ARC into lockdown. The team have just moments to save the day before the ARC and the beetle threat is destroyed when Philip threatens to incinerate the building. Episode 4 premieres Saturday, December 3, 9:00pm ET/PT.
Episode 5
With increasing numbers of anomalies running the ARC team ragged, Matt realizes his mission is coming to a climax, and determined to stop Philip, races to his machine. The team meanwhile are struggling to
keep up with demand. When Philip escapes Connor’s custody, the clock is ticking for them to stop him in his tracks. Episode 5 premieres Saturday, December 10, 9:00pm ET/PT.
Episode 6
The team is at a loss. Connor has disappeared through Philip’s anomaly, and Matt thinks that his mission is over – Philip has won, and seemingly, nothing has gone wrong. Matt has a decision to make about what to do next – and jumps through the anomaly to save Connor.Episode 6 premieres Saturday, December 17, 9:00pm ET/PT.
CHARACTER GUIDE
Matt Anderson played by Ciarán McMenamin
The newly installed field leader, Matt hates conformity and is indifferent to authority. More than just an ex-soldier, he is also a zoologist, with an uncanny ability to understand animals. He cares passionately about the team and his job, but an air of mystery hangs about him. A private man, Matt carefully guards the secrets of his past—and the real reason he has joined the ARC team.
Connor Temple played by Andrew-Lee Potts
A paleontology student by training, Connor is geeky by nature. He loves conspiracy theories and secretly hopes to be abducted by aliens. When he and Abby were trapped in the Cretaceous, their relationship finally turned romantic. Back at the ARC, though, Connor’s priorities change, leaving Abby feeling increasingly sidelined. Will their relationship survive?
Abby Maitland played by Hannah Spearritt
Gutsy zoologist and reptile expert Abby dropped out of college when she was offered her dream job in the lizard house. With the exception of spiders, she prefers the company of animals to humans. When Connor and Abby were trapped in the Cretaceous they bonded in every sense of the word. The details are murky – “What happened in the Cretaceous, stays in the Cretaceous”- but Abby and Connor return to the ARC a “proper couple.” As work pressures heat up, the question remains: Will she choose Connor, or the ARC?
Captain Becker played by Ben Mansfield
Bringing a distinguished military record to the ARC, Becker was accustomed to a “shoot first, ask questions later” style. When the ARC was privatized, Becker resigned from the military to assume the role of “Head of Security.” He continues to maintain a security presence at incursions, and the team’s safety is still his priority. After the previous year’s tragedies, he adamantly opposes anyone going through anomalies.
Jess Parker played by Ruth Kearney
Pretty, lively, funny, flighty at times, Jess is definitely not as foolish as she may seem. In fact, she’s a fiercely professional and highly competent administrator. She also happens to have eyes for another team member…When the chips are down Jess is plucky, resourceful and utterly unflappable in the face of danger. In a crisis, it’s Jess you’d want at your side. But the challenges she faces at the ARC are like nothing she’s ever faced before.
James Lester played by Ben Miller
The Home Office official responsible for the ARC team, Lester is still as dry and sarcastic as ever this series. Beneath Lester’s sardonic exterior, he cares about his people, even if he rarely shows it. After losing much of his team, he is forced to answer to Philip Burton – the new private-sector partner in the ARC. We can’t help but wonder, why did Lester really accept this job?
Philip Burton played by Alexander Siddig
Handsome, charismatic, charming – Philip is a man who seems to have it all. As a young man, Philip Burton was a gifted and idealistic scientist; eager to make the world a better place. But as he started to make discoveries – and headlines – his desire to make money grew. To the public he is intelligent, likeable, ambitious, and always on the list of Britain’s most eligible bachelors. To his employees, he’s tough but firm. He certainly doesn’t suffer fools. He is also controlling and manipulative, ruthless in his desire to make his ambitions a reality. Will he ever reveal his true colors?
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