The brainchild of Adrian Hodges and Tim Hains, the creative duo behind the renowned Walking With... documentary series, inimitable sci fi series Primeval is now in its fifth season and still going strong. 

The premise of the show is an intriguing one: five scientists of varying specialties are charged with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies (ie. gateways known as ‘earthquakes in time’) through which prehistoric and futuristic creatures enter present-day Great Britain.  Essentially a bookish cross between Dr Who and The A Team, Primeval has rated highly on both sides of the pond, with critics in England and the US alike near-unanimous in their praise for this hardworking and frequently spectacular show. 

Season 4, recently released on DVD and Blu-ray Down Under, picks up one year after the death of Sarah and the disappearance of three key ARC personnel.  Following this rather sizable misstep the government’s faith in Lester’s organisational abilities have understandably waned somewhat, and the ARC (Anomaly Research Centre) has been placed in the hands of a partnership run by an entrepreneurial scientist with no shortage of hidden agendas.  There are numerous jaunts into historical periods such as the Cretaceous and Pliocene, each replete with their own fearsome beasts, and plenty of anomalies both ancient and futuristic that need to be dealt with before they cause too much havoc in the present day.  Speaking of the future, Season 4 even ends with Connor’s discovery that the anomalies are becoming increasingly frequent as time progresses; unless the ARC team can find a solution, the fate of the entire planet may be in jeopardy. 

This is heady stuff, but it’s all dealt with so intelligently that the series never degenerates into sci fi silliness or slipshod melodrama.  A strong undercurrent of emotionality pervades each intersecting story arc, the special effects are peerless and the ensemble cast has been expertly hand-picked to ensure an abundance of not only chemistry between each of the leads, but the all-important element of plausibility.  The performances are first rate, the script a clever mix of humour and propulsive drama, the creatures inventive and convincing – science fiction doesn’t come much better than this. 

Audio & Video

Visually Primeval is a study in perfection.  Its radiant, blemish-free transfer is the reason Blu-ray was invented, and unlike certain other science fiction fare its special effects are augmented by high definition, not betrayed by it.  The BD is no slouch in the audio department either, with a robust DTS-HD surround mix rendering the myriad acoustic input – dialogue, sound effects, score – with plenty of clarity and accuracy. 

Special Features

New Dawn featurette – Making the New Primeval