Adventure series Primeval returns to ITV1 in January for a fourth series, featuring the arrival of new faces and a new ARC.
Returning to the action and facing an increasing menagerie of terrors from the past and future are Hannah Spearritt, Ben Miller, Andrew-Lee Potts, and Ben Mansfield. The team will be stepping beyond the anomalies to keep the world safe from unimaginable dangers – aided by the surprise return of some notable guest stars from earlier series.
Series 4 picks up approximately 12 months after the end of Series 3.
> Order the Series 4 DVD on Amazon.
Episode 1
Saturday 1st January 2011, 7.30pm
One year after the death of Johnson and the disappearance of three key ARC personnel (Danny, Connor and Abby), the government lost faith in Lester’s abilities to run such a dangerous and expensive operation on his own. They placed the ARC in the hands of a public/private partnership, part-owned by the government, and partly by entrepreneurial scientist Philip Burton (think Richard Branson with a microscope). The ARC now operates from the industrial complex which houses Philip’s scientific empire; an estate of buildings with all the hustle and bustle of a thriving scientific community. As with any public/private partnership, there’s tension over who’s really in charge; Lester still runs the day-to-day operation but begrudgingly, he realizes that Philip will want involvement in the operation when it suits him.
Following Connor, Abby and Danny’s departure, the ARC found new recruits to take their place: Matt, new field leader, now handles the incursions. He’s more than just an ex-soldier; he’s a zoologist, with an uncanny ability to understand animals. A private man, Matt carefully guards the secrets of his past – and the real reason he has joined the ARC team. Unconventional Jess now runs operations from the ARC Control Centre – highly efficient and organized, her work ethic is second to none, though she is human enough to nurse an unrequited crush on Captain Becker. Becker reigned from the military when the ARC was destroyed, and has lived with a sense of responsibility for the original team going missing. He now works as Head of Security for the ARC. They come complete with new uniforms, and most importantly to Matt, new taser guns which avoid killing the creatures.
During the year they spent stranded in the Cretaceous, Connor and Abby eeked out an existence by eating roots and grubs and learning when to run fast from the creatures that threaten their lives. It’s an experience that has brought them closer together, in every sense. But their time there has taken its toll…both emotionally and physically. Abby, always the most practical one of the two, has adapted to her new surroundings slightly better than Connor, who was always happier around technological comforts than out in the wild. But neither are prepared for the changes that have happened to the ARC since they left in search of Helen one year ago.
Episode 2
Sunday 2nd January 2011, 7pm
Abby and Connor begin to contemplate life without the ARC. But while Abby is offered a lowly position looking after the menagerie; Connor is left out in the cold. In an attempt to reconnect with his old life, he seeks out university friend Duncan (who we last saw in Series 1, Episode 4), and Duncan has become obsessed with creatures. He tells Connor of reports of a creature he is convinced is alive and has been seen around the docks. Despite there being no evidence of an anomaly, Connor can’t resist investigating, and the pair head off to find the creature.
Things soon turn sour as Connor realises just how true Duncan’s story is; he comes across a mangled dead body amongst the debris of the docks. Enlisting Abby’s help, Connor and Duncan track down the creature – a Kaprosuchus – as it escapes from its hiding place. Flushed down the drain as a baby, it made its home amongst the debris and rubbish of the docks, killing homeless people. With its home destroyed by building work, the Kaprosuchus is on the rampage. Connor calls on Abby to confirm his suspicions. She arrives and they have a dangerous encounter with the creature. Luckily, Matt, still intrigued by Abby’s actions, has followed her to the docks…
Saving them from the burning warehouse and the deadly Kaprosuchus, Matt helps them search for the creature on land, whilst Abby searches by boat. Little does she know the creature is stalking her from behind until it attacks, forcing a rescue from the land-based team. Luring the creature onto a nearby cargo ship, they trap it in a giant container, slamming the doors to lock it inside. They think they’re safe, as the dock crane lifts the container trap high into the air, the creature thrashing against the sides. But its strength is just too much, and the crane loses grip, dropping the container from height into a labyrinth of a container park. Added to that, Duncan has disappeared, and Connor is beside himself. He can’t let another friend die…
Matt coordinates a plan to drive the creature out of the container maze using flares, whilst Connor goes in search of Duncan. And it works well, until the creature comes at Becker from above, and shooting it with the EMD, catapults it from the container, dead into the water. Connor has rescued Duncan, and the body of the creature is retrieved. Connor returns to ARC to fight for his job, but is too late….Matt has already won him his place back on the team. But does he have ulterior motives in fighting for Connor?
Episode 3
Saturday 8th January 2011, 7pm
A group of mysterious strangers hide near an anomaly in a theatre. Ethan and Emily (played by Ruth Bradley) have bought a gravely ill Charlotte to the 21st century to look for medicine. But he’s too late, and Charlotte dies. Emily and Ethan are forced to flee as the ARC team investigate an anomaly. Emily escapes through the anomaly and Matt gives chase, assuming she’s about to be stranded in a different time. Matt eventually catches her when she gets knocked out by an attack from an arboreal dinosaur. With no clue as to Emily’s identity, Matt takes her to hospital. The ARC team lock the anomaly, but what they don’t realise is that two arboreal dinosaurs have come through and are still loose and in the present.
Back at the ARC, Connor has impressed Philip with his scientific know-how. Connor is obviously star struck by Philip’s charisma. Emily escapes from hospital and Matt learns the truth about her – she’s not from this place or time. They realise a creature is loose and Emily agrees to help on condition Matt will let her back through the anomaly. Matt agrees. Whilst they track the creature through the high rise buildings of the city, Abby and Becker discover another creature is still at large in the theatre. They go head to head with their beast in the theatre’s foyer and eventually trap him and put him back through the anomaly.
Meanwhile, Emily and Matt are forced to confront the creature on the roof of the tallest building in the city. As they attempt to capture it, Matt is cornered by the creature, leaving Emily to save his life.
With both creatures taken care of and the anomaly closed, Matt realises he can’t take Emily back to the ARC – they’ll only start asking questions. After enlisting the help of a reluctant Abby, he promises her he’ll help her get back when the next anomaly opens. Until then she’ll stay secretly at his flat. Little do they know they’re being watched from the shadows by Ethan, now intent on revenge; he blames Emily for the death of his beloved Charlotte.
Episode 4
Saturday 15th January 2011, 7pm
Saturday detention is thrown into disarray when a teacher is killed and the kids start to run riot. Unfortunately they have no idea that a deadly poisonous Therocephalian is stalking through the corridors looking for its next meal. To make things worse, the kids have hacked into the school’s automatic locking system, trapping and separating the ARC team as they attempt to capture the creature before it strikes again.
Directing them from the ARC Operations Room, Jess is charged with unlocking the doors and tracking the creature as the team fight their way through the corridors. At the same time, Philip has announced that Abby’s beloved menagerie of creatures, including Rex, should be destroyed; Lester and Abby must join forces to thwart him.
The team are forced to fight off the threat from different areas of the school, eventually coming across a nest of Therocephalians in the school canteen. Forced to act as the team come under attack, Connor and the kids use the school lab to create poisonous gas bombs to wipe them out. Returning to the ARC, Lester reveals Philip’s change of heart, and the menagerie is saved, while Jess begins to pay a little too much attention to an oblivious Becker…
Episode 5
Saturday 22nd January 2011, 7pm
Connor and Abby are sent to investigate an odd anomaly signal, which keeps appearing and disappearing from the ARC sensors. They travel to a small coastal village, where myths about a sea monster attacking local farm animals are rife. After investigations involving unhelpful locals, they realise they are tracking a dangerous Koolasuchus, which started by attacking cows, but has now moved on the local fisherman.
Meanwhile, Matt is disturbed by Emily’s disappearance, but with no one else knowing that she’s still in the present he cannot reveal his secret to the others. He heads off to find her, in a desperate race against time.
As Abby stalks the creature, Connor is ordered by Philip to track down the unusual anomaly signal. When he finds it in a cave near the coast, he also discovers this is where local farmers have been hiding the remnants of a fuel smuggling operation. The dangerous chemicals have been wreaking havoc on the anomaly signal, preventing it from opening fully, and making its signal weak and random. Philip is over the moon with Connor’s discovery; forget the creatures, this is the real information they need. They eventually manage to reopen the anomaly and force the creatures back through, though not before one of the smugglers gets his just desserts…
Meanwhile, Ethan has taken revenge on Emily by kidnapping her. He is determined she will suffer the same fate as his beloved Charlotte, and so plans to bury her alive in the family mausoleum. Matt manages to get her just in time to save her life, but despite his best efforts, Ethan still escapes. Matt’s flat is no longer safe; he can’t be sure Emily will be protected there. There’s only one place left to go; the ARC.
Episode 6
Saturday 29th January 2011, 7.20pm
An anomaly alert calls the team to a stately home, where they come across a grand wedding. Though Matt has persuaded Philip to allow Emily to come out on the incursion, Becker and Jess are kept behind – they must find Ethan before he can kill again. Arriving at the location, they soon realise that this is no ordinary wedding; as they come across Jenny Lewis, trying her best to forget her old life at the ARC.
Locking the anomaly, the team get ready to enjoy the wedding; the romantic atmosphere not quite extending to Connor and Abby, as they clash over their future. Meanwhile, Matt and Emily have ventured down to the locked anomaly, hoping to return her back through. But as the moment comes, a vicious Hyaenadon comes bursting through the unlocked anomaly, and runs riot through the house.
Connor, angry after his fight with Abby, goes wandering through the house, eventually finding the cellar, where he comes across a number of Hyaenodon pups. Unfortunately, their mother is just outside and desperate to get rid of this intruder; Connor spends an anxious night behind a locked door before finding a way to return the pups to their mother. But now there are several Hyaenadons on the loose, with the wedding about to start…
Back at the ARC, Becker and Jess have uncovered a flat Ethan has commandeered. Investigating, they discover a bomb rigged to blow up any intruder; a tense standoff ensues as Jess attempts to defuse the bomb and save Becker’s life. At the wedding, the Hyaenadons are in full swing; Jenny returns to her ARC roots to help the team fight off the creatures and return them through the anomaly. With the creatures returned, and the marriage vows completed, Matt and Emily return to the locked anomaly to try again. But Matt doesn’t want her to go, and talks her out of leaving.
Episode 7
Saturday 5th February 2011, 7.30pm
The team are sent to investigate an anomaly signal coming from an apartment building, only to discover a rampant Titanis wreaking havoc. As the team struggle to regain control, they get an even bigger surprise as the missing Danny runs through the anomaly. But emotional reunions all round have to wait, as he joins the attempt to get the Titanis back through the anomaly. The team don’t notice someone watching them from the shadows; it seems Ethan has tracked them down and is still plotting his revenge on Emily.
Connor is distracted however; something about this anomaly doesn’t seem right. Jess’s unusual statistics seem to back up his idea. While they lock the anomaly, Ethan has been discovered, but has managed to escape; Matt and Emily follow on, and Danny, with his cop’s nose for investigation offers to help. Emily is thrown by Danny; she recognises him from somewhere, but how?
Back at the incursion, Connor’s worries about the anomaly are confirmed as another entrance opens in a different area of the building, and through it, comes a now scared and flustered Titanis, unable to get home and beginning to panic. Becker, Connor and Abby work to get the animal back, eventually forced to use the EMDs to take it out and return it through the anomaly. It’s a race against time before another one opens up elsewhere and brings more danger with it.
After a brief chase, Emily manages to capture Ethan, and the group take him to the ARC. Danny realises the ARC is now run by Philip Burton, a name that seems to strike fear and suspicion into him. Returning to the new ARC for the first time, Danny uses his copper’s instinct to question Philip about what he learnt in Rift Valley; he has a link to Helen Cutter, and he wants to know why. Philip’s answer is rational and dismissive, but underneath he’s shaken by Danny’s accusations, and releases the captured Titanis, intending it to attack Danny. Instead, it kills the recently incarcerated Ethan, bringing Emily’s nightmare to an end.
Meanwhile, Connor appears to have fixed the anomaly problem, and in the process, has discovered an anomaly that opens to Victorian Britain. Emily decides she has to go home and face the life she left behind. But just as the anomaly closes, Danny decides to follow her; it’s not him she recognised, but his brother Patrick. And if there’s any chance he might still be alive, Danny has to take the chance to find him.
As Danny and Emily leave, Abby confronts an anguished Matt – she knows he’s hiding something. Reluctantly Matt admits his secret to her and the mission he has to achieve. In the background, Connor, still confounded by the odd anomaly behaviour, comes to a conclusion; convergence is coming…