...RAAAHHHH!!!, PRIMEVAL EPISODE ONE TONIGHT. ITV. 7:45pm...

[Buddy]

Missed bits of this but what I seen didn't seem too bad at all.

Better than Tortchwood on just about every level, story, acting etc...

Pleasently supprised by that ex S-Club girl (easy on the eyes as well, did I glimps her in her skimpies in the preview for next week? Have to tune in for that alone).

Good move on her part to go down the acting road rather than become a professional racist like her ex-workmate.

Yes, I'll watch next week also.

[Carlsborg Expert]

Yes. Ahahahaha eh...  I missed it due to partying and thus I will be going and si fting through a basement full of tooth. Some triple and some double buys in the vicinity of prog 123-600 then I will watch it later or even record it.

[Quirkafleeg]

Just seen it's repeated this after at 4.30...

I'm still in shock that ITV could produce something as entertaining, never mind better than Torchwood.

[Adrian Bamforth]

To be fair, ITV have produced some good programmes in the past.

Harry Hill's TV Burp
Fantasy Football League (poached from the BBC)
Spitting Image
Rising Damp

Er...that's it.

ADE

[Quirkafleeg]

Second time around I spotted a Wilhelm Scream, and the SAS bloke was called Ryan... wonder if there are any other in-jokes?

Oh and technically they are not dinosaurs...

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream" target="_blank">Wilhelm Scream

[The Amstor Computer]

Well, after being quite disappointed with the ten minutes of it I saw last night before my better half came round for dinner, I was actually quietly impressed with the repeat.

It helps to have Douglas Henshall in the lead, as his presence & ability to sell the role makes up for the lightweight performances of his pretty, young co-stars, but the show itself actually works fairly well. There are plenty of niggles, and I have my doubts about its longevity, but as lightweight, entertaining family viewing it succeeds pretty well.

Another plus point for me is that - so far - it's been happy to concentrate on the less sexy prehistoric beasties & eras. There are so many weird & wonderful (and terrifying) creatures to pick from the past few hundred million years, so it's nice to see the writers & producers dipping into them rather than going for the rather tired raptor & rex combo.

Looking forward to next week!

[TordelBack]

Another plus point for me is that - so far - it's been happy to concentrate on the less sexy prehistoric beasties & eras.

My thoughts exactly.  I was worried that a wormwhole (or whatever)to the Permian itself might be a bit limitting, but then I saw the trailer and realised we could go anywhen - together with Hannah's pink undies,  that was enough to make me come back next week.

By the way, wasn't that rift-thing a very distinctively British SF effect?  For a second, I thought that Chocky was back.

[TordelBack]

Oh and technically they are not dinosaurs...

Bring it on, Quirkafleeg!  It's a geek-off!  

They're Permian reptiles, so by definition they aren't dinos (which are Mesozoic reptiles, ie Triassic-Cretaceous), so what are they?  

Well, the improbable flying thing is a Diapsid glider (they covered that at least) - I've seen things like it, but I think it's been Godzookified.  The Gorgonopsid is a Therapsid, a mammal-precussor, that much I know from Walking with Monsters (thanks, Ken!).  The other herbivore thing, hmm, no idea of species, but some kind of Paraeisaur?  Next week, those are Carboniferous critters, Arthropleura and giant spiders, no?

Any advances?

[Steve Green]

I'm curious to see how it goes, if it gets expanded to a longer second series.

Despite being called Primeval, I could see them tweaking it so they end up with far future creatures/humans as well, along the lines of that Dougal Dixon book that was doing the rounds a few years ago.

- Steve

[Quirkafleeg]

>improbable flying thing

Well, unless I'm mistaken, it had four legs AND wings, which makes it a dragon..?

I bet that bloke who spent years building his own database of beasties was gutted when wikipedia came out

[Dark Jimbo]

I liked the fact that, unlike a certain other programme, the main characters didn't feel the need to gurn and simper then all have a hug and say, 'I bloody love you, you know that? I think you're absolutely great,' with tears of unalloyed joy coursing down their cheeks, accompanied by a big crashing crecendo of slightly misjudged music.

[SamuelAWilkinson]

Except when they're drunk.

[Dark Jimbo]

Indeed.

[TordelBack]

Well, unless I'm mistaken, it had four legs AND wings, which makes it a dragon..?

Nah, there is at least one Permian diapsid that had wings as well as four legs - they were some kind of extension of its dorsal frill structures.  The earliest flying reptile, Coelurosaurus or something like that?   (Actually, I just googled that name and it comes out as a group of Theropods, so it isn't right, but something like that: Coeluropsid?  I dunno.  Anyone?).

[The Amstor Computer]

That would be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelurosauravus">Coelurosauravus.

I'd take a look at episodes of Walking with Monsters (the team behind that are involved with Primeval) for indications of what creatures might be coming in future eps - the gorgonopsid and Scutosaurus featured in that & I suspect their models were reused here. Quite possible future eps will do the same...