The Primeval finale - spoilers

[Perdita]

After a gap of a week (curses be, Britain's Got Talent), Primeval is back on Saturday for its third series finale.

The last we saw, a deranged Helen ran off with the artefact, screaming something about saving the world from the ARC while throwing poor Christine to the future predators.

Here's some hints about what to expect from the climactic final episode:

Sarah and Becker head over to Christine's former offices, whereupon they become targets for a group of wayward future predators
Danny, Abby and Connor pursue Helen through the anomaly into the future...
... where the true meaning of the artefact is revealed...
... as are Helen's true motivations. She declares: "I, Helen Cutter, am going to save the world."
She means it, you know. And she won't let anyone stand in her way. There's at least one major death before the credits roll.
The constant references to '333' in Helen's journal are very significant. Google "Site 333" to hunt for clues.
"Connor and Abby, sitting in a tree"... doing what?
Helen: "You sound just like Nick, and you know what? You're both wrong."

SBBB - Next Clue - Kill Bill. Oh wait, he's already dead.

[Abbie]

I hope Connor and Abby dont die

Ive read that at the end they get stuck behind in the annomly!

[Perdita]

I read that too :eek: Hope it is not them :(

[Abbie]

It could be interesting as long as they live

I seacrhed that site 333 thing and all I got was this think about a monkey

[Perdita]

Have not had time to look at that myself, will do later this week though

[Abbie]

Tomorrow now :D Im excited!

although Im at a party so will have to sky+ it :p

[Perdita]

Primeval's most eventful series to date came to its climax tonight with a finale that saw Helen meet her maker, Connor and Abby stranded in the past and poor Danny stranded even further in the past. So what next for the gang? Is Cutter definitely dead? And do rumours of a film version and US spinoff have weight? We caught up with Primeval co-creator Tim Haines for a chat about the show's future.

Series three was very busy - more episodes than before and lots of comings and goings. What was your own highlight?
"Oooh! Lots really. I think the airplane scenes with the Giganotosaurus in episode four worked nicely. I think the fungus monster was good, when I was worried at some point it wasn't going to be! The Knight story was charming and made a bit of a difference. Also I found Cutter's demise in episode three very moving. We were very unfortunate to be opposite Doctor Who that night - it was a big blow - but there we are. In the long run the figures returned to what they were before."

As for Cutter being killed off, was that always the plan or was it Dougie's decision?
"There's always been a Cutter-Helen arc that wasn't going to last forever because they were running such an intense relationship. Something had to give! The order in which it happened was just rather dictated by circumstances but it worked very well for the series. Jason [Flemyng] has been great coming in after Dougie left."

A few episodes later we also lost Jennifer/Claudia. Was that always a natural consequence of Cutter being killed?
"I think that was fallout and definitely part of it. Jenny, though, is very deliberately not gone forever, if we don't want it, but she was clearly emotionally attached. It was quite difficult to set a similar relationship up with her and Danny. It depends, she could come back."

With that said, could Cutter also come back?
"Everything is possible but we're very cautious about playing that card, even though I know at the end of series one they came back and changed time. I know this sounds contradictory, but fundamentally Primeval isn't a time travel show. It's a show about creatures popping up now, therefore we avoid all these time conundrums which could completely turn your storylines upside down. So other than the Jenny/Claudia contradiction, we haven't played that at all. As you know, Jim [Murray, aka Stephen] didn't come back in series three. Again, we don't need to close anything off - people could pop up in all sorts of ways - but we're reluctant to be too fast and loose with time."

I had lots of messages from fans, including a lot in Germany, who seemed to be quite angry with Stephen's departure - and again with Cutter's demise. What would you say to those fans?
"It's absolutely essential for this show to communicate that there is real jeopardy for the team. They do go into the most ridiculous scrapes and survive every week, but at some point something's got to give. Otherwise it becomes increasingly cartoonish. I do have enormous sympathy for the fans. We spend a lot of time getting people to like our characters and then when one dies, people can get annoyed about it or feel it's wrong. But at the same time, that's what drama's about."

In the finale we also lost Helen. Is it safe to say now that the Helen/Cutter/Stephen arc has come to an end?
"Yes. And the death of Helen leaves quite a lot of things that we will pick up in the fourth series. Helen disappeared for years and we never explored why, or how, or what she got up to. She left a diary behind and there are also other things she left behind which gives clues to something else that's going on. So although that's the end of the Helen-Cutter-Stephen triangle, it has echoes as we continue forward."

Has the fourth series been officially commissioned yet?
"No, not yet. Obviously we always have ideas about what we want to do but until we get the greenlight, we won't do anything. Adrian [Hodges, co-creator] and I have planned lots of things, but we're all waiting for the decision."

When I spoke to you and Adrian in the early days of Primeval, you said you had a three-year plan for the show. Now we've finished series three, do you have a clear idea of what's happening going forward with series four, five and beyond?
"We do have a plan for the foreseeable future. Moving forward we have two series ahead, with what we're thinking at the moment. Thinking beyond that would just do our heads in, so we don't! You can always lay down new tracks as you go, so that's what we'll seek to do if we're lucky enough to go again and again."

In the last month a movie version of Primeval has been confirmed. How does that fit in with the TV series? Should it be considered a separate project?
"It is somewhat a separate project because as you can imagine, the big studios are a law unto themselves. They will listen to us and of course be very understanding and try to take the essence of the show onto the big screen. In the end they are movie makers and they will make the film they think works. We've yet to see how that pans out."

Will it use the same cast?
"I have no idea. There is no onus on them to have the same cast, and like all these things, those decisions haven't been made yet but when they come to concentrate on it, they will decide what to do."

Finally, there have been reports of a US-based spinoff. Is there any truth to that?
"We're working on that with people in Canada for budgeting reasons. We're working on it. I don't know whether it will happen but it seems to be trundling along."

Is it a remake or is it a spinoff set in the same universe?
"I think our aim is that it lives in the same universe. Think CSI!"

[Abbie]

Oooo its good to hear that they sort of have planned at least 2 more series

[Perdita]

Did you enjoy the last episode? I did :)

[Abbie]

Yes! I thought it was great :D

[Mrs Bump]

Have just read on the BBC website that Primeval has been axed after 3 series... HOW CAN THEY DO THIS... I appreciate that there are budgeting issues but they have finished the series with 3 characters stuck in the past and Sarah & Becker in the current day without a clue what is going on... can't they atleast do a special that shows whether this is resolved and if so, how?! Surely we deserve some proper closure and conclusion to the series.

[Bad Wolf]

i've just read it on the bbc site- so must be true!

[Perdita]

This is an awful decision, surely they can't leave it the way it finished? I know it is expensive to film but can't they reduce the fees for some of the prima donnas a bit more to spend on decent drama like this.

[Perdita]

ITV has cancelled Primeval, according to a report on Total Sci Fi.

A source close to the show's production team apparently claimed that the cult series will not return for a fourth year, despite ITV earlier denying that it had been axed.

"Basically ITV have changed their policy about drama before 9pm in that they've decided they really don't want any, at least not of the quality and cost of Primeval," the insider is quoted as saying.

They continued: "At the point where we finished the third series, we had every reason to believe we would be doing a fourth. Had we known there was any likelihood of cancellation, clearly we wouldn't have left half the cast marooned up a tree in the distant past. We can understand that some fans might be frustrated by this ending and we're sorry for that."

Addressing future plans for the franchise, the source added: "Some fans may know that there are ongoing talks for both a film and a North American series version of Primeval and if and when those projects come to fruition, we will make every effort to carry on the story in a suitable way."

ITV commented via Twitter: "Thanks for your questions about Primeval. I've checked and can confirm that there are no plans at the present time for it to return to ITV."


From DS :(

[Abbie]

Im sooooo annoyed! how can they do this to us, after the last cliffhanger?

:(

[Perdita]

Primeval star Andrew-Lee Potts has admitted that he was "gutted" over ITV's decision to axe the show.

The 29-year-old actor, who played Connor Temple on the hit sci-fi series, revealed that he sympathises with fans who feel frustrated over the programme's cliffhanger ending.

Speaking to The Telegraph & Argus, Potts explained: "It was very disappointing. Primeval was averaging five million viewers an episode and the show has ended on a cliffhanger, with Connor and Abby and the rest lost in time.

"But we've got to roll with the punches. We were all gutted, but this is the way it is. I've played Connor for three seasons now, and we knew it wouldn't last forever.

"I feel most for the fans who have been loyal to Primeval throughout, especially the way the series ended. I'd like to thank everyone for their support."

ITV confirmed that it had cancelled Primeval last month following weeks of speculation over the programme's future.

A show insider later told Total Sci-Fi: "Had we known there was any likelihood of cancellation, clearly we wouldn't have left half the cast marooned up a tree in the distant past."

Primeval producers promised to keep the series "alive in other ways" after the decision was announced in June.

How will they manage that?

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a164758/primeval-star-gutted-over-show-axe.html

[Abbie]

Im gutted and really annoyed! I mean at least for the fans we need one more series!