|
|
 |
Series three Q&A with the creators of Primeval (April 2008) |
|
|
|
Tim Haines and Adrian Hodges, the creators of ITV's time-travelling dinosaur series Primeval, have launched a search for the next big thing in slavering monsters. They explained how viewers could get involved in the Create a Creature competition, and gave Paul Jones an insight into the upcoming third series of the show.
Tell me about the Create a Creature competition.
TH It's one of the fundamentals of Primeval that a new creature is delivered each week - a creature feature - and we know that fans of the show like that. The process of making that creature is also very interesting and it would be really nice to offer somebody the opportunity to be involved in that - to see their design, either digitally or on paper, come to life on TV. So that was the starting point for it.
At the moment we're writing the scripts for series three, and we're holding open a place for this as yet undecided creature. The competition closes on 7 April - people can enter via the website - and we already have over 4,000 entrants, so we've got one hell of a judging process ahead of us.
AH It's something that we feel we can do now. We're two seasons into the show, we've built a relationship with the people who watch it and it's a way of getting closer to them. Watching Framestore, who do all our effects, creating those creatures really is the most exhilarating process and I think it would be really cool for somebody to see something they've designed reach that point - which is why 1,000 of the 4,000 entries are from me…
|
|
|
|
Can you tell us anything about the monsters that will appear in the next series?
TH Well, this is difficult, because everyone asks about the new series and we'd love to tell you, but we don't want to spoil everything. But you do see the future predator [left] more than once, and he has proved very, very successful, and we can tell you about one of the creatures in the first episode - we have a nasty creature called a Pristichampsus, which is a type of Palaeocene crocodile.
Obviously he's a bit souped-up for our show - bigger, more powerful, all that sort of stuff - and particularly nasty, but he's a good-looking creature to find swimming in the Thames. He's like a running crocodile, he's also quite bipedal…and he goes and causes mayhem in a kitchen…
There's been more humour in the second series. Was that a conscious decision?
TH Not really. It's always had its humour but we're very wary of humour spoiling the real jeopardy. A lot of shows inherently take the p*** out of themselves and I don't think it's a very successful approach - but at the same time we're not a kind of furrow-browed thing that's always dwelling on its navel, so humour is really nice to change the pace, to break the atmosphere. It works very well and we've got some great actors who can carry that sort of thing off.
AH It's all based on character really. You have humour that emerges naturally from the characters' personalities - obviously Lester and Connor spring to mind in that respect - but by the same token you have to allow them dignity to be real people, so you can't just make it slapstick or sitcom.
Who makes up the Primeval audience?
TH It's one of those shows where you hope you appeal to everyone. There's enough emotional, theatrical content and characterisation for adults to watch, the finish is polished enough for adults, but there's a lot of creature action and adventure which appeals to those younger at heart.
It's an absolute delight as a programme-maker to see some of the letters we get from nine-year-olds because there's absolute dedication and passion among them, but for every nine-year-old watching the show, there are probably a couple of parents sitting next to them.
AH What we tend to get from the adults is much more focussed on the serial element - the Cutter, Helen, Stephen kind of stories. Before I came here today, I took my daughter to a sleepover and couldn't get out the door because her friend's mother kept on telling me exactly what she thought Helen was going to do in the next series.
|
|
|
|
After emerging from one of the anomalies, Professor Cutter is now in a different timeline from his own. Will he ever make it back? Does he want to?
AH I can't really answer that specifically because it's to do with all kinds of stories that we might be dealing with in the future, but certainly the notion of what happened when he did that, and exploring those elements, is part of the next series, yes. Whether it's specifically to do with Cutter is not something that I want to say.
TH I think it's worth also making the point that this show is about adventure and creatures, in this time that we exist in - it's not a time conundrum show. Although those themes are raised by what the team get up to, we don't want to turn it into one of these things where we endlessly discuss the space-time continuum.
AH Although it has to be said that Tim and I do spend 90 per cent of our time discussing precisely that… For the 150th time the other night I watched Terminator and had an argument with my wife about why the end of it doesn't work - and I confused myself in the process. They're always great fun those time conundrums but it can be a dangerous place to go.
|
|
|
|
You mentioned Helen Cutter - nothing seems to faze her. She adapts to all events and always seems to have a scheme up her sleeve. What would it take to actually throw her?
AH I think one of Helen's things has been that she has more knowledge than anyone else, so she does tend to be indomitable, nothing much does faze her. But it's also part of how she presents herself to the world. Sometimes she knows less than she appears to.
TH She was completely hoodwinked by Cutter saying he really loved her when he was just stringing her along. And I'm not giving too much away by saying, clearly, she is very annoyed that Stephen's dead. This is not what she planned, and she's someone who probably bears a grudge - all these things are not particularly the characteristics of someone who is superhuman.
AH Again, I hope I'm not giving too much away, but it's no great surprise to tell you that Helen is in the next series and I think it's fair to say there will be things in the next series that will surprise even her.
|
|
|
|
Will Ben Miller be getting more screen time? Him being chased by the future predator was one of the highlights of the second series.
AH We loved that.
TH We'll look to use Ben in different ways. We don't want him just to be doing the same thing all the time. I can't really say whether he'll fight creatures - he's not meant to fight them, that was an accident!
AH Do you mean, will he get more time as an actor in the show? Ben has taken over James Brown's mantle as the hardest working man in showbusiness so we have him for a certain length of time and we try and get the best out of him. He's a great character, I love writing for Lester. I think I can say he'll be getting just slightly closer to Connor than he ever really intended to, though, which he'll not be very happy about…
**
Enter the Create a Creature competition
Find out how your own monster could feature in Primeval by entering the Create a Creature competition at www.itv.com/primeval
Primeval programme guide
There's video, exclusive features and a behind-the-scenes gallery in our Primeval guide
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Advertiser link |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| EMAIL A FRIEND |
|
| Want to share this page with a friend? It's quick and easy! |
| Email a friend |
|
|
|
|
|
