A NEW ERA OF PRIMEVAL BEGINS NEW YEAR’S DAY

Hit sci-fi series to premiere in the U.S. same day as the UK


New Year’s Day marks a new beginning for acclaimed sci-fi series Primeval, when it premieres in the U.S. on BBC AMERICA, the same day as its UK broadcast. Returning to screens thanks to a unique international collaboration, including new co-producer BBC AMERICA, the series delivers ambitious adventures and opens the franchise to new audiences. From the creators of Walking With Dinosaurs and Survivors, Primeval sees the arrival of new faces and headquarters, along with the surprise return of some notable guest stars from earlier seasons. Primeval premieres Saturday, January 1, 9:00pm ET/PT.



When rips in time called anomalies started opening across the UK, dangerous creatures from the past and future began appearing in the most unexpected places, endangering lives and putting the whole of humanity at risk. A crack team of specialists were appointed by the government to deal with these “creature incursions.” This job has proven deadly for multiple team members and threats continue to escalate.



Ciarán McMenamin (Jericho, Demons), Alexander Siddig (Clash of the Titans, 24, Syriana, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and young Irish actress Ruth Kearney join the team at the Anomaly Research Center (ARC) after the government loses faith in Home Office official Lester’s (Ben Miller) ability to run such a dangerous and expensive operation on his own. The anomaly operation is now a public/private partnership, part-owned by the government, and partly by charismatic scientist Philip Burton (Siddig).



With Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts, Alice), Abby (Hannah Spearritt) and Danny (Jason Flemyng, X-Men: First Class, Snatch) trapped in the past at the end of season three, the ARC has found new recruits to take their place: Matt (McMenamin), the new field leader, who’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 joined the team. Unconventional Jess (Kearney) now runs operations from the ARC Control Centre. She is highly efficient and her work ethic is second to none, though she is human enough to nurse an unrequited crush on Captain Becker (Ben Mansfield).



The new season picks up approximately one year after the last season ended - Abby and Connor finally escape from the Cretaceous period, only to be followed by a giant Spinosaurus, the largest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs. A new ARC team springs into action, leaving Abby and Connor’s place within the team in jeopardy while their former leader Danny is still missing.



Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, commented: “Primeval has always had a passionate following on BBC AMERICA. Our audiences loved the series so much that we simply had to save the show from extinction. New Year’s Day marks a new era not only for Primeval but for BBC AMERICA with a line up of fantastic Saturday night drama that will take us up to the summer and beyond. 2011 will bring BBC AMERICA viewers face-to-face with prehistoric monsters, clones and aliens, ghosts and the odd Timelord or two!”



Primeval returns to BBC AMERICA for two new seasons in 2011, thanks to an innovative deal between Impossible Pictures Limited (IPL), BBC Worldwide (BBCW) and ITV. Original co-production partners ITV, ProSieben and BBC Worldwide return to co-fund the new series, with BBC Worldwide becoming the majority funding partner. BBC AMERICA, is a full co-production credit for the first time and UKTV is a first-time investor.



Along with Primeval’s premiere over the holidays, there will be two Doctor Who U.S. premieres on Christmas Day. Doctor Who Prom, a live concert featuring stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as hosts, airs Saturday, December 25, 1:00pm ET/PT and this year’s special, Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol with guest star Harry Potter’s Michael Gambon, airs that night at 9:00pm ET/PT.



For up-to-the-minute information on BBC AMERICA, forthcoming U.S. premieres, art work and news from the channel, log on to www.press.bbcamerica.com.



BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring news with a uniquely global perspective, provocative dramas, razor-sharp comedies, life-changing makeovers and a whole new world of nonfiction. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 68 million homes.