TV DRAMA RESEARCH:PRIMEVAL Holly Fairbairn

Narrative

When strange anomalies in time start to appear all over England, Professor Cutter and his team have to help track down and capture all sorts of dangerous prehistoric creatures from Earth's distant past.(IMDB)

Characters

Professor Nick Cutter – he was an evolutionary zoologist at the Central Metropolitan University as well as the original team leader of the Anomaly research branch of the Home Office and later the Anomaly Research Centre. He spent most of his time researching and predicting the Anomalies. He is one of the main protagonists in the series and is very stereotypical in the sense that he is authoritative and can often be seen saving a helpless civilian from the creature that is lose.

Characters

Abby – She was a gutsy zoologist and a member of the Anomaly Research Centre, notable for her love for and skill with animals and the creatures. She is also one of the main protagonists but is unconventional to the female role in dramas as she is often seen in dark clothing with a weapon at hand and as females are meant to rely on the male to save them, the fact Abby protects herself is anti-stereotypical.

CharactersConnor – He was a member of the Anomaly research branch of the Home Office and later the Anomaly Research Centre, and the genius of the operation responsible for inventing new Anomaly-combatting technology and learning more about the phenomenon. He knew the most about the anomalies and is one of the main protagonists. He is quite stereotypical as he can often be seen out with the rest of the team saving someone but he is easily scared which is anti-stereotypical.

CharactersStephen - was Nick Cutter's lab technician and right-hand man. Stephen was a member of the Home Office Anomaly research team and later the main Anomaly Research Centre field team, and was the tracker and marksman of the team. He is also one of the main protagonists of the beginning of the show. He is anti-stereotypical in the sense of his clothing as he can often be seen in a black leather jacket which is a common item of clothing for an antagonist but he is heroic and sacrifices himself to save others which is stereotypical in a protagonist.

Settings

The main setting of Primeval is London, England although there have been episodes where the team travel to other areas of Europe. As well as this there are episodes where the main setting is pre-historic Earth. The main setting makes the show relatable to the audience as it is a common place for people to visit and some may even live there. The pre-historic setting helps set up the narrative as well as giving the audience insight into the world that the creatures came from.

Themes/ Issues

Action – The action behind the drama is when the team have to deal with whatever creature has emerged from the anomaly.Adventure – The adventure behind the drama lies in the scenes where the team have been transported back in time to the original home of the creature and sometimes have to find their way back to the present.Mystery – The show revolves around mystery because the main events per episode is a situation where the team have to find out what the creature is and how to get it back to its own time.

Iconography

The main iconography of Primeval is the anomalies and dinosaurs. This is what people mostly recognise the show for as they are a constant in the episodes and the narrative surrounds these two aspects of the show.