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Axed: Primeval

Embattled broadcaster ITV sees its family fantasy becomes something of a dinosaur itself.

primeval22Cash-strapped British broadcaster ITV has axed Primeval after three seasons.

The CGI dinosaur fantasy had been a good performer for the broadcaster but the big-budget computer effects are believed to have taken its toll.

The show had an average audiences of about five million this year, down from around six million for the first two series. The decision follows weeks of uncertainty within ITV as to the show’s future.

“High quality drama remains a key part of the ITV schedule, although our current focus is on post-watershed production,” ITV said in a statement.

A devastated production team indicated they had “every intention of keeping Primeval alive in other ways,” presumably through other platforms and products.

ITV has successfully slated Primeval as a family Saturday night adventure in the same way that the BBC has enjoyed with Doctor Who.

Meanwhile, Nine has the rights to this series which it promised to return, but so far is yet to re-surface.

Source: BBC News

13 Responses

  1. STV and UTV are being blamed for major shows on ITV beng axed as they are opting out of funding and buying ITV shows and going their own way. These two channels are sick of being forced to show programmes that don’t make money in their regions and don’t want to go out of business like ITV is close to doing.
    ITV are considering sueing STV because they choose to opt out which they are entitled to do. Despite getting rid of big name stars and long standing characters in Corrie and The Bll these programmes are safe for now.

  2. Primeval was brilliant, and will be missed, season 3 was great. It seems that the whole style of serial show is getting phased out for ones where you don’t have to watch every episode (ie boring shows with little to no character development).

    I am glad the production guys are going to keep it alive though, maybe BBC can pick it up (esp if they cancel torchwood after their upcoming last ditch effort to save it).

  3. John, Neighbours is not and has never been on ITV.

    That said dont feel too sorry for ITV its crying poverty is working, its not gotten cash from the BBC to help produce local news, something that he has to do as part of the “Channel 3” Licence it gets from OFCOM, a Licence that gives them “3” on various EPGs and saw them gifted alot of freeview space, on which it has built its little empire of spin-off channels.

    In effect the BBC is now paying ITV to do what it should be doing in order to get an artificially high EPG number and alot of free freeview space.

    Meanwhile all ITV does it churns out about 6 hours of Corrie & Emmerdale a week, cuts back on all drama, even cutting theBill to one episode a week, and replaces it with various reality TV show, or “human interest” dramas, that are nothing more than a modern day freak show.

  4. Yes ch9 promoted Primeval for about 6 months last year then stopped come December.

    Seen S2 but sitting on S3 until I have time to watch it, don’t spoil the ending.

    I hope they do a direct to DVD movie.

    BTW while the special effects are as good as most other stuff on TV (Doctor Who/Torchwood) I wouldn’t call them state-of-the-art.

  5. I hope so because it left us with a storyline that had not yet concluded at the end of series 3, I hope the movie will rectify the fact the members of the team are stranded in the past.

  6. “A devastated production team indicated they had “every intention of keeping Primeval alive in other ways,” presumably through other platforms and products.”

    Presumably it means that the movie reported weeks ago is still going ahead.

  7. ITV is on the record as saying they arent interested in having any drama in its pre 9pm watershed slots (except for soaps Cornation St & Emmerdale, which rate well and I presume pay for themselves) , this would also be the rationale for moving The Bill to 9pm one night a week, expect to see more cheap reality / game shows in the networks pre 9pm scheduled from here on…and dont expect anymore family type dramas in the genre of Primevil!

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