ITV's New Gamble

As announced in today's The Stage, the ITV network has developed a £6 million science fiction series to rival Doctor Who. "The six-part series, with a working title of Primaeval, will follow a team of scientists who travel into prehistoric times and other worlds through black holes." Says a source for The Stage, "The team of five is lead by Professor Cutter. You learn through flashbacks that his wife disappeared when she was investigating these black holes and he is determined to find her. The black holes can open up anywhere. In the first episode the team find their way through to a world at the time of the dinosaurs. In another they discover a hole in the flooded bathroom of a domestic house, which leads them to an underwater world full of prehistoric sea monsters. There is even an episode set in the depths of the tube, where the group face giant arachnids. There is a race against time to find out what they need to before the black hole closes and they are trapped." The series is written by Adrian Hodges and is said to feature the latest CGI graphics; it's being made by Impossible Pictures (the company that made BBC1 history hits "Walking With Dinosaurs" and "Walking With Beasts"). There is currently no word on airdates for the six-episode serial, as the network is apparently still undecided whether it would be broadcast on a Saturday or a Sunday.