Cult Guide: Who's who in 'Primeval'

Next Saturday sees the long-awaited launch of Primeval, which has been billed as ITV's big budget answer to Doctor Who.

The sci-fi drama - airing in an early evening slot - follows a small team of scientists and enthusiasts brought together by some strange incidents in the Forest of Dean.

The gang investigates the rips in space and time - or "anomalies", as they are termed - and attempt to contain the damage being waged by the barrage of prehistoric creatures travelling through them.

Join us as we take a look at who's who on the show...

Name: Nick Cutter

Played By: Douglas Henshall

Age: 35

Job: Professor of evolutionary zoology at Central Metropolitan University

Story: Nick loves his job but he loves his wife Helen even more. Unfortunately Helen, also a passionate zoologist, has been missing for the last eight years. But the investigation into the "anomalies" may just provide some answers...

Actor Quote: "Reluctantly optimistic would probably be the best way to describe Nick. He is someone who has such passion for his work, but I think he's built up a false gravity. The fact that his wife is missing means that a part of him is permanently somewhere else."

Five Facts:
1. Nick drinks Jack Daniel's bourborn or single mixed whiskies, never blended
2. He cried at the end of Titanic but claimed to have conjunctivitis
3. He loves doing research but hates writing it up. Hates teaching even more.
4. He prefers the Stones to the Beatles, but prefers Joy Dvision to both.
5. He first met Helen at university, and began dating her after a late night screening of a Marx Brothers marathon.

Name: Stephen Hart

Played By: James Murray

Age: 28

Job: Works alongside Nick at the university

Story: The all-round good guy who often ends up in the most dangerous situations.

Actor Quote: "He's definitely Professor Cutter's right hand man, both professionally and personally. Wherever they are, or whatever they are doing, Stephen is the guy who has got Nick's back. It's his skills as a tracker that the team really benefits from. He's a bit David Attenborough and Ray Mears all rolled into one."

Five Facts:
1. Stephen is fiercely loyal to friends, always popular, but makes close friends slowly and is sceptical about human nature.
2. He claims to have no interest in fashion but has a suspiciously large collection of GQ in his loo.
3. He is uninterested in making money and feels sorry for old friends with good jobs in the City.
4. He is a passionate, though depressed, supporter of Leeds Utd.
5. He had his heart broken when he fell in love as a student, and has never really got over it.

Name: Abby Maitland

Played By: Hannah Spearritt

Age: 23

Job: A zoo animal handler with a specialist in reptiles

Story: Budget constraints force student-turned-zoo worker Abby out of the job she loves, but straight into an even more engaging adventure.

Actor Quote: "She's really together. Put her in a tight spot and she can really handle herself. She's a tough cookie who fights her own battles, but she is also very caring."

Five Facts:
1. Abby went to the Galapagos Islands as a child and was moved to tears by its beauty.
2. She is flat sitting for a wealthy friend who now lives in America.
3. She has a chronic fear of spiders.
4. Her hobbies include yoga (Ashtanga), karate and kick boxing.
5. She always falls in love with the wrong men; likes them a bit moody and dangerous.

Name: Connor Temple

Played By: Andrew-Lee Potts

Age: 24

Job: Geeky student of Nick at the University

Story: Connor is obsessed with all things prehistoric and more than a little excited when he gets caught up in the drama that unfolds.

Actor Quote: "He's like a little spaniel, he can't quite believe what's happening to him. I like to call him a unique geek. He provides much of the comedy - he's a genuinely funny guy, and is super-intellectual, which is a pretty fierce combination. But he's always putting his foot in it."

Five Facts:
1. Connor's favourite films are the original Star Wars movies. He believes George Lucas is God.
2. His ideal woman is Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Or maybe Rose Tyler - he can't decide.
3. He writes computer software programs to relax.
4. His ambition is to be abducted by aliens.
5. He has a not-so-secret crush on Abby.

Name: Claudia Brown

Played By: Lucy Brown

Age: 28

Job: Official from the Home Office

Story: Claudia stumbles across the mysterious goings-on and joins forces with Cutter & co. in an effort to find answers.

Actor Quote: "Although she's rather new to the job, she's extremely direct and manages herself incredibly well in what is a predominantly male environment. But although she's tough and knows her own mind, at the end of the day she's still a girl."

Five Facts:
1. Claudia was engaged for two years but broke it off a month before the wedding. She has had no major love affairs since.
2. Her hobbies include riding (well), dancing (not so well) and cooking (badly).
3. Her favourite film used to be Jurassic Park - but not any more.
4. She is an only child.
5. Her secret ambition before the anomalies was to quit her job and go sailing around the world.

Congratulations! This week's clue word is HEARSAY

Name: James Lester

Played By: Ben Miller

Age: 39

Job: Home Office official

Story: Claudia's bad-guy boss who always seems to get in the way of the investigation.

Actor Quote: "He's your archetypal moustache-twirling villain who really enjoys being bad. He's the kind of guy who has no fixed position in the field of government but is very, very powerful and his job basically is to just keep everything quiet. He has no moral boundaries - he's sort of amoral but he knows he's amoral."

Five Facts:
1. James believes the government knows best and the public has no right to anything.
2. He went to comprehensive school and hates public school boys.
3. He hasn't been on holiday in three years.
4. His middle name is Peregrine.
5. He is married with three children - but never talks about his personal life and rarely admits he even has one.