| Primeval | |
|---|---|
| Series 4 | |
 DVD box set cover art | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 1 January – 5 February 2011 |
| Series chronology | |
The fourth series of the British science fiction programme Primeval began on 1 January 2011 and concluded on 5 February 2011 after airing seven episodes. Primeval follows a team of scientists tasked with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across the United Kingdom through which prehistoric and futuristic creatures enter the present. Following the departures of key actors in the third series and the inability of some of the actors to return for the fourth series, several new main cast members were introduced, including Ciarán McMenamin, Ruth Kearney, Alexander Siddig and Ruth Bradley.
After the broadcast of its third series, Primeval was cancelled by ITV in June 2009 due to financial issues but it was renewed for two more series after ITV and the production company Impossible Pictures worked out a deal for co-funding with UKTV. The fourth and fifth series were produced concurrently in 2010. The writing of the fourth series was focused mainly on resolving lingering plotlines, introducing the new characters, setting up plot elements in preparation for the fifth series, and developing the remaining characters from previous series further. The fourth series marked the first time Primeval was filmed in HD and also the first time the visual effects of the series were created by The Mill rather than Framestore (responsible for the previous series).
The fourth series achieved somewhat disappointing ratings compared to preceding series, averaging about four million viewers (compared to the five million of the third series and the over six millions of the first two series). Critical reception was also more mixed than previously, with criticism leveled at the overall slow narrative progression and the manner in which the final episode resolved the storylines. Opinions varied on the new characters, with some reviewers enjoying the team dynamic and others finding them to be poorly established. The development of the returning characters was more universally liked and the visual effects received universal praise, many critics finding them to be the best of the series thus far.