Sometimes our city doesn’t play itself in upcoming Vancouver-as-Vancouver series Primeval: New World. Tonight a section of Gastown doubled as a London square and street with a prop red double-decker bus, prop black London cabs, prop red post box and a real British star.
Andrew-Lee Potts, aka Conner Temple from the original British series Primeval, is back to film another episode of the Vancouver spinoff, more than three months after guest-starring in the series premiere. He and Robert Lawrenson (Sanctuary) and two other ARC actors did take after take of the four of them chasing what will be a computer-generated dinosaur through Maple Square and along Alexander Street for half a block. It was a long run, especially when repeated over and over again (I did not envy the guy carrying the big case). Here are the ARC foursome walking back to the start point on Carrall Street, looking a bit like the cover of The Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album (should be a zebra crossing but it’s not part of the scene).
This perfectly-cast London cabbie hid from the dinosaur in a scene filmed earlier in the day on Columbia Street.
And the ARC runners did another leg in the big dino chase, running from the middle of the block on Alexander into an alley off Columbia Street. That’s Robert Lawrenson skipping back to his mark as Andrew-Lee Potts laughs.
Primeval: New World filled the Alexander Street block with London props from licence plates to Music Festival posters to a red Phone Box to a UK cashpoint.
Primeval: New World launches its first 13-episode season this fall on SPACE in Canada.
Ah you got Andrew again, you lucky girl! Very cool to see these photos. We’ll have a longer wait to see this in the U.S., for the DVDs I guess, so it’s nice to get a peek!
Also I didn’t realize they had double decker red buses in Canada! Now I know we have to get up there for a vacation one day.
We don’t, Jan — they’re movie props. At least not in Vancouver.
Ah, the plot thickens! So they must all end up in London? Can’t wait to see this program. I noticed the ring on chain and also he wore those same old boots in the original Primeval. I wonder if any more original Primeval gang will be snuck in there?
We do have a couple in Van. The Stanley Park tour ones.
Jan: I am lucky. I didn’t head down to Gastown expecting to see Connor Temple again. I asked a crew guy if that was Andrew-Lee Potts filming further down the block and he rolled his eyes at me for being such a fan girl. Note Connor’s still wearing the ring on chain around his neck.
And yes, the double-decker bus is a prop. While there are companies in Vancouver and Victoria which give city tours on double-decker buses we don’t have them for regular transit. It would be fun./S
Whilst I really can’t wait to see the series, I can’t help but wonder why they don’t come over and film in London especially when where they’re filming looks nothing like London. Also, considering it’s never established where Series Four and Five are set, it may not even be London they need to be recreating. Hopefully, the story can distract me so I don’t focus on the errors.
Primeval: New World is set in Vancouver with recognizable local locations like the Olympic Village. This is the only episode I’ve seen them film where Vancouver is made to look like somewhere else. We don’t do London well, but it’s only for one episode or maybe only some scenes in an episode. Unfortunately there’s no way a Canadian series could afford to travel to the real London for a single episode.
PS Andrew-Lee Potts is in the PNW series premiere too but his scenes in that episode are set in Vancouver.
can’t wait! and we do have double decker buses, but in Victoria, not Vancouver, probably where they got that one:) looks exciting, wish Abby was here with Connor, but it’s still good, to have Connor!