Filming has begun in Dublin on the 13 episodes forming the fourth and fifth seasons of Primeval.

Speaking exclusively to Total Sci-Fi, co-creator Adrian Hodges said he was delighted with the additions to the cast, including Ciarin McMenamin, who played the older David Copperfield in Hodges’ adaptation of the Dickens novel for BBC Classics, as new leading man Matt Anderson.

“He is a wonderful actor with an enigmatic, heroic quality that fits his character really well,” Hodges said. “Matt is a man with a lot of secrets and I think Ciarin is terrific at being both heroic, accessible but also just a little bit mysterious.”

Former Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Alexander Siddig joins as Philip Burton, the co-runner of the ARC with Ben Miller’s James Lester. “It's a real coup for us to get such a fine actor in this important part and I think he's going to bring a lot of quality to the show. It's a joy to be working with him,” Hodges notes.

Playing Jess, the new head of operations at the ARC, is Irish actress Ruth Kearney. “She is a new face – Primeval is her first TV job – and as the character of Jess I think she's gong to be a lot of fun. She has a fresh, lively quality which is lovely and she's also very funny.”

Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee-Potts and Ben Mansfield will be reprising their roles as Abby, Connor and Becker, with Hodges telling us that he’s “also really glad that one or two important faces from the past are going to be returning during the series. Stand by for surprises...!"

Primeval returns to ITV in early 2011.