As ITV confirmed that a new co-production deal would allow the return of cult show Primeval, showrunner Adrian Hodges exclusively revealed to Total Sci-Fi that the new episodes will be filmed in Ireland.

A co-production deal has been made between ITV, UKTV, German station Pro7 and BBC America which will see a seven-episode fourth season premiere on ITV in early 2011, and a six-episode fifth season begin on Watch later that year.

Hodges told Total Sci-Fi “Obviously I’m thrilled that we’ll be coming back to make series 4 and 5. We were dismayed to leave the storylines unfinished at the end of series 3 and doing the new series is a chance both to put that right and move Primeval on into the future – I’m very excited about it.

“Obviously some things about the new series will be familiar to viewers but some things will change – for one thing we’re shooting the new series in Ireland, which on the production side helps us with tax breaks, but also gives us a lot of new locations to work with. Although the show has been shot in and around London up to now, it’s never been specifically a “London” show – for the most part it could be taking place in any modern city and we already know that Dublin will enable us to keep the modern, urban look of the show intact.

“The fact that we’re back at all says a great deal about the worldwide popularity of the show; without the support of fans and the very real demand for more Primeval I don’t think we’d have been able to pull this off. It goes without saying, I hope, that Tim Haines and I are deeply grateful for the way in which so many fans rallied round the show when news of its initial cancellation broke. The fact that we’re back is in large part a tribute to them.

“Primeval means a great deal to me and although we’re still at the early stage of planning the new series, our ambition is to make it the biggest and most successful series to date.”