Douglas Henshall as Nick CutterITV's adventure series returns this week with more mayhem for Nick Cutter and his team of mis-matched monster hunters.

We caught up with Dougie Henshall to find out what's in store for his character.

How has the loss of Stephen affected Cutter?
He's obviously devastated by the loss. Stephen was an old friend and no matter what had happened between them he was a huge part of Cutter's life. He feels like unless he can make some very real progress in terms of finding out what's happening and why, they are heading for very dark times. There is a real sense of foreboding on his part.

What are Helen's plans?
Helen has developed a serious God complex. She has been to the future, has seen it decimated, barren and overrun with future predators and believes that Cutter is responsible in some way. Helen is driven by an all consuming desire to change the course of the future – in her twisted reality she is going to save the human race. She is totally mad, which is why she's such a great villain. There is no reasoning with her.

Tell us about the new cast members...
We've got some great new blood on the show this series. Jason Flemyng brings an incredible energy to anything he works on. He's very lively and buoyant all the time and his presence on set lifts it immeasurably. His character, Danny, is very different from Cutter but that's what the show needs I think.

Laila (Rouass) is also someone who has an amazing vibe about her. What's interesting about the relationship between Dr Sarah Page and Cutter is that there is a real chemistry there, but it's not sexual. She's very much his equal and is someone he can spark with and bounce ideas off. Cutter hasn't really had another academic to discuss what is happening to them on a really serious level.

And Ben Mansfield, who plays Captain Becker, is great too. I think the show really needed his character to give it a balance. The Special Forces play a huge part and given what's happened it would seem foolhardy for the team not to have any kind of trained professional protecting them.

What creatures can we expect to see in the new series?
The Pristichampsus in the first episode opens the door for this idea that the anomalies have been a constant throughout history and that the creatures which appear in our myths and legends are in fact dinosaurs out of place and time.

In episode three we've got these diictodons which are really cute, almost cartoonish, burrowing creatures which can chew through anything. They are totally harmless in one respect, however they have been set loose in a hospital and the damage they cause is potentially life threatening.

That's what I love about this show. Not everything which comes through the anomalies has to be 40 foot high with dripping fangs and a healthy appetite.

Find out when Primeval is on TV.