The word on the street is that Primeval (Saturday, ITV1) is the new Doctor Who . ITV1 has seen a bit of that “classy but populist sci-fi serial” pie, and they want a slice.

And you know what? It looks as if they’ve got it. I mean, who could refuse this pitch: “Magnetic anomalies start opening up all over Britain, and dinosaurs pop though.” Everyone wants to watch that show. Magnetic anomalies mean dinosaurs smashing up an Asda. Maverick Scottish professors (in this case Douglas Henshall, super-hot) trying to boffin their way against the invaders. Freaky space-time anomalies in the middle of the New Forest. Man, you’ve got to love an anomaly. Even though, if I’m being honest, the anomaly in Primeval looks a lot like someone shining a torch through a louvre door.

Of course, Primeval isn’t just notable for its marauding dinosaurs. It also marks the first big TV role for Hannah Spearritt, formerly of the pop band S Club 7. In a stroke of literal genius, Spearritt plays a lizard expert at the local zoo, who often takes her work home with her. Do you see yet why this is genius? Do you see? Yes! Spearritt’s flat must be permanently superheated, meaning that Spearritt must . . . spend a certain proportion of her scenes wearing only a tiny pair of pink pants, and a weeny lemon-coloured vest! Has to. For character reinforcement. For the lizards. I honestly consider that to be an idea of creativity and sheer mind-power on a par with Pet Sounds .

Of course, there are a few downsides. The cutesy friendly dinosaur — super-anthropomorphic, irritating in a way that is verging on Jar Jar Binks — is vexatious. And however much Primeval wants to fill the Doctor Who slot, it’s not written by Russell T. Davies, so while it’s well-plotted, it is neither witty nor, judging by the first episode, likely to throw in an absolute left-field/gobsmacking episode like The Satan Pit , in which the Doctor accidentally released Satan. But, you know, it’s shaping up as good, good stuff. A crispy baked potato. A well-turned pie.

Foyle’s War (Sunday, ITV1) seems to have been going on so long that the war in question might well be the Hundred Years’ War, rather than the Second World one. This weekend, some chick in a munitions factory accidentally blew herself up at the top of the show, leading to an hour of speculation, period-perfect wardrobe, and slightly self-conscious references as to how long it had been since anyone had seen a banana. The end of my tape went wonky — possibly it had been intercepted by Jerry, in an attempt to damage my morale — but it looked pretty certain that the hot young lunatic mechanic was a wrong ’un, and that absolutely nothing attached to Foyle’s War , in any shape or form, would be over by Christmas.

24 (Sunday, Sky One) is a show that has become modish for young people to comment on thus: “It’s all got a bit ridiculous recently.” Recently? Recently? This is a show that, in its opening five minutes in its first episode, showed a hot chick shag a man in an aeroplane toilet, steal his data, strap on a parachute and jump out of the plane, detonating an onboard bomb behind her.

Really, 24 couldn’t have laid out the parameters of its joyful ridiculousness any sooner. It’s not as if there’s been a sudden change of plan.

And, to be honest, the show keeps getting better. This weekend — 12pm-1pm, lunchtime — we got to know Jack’s family a little better. This was a stroke of genius only just behind Spearritt’s super-heated-flat pant-exposition. Jack has — of course! — an incredibly hard family. I mean, a bunch of lunatic nails nutcases who make Daniel Craig’s Bond look like David Niven’s. Jack’s brother, Graham, and Jack’s dad, Mr Bauer, have secretly tried to kill Jack. Twice. It was these two who assassinated the President! Imagine if all this had come out around the Christmas table one year. Sprouts everywhere.

In the event, Jack visits his brother — who looks a great deal like the self-promoting journalist and all-round idiot Toby Young, a matter of great satisfaction when Jack subsequently tortures him. Jack, however, still doesn’t realise his dad’s a bad ’un. And my God, his dad is bad. At the end of the episode, he quietly killed Toby Young, and then set off to try to kill Jack — for the third time.

He never will, of course, because Jack Bauer is still the most magnificent specimen of man ever to walk the earth, and some of Kiefer Sutherland’s scenes as Jack are among the best TV this year — particularly when he was simultaneously torturing and comforting his brother. Amazing, adrenalin TV. Even after you notice that the theme tune is really similar to that of The Crystal Maze .

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