ITV has put the bite on a second prime-time monster drama with a Bradford actor in the lead.

A week after announcing that it would not commission a new series of Primeval, starring Wibsey-born Andrew-Lee Potts, the network has now scrapped Demons.

The show, which starred local boy Christian Cooke, 23, alongside Philip Glen-ister of Ashes to Ashes fame, aired in the New Year in the Saturday teatime slot.

A former pupil of St Mary’s School in Menston and a Bingley Arts Centre regular, Christian, 22, played Luke Rutherford, the last in the bloodline of the infamous Van Helsing family from Dracula.

ITV has clamped down on expensive, special-effects laden series, instead saying it will concentrate on “post- watershed” dramas with less of a fantastic angle.

And after saying that a fourth series of Primeval would not go ahead, ITV has now confirmed that Demons “will not be returning” for a second outing. The six-part first series had Christian and his fellow cast-members, who also included Mackenzie Crook of The Office, battling vampires and “half-lifes” – shadowy demonic creatures who live on the fringes of society.

Although not critically acclaimed, Demons did get a following among fans and there has been widespread dismay at ITV’s decision to cut down on the Saturday teatime adventure series that gained new popularity with the success of the new Doctor Who.

Both Impossible Pictures, which produces Primeval, and Shine, the company behind Demons, have been holding talks with digital channels about the possibility of continuing the shows there.

One such company, the American-based satellite channel Sci Fi (to be renamed Syfy next month) is thought to be interested in both Primeval and Demons, which might mean a return to terrestrial television in the future.