Counter-Measures
Big Finish series based on Remembrance of the Daleks
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Counter-Measures and The New Counter-Measures are Big Finish Productions audio play series based on the television series Doctor Who. Continuing the story of several characters from the serial Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), the British government establishes a new organization called Counter-Measures to investigate reports of advanced technology, the supernatural and alien sightings.
- Ken Bentley
- John Dorney
- Matt Fitton
- Christopher Hatherall
- Roland Moore
- Ian Potter
- Justin Richards
- Mark Wright
| Counter-Measures / The New Counter-Measures | |
|---|---|
| Big Finish Productions audio drama | |
| Series | The Worlds of Doctor Who |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Ken Bentley |
| Produced by | David Richardson |
| Executive producers | |
| Starring |
|
| Music | Nicholas Briggs |
| Release date |
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Cast
- Simon Williams as Ian Gilmore – The Counter-Measures' group captain and a Royal Air Force officer, he served as the first leader of the Intrusion Counter-Measures Group.
- Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen – A professor and the scientific adviser for Gilmore, who becomes the head of Counter-Measures after him.
- Karen Gledhill as Allison Williams – Jensen's research assistant in 1963.
- Hugh Ross as Toby Kinsella – A British civil servant who oversaw the original Intrusion Countermeasures Group.
Production
Counter-Measures was initially announced in April 2012, and set for release the following July. The series was announced to reunite the cast of Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), including Simon Williams as Captain Gilmore, Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen and Karen Gledhill as Allison, as well as the inclusion of Hugh Ross as Toby Kinsella. Alastair Mackenzie was also included as Allison's boyfriend Julian.[1] The series was announced to be continuing by Doctor Who Magazine and writer Cavan Scott in December 2012.[2]
The New Counter-Measures was developed after the initial Counter-Measures range concluded, and was planned to be a "transitional period" for the titular group, combining the story of Remembrance of the Daleks with the creation of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. The series was initially released as two specials in July 2016, followed by a full series the following December, with the full cast of the original series returning.[3] The New Counter-Measures was initially announced as concluded in February 2019;[4][5] however, two further specials were announced in August 2019, set for release in April and May 2020.[6]
Reception
Games Radar reviewed the first series of Counter-Measures, commenting on the series' "political reality" and the original episode's "lack of rose-tinted nostalgia". The leads were praised on how they were able to reprise their roles from the television series, though the level of unevenness was commented on, on how some episodes featured over-used sound effects and plots of other episodes were "far-fetched"; however, the series overall was rated positively as a promising start.[7] Starburst Magazine awarded the second series 8 out of 10, approving the move from the technology that was focused on in the first series to the character-led development of the second series, especially Sir Toby.[8]
Steve Mollmann of Unreality SF reviewed the third season, and commented on how he was initially disappointed by the finale of the second series and its lead-in to the third series. Mollmann's best reviewed story was Unto the Breach, with compliments to the Cold War storyline and Hugh Ross's acting as Sir Toby. Overall, he reviewed the third series as "not Counter-Measures at its best", but that the ending of the series "promises Series 4 to be a return to form".[9]
Episodes
Counter-Measures
Series 1 (2012)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Threshold" | Ken Bentley | Paul Finch | – | July 2012 |
| 2 | "Artificial Intelligence" | Ken Bentley | Matt Fitton | Julian St Stephen, Broderick | July 2012 |
| 3 | "The Pelage Project" | Ken Bentley | Ian Potter | – | July 2012 |
| 4 | "State of Emergency" | Ken Bentley | Justin Richards | Julian St Stephen | July 2012 |
Series 2 (2013)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Manhunt" | Ken Bentley | Matt Fitton | Emma, Templeton, West | July 2013 |
| 2 | "The Fifth Citadel" | Ken Bentley | James Goss | Templeton | July 2013 |
| 3 | "Peshka" | Ken Bentley | Cavan Scott & Mark Wright | Shurik | July 2013 |
| 4 | "Sins of the Fathers" | Ken Bentley | John Dorney | Emma, Templeton | July 2013 |
Series 3 (2014)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Changing of the Guard" | Ken Bentley | Matt Fitton | Templeton, Heaton | July 2014 |
| 2 | "The Concrete Cage" | Ken Bentley | Justin Richards | – | July 2014 |
| 3 | "The Forgotten Village" | Ken Bentley | Ken Bentley | – | July 2014 |
| 4 | "Unto the Breach" | Ken Bentley | John Dorney | Templeton | July 2014 |
Series 4 (2015)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "New Horizons" | Ken Bentley | Mark Wright | Templeton, Captain | July 2015 |
| 2 | "The Keep" | Ken Bentley | Ken Bentley | Templeton, Heaton, Captain, West, Broderick, Shurik | July 2015 |
| 3 | "Rise and Shine" | Ken Bentley | John Dorney | Templeton, Heaton | July 2015 |
| 4 | "Clean Sweep" | Ken Bentley | Matt Fitton | Heaton | July 2015 |
The New Counter-Measures
Specials (2016)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Who Killed Toby Kinsella?" | Ken Bentley | John Dorney | Mikhail | July 2016 |
| 2 | "The Dead Don't Rise" | Ken Bentley | Ken Bentley | Mikhail | July 2016 |
Series 1 (2016)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Nothing to See Here" | Ken Bentley | Guy Adams | – | December 2016 |
| 2 | "Troubled Waters" | Ken Bentley | Ian Potter | – | December 2016 |
| 3 | "The Phoenix Strain" | Ken Bentley | Christopher Hatherall | – | December 2016 |
| 4 | "A Gamble with Time" | Ken Bentley | John Dorney | Suzanne Clare | December 2016 |
Series 2 (2017)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Splintered Man" | Ken Bentley | Roland Moore | – | December 2017 |
| 2 | "The Ship of the Sleepwalkers" | Ken Bentley | Christopher Hatherall | – | December 2017 |
| 3 | "My Enemy's Enemy" | Ken Bentley | Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky | Suzanne Clare | December 2017 |
| 4 | "Time of the Intelligence" | Ken Bentley | Andy Frankham-Allen | Edward Travers, Great Intelligence | December 2017 |
Series 3 (2019–20)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featuring | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Hollow King" | Ken Bentley | Ian Potter | – | January 2019 |
| 2 | "The Movellan Manoeuvre" | Ken Bentley | John Dorney | Suzanne Clare, Movellans | April 2020 |
| 3 | "The Dalek Gambit" | Ken Bentley | Roland Moore | Suzanne Clare, Movellans, Daleks | April 2020 |