Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: Matt Fitton, Justin Richards, Ken Bentley, John Dorney

RRP: £35.00 (CD) / £30.00 (Download)

Release Date: August 2014

Reviewed by: Nick Mellish for Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 15th August 2014

“The British government has created the Counter-Measures group, a specialist team that investigates strange phenomena and dangerous technology. This box set contains four of their adventures plus a behind-the-scenes documentary.

Changing of the Guard
Sir Toby fights for his career, while Counter-Measures leads a very different fight...

The Concrete Cage
Counter-Measures investigates strange events at a tower block under construction.

The Forgotten Village
A personal crisis for Allison turns into one of Counter-Measures' most dangerous assignments.

Unto the Breach
When footage emerges of an alien creature held in the Eastern Bloc, the team goes undercover to find it.”

***

Anyone who has read my review of The Assassination Games will know that I am rather fond of this spin-off series.  Plucking Allison, Rachel and Ian from the events of Remembrance of the Daleks and giving them their own series was perhaps a risk, but three series in, that edge of potential jeopardy is gone and you wonder instead why no-one saw the potential beforehand.

Three series in now, Big Finish seem happy enough to tweak the format slightly and give us something which is structurally perhaps more in line with Jago and Litefoot and Dark Eyes: the series’s story arc is more prevalent here than it ever has been before, ala Jago, whilst the entire thing feels at times more like the first instalment of something rather than a standalone affair, much as was the case with Dark Eyes 2 (and yet it is quite unlike that, for reasons I’ll go into later).  Whether or not that’s a good thing will depend, I suspect, on one’s views on those two series, and there is definitely an argument that what hasn’t been broken before maybe didn’t need to be fixed.  That said, it worked for me: I liked the risk it took and by the end of the fourth story in the set, I was very much on the edge, wanting more.

Let’s look at the stories in turn though, because much as I enjoyed the set overall, it’s safe to say that some episodes ranked higher for me than others.

We open with Changing of the Guard by Matt Fitton, a very capable pair of hands when it comes to scriptwriting in general and even more so when it comes to Counter-Measures.  This story has to serve two fronts: to mop up the debris of Series 2 and to set up the placement of the characters’ relationships for the rest of Series 3.  Fitton does this well with a script that takes full advantage of the 1960s setting with a tale of gangsters and ne’er-do-wells whilst counterpointing Sir Toby Kinsella’s duplicitous nature and string-pulling with the fact that he too is a puppet at times to higher powers.

Is it a perfect story? No.  There is a moment of utter stupidity for Allison that was frankly embarrassing in which she appears to forget seeing an object that the script brings painful attention to mere moments later when she sees a duplicate of it, and what should be a rousing and hard-hitting moment when Gilmore tries to round up some troops is left a bit icky and overly-sentimental as it’s reliant upon Gilmore narrating what’s going on: some things work better visually.

It’s a good opening though and leads us nicely to The Concrete Cage, the second tale in this box set and arguably the most standalone.  Written by Justin Richards, it is a ghost story that again uses the 1960s setting well, with post-war England trying to rebuild itself whilst shadows of the past loom large.  Sadly though, beyond using the era well, this episode did very little for me, with certain characters being oddly slow to reach what are fairly obvious solutions and, sadly, an air of predictability about it that renders potential surprises a bit dull.  What it most definitely does have in its favour though is a very solid guest performance from Michael Troughton as the brilliantly named Roderick Purton (Roderick Purton! Come on, that’s a great name) who manages to elevate what could be a rather nondescript and, again, predictable character with a predictable function far beyond its confines.

There was little else that really stood out for me in this story though.  Yes, the main cast’s rapport is as good as usual, but three series in now, that’s almost just expected from proceedings.  Thankfully though, things take an upswing with The Forgotten Village, the scriptwriting debut for Big Finish Productions by their go-to director Ken Bentley.  Ostensibly a character piece for Allison Williams, the story involves Allison being forced to return home to care for her sick father in his hour of need, despite her reluctance to and antipathy towards him.  So far, so usual perhaps, and certainly as the start of this episode, I found myself thinking, “Well, I can see where this one’s going...”

I was wrong though.  Potential old flames and happy reunions present themselves but Bentley is clever and knows Allison well enough to not make her do anything out of character.  We have the sprouts of clichés present themselves to us, but rather than fully blooming, Bentley subverts them.  It also gives us a truly surprising ending, something it has in common with the series finale, Unto the Breach by John Dorney.  This is probably the strongest use of the 1960s setting in Counter-Measures yet to my eyes and it reaps rewards accordingly.

Using the paranoia, cold harshness and mystery (to outsiders) of post-war Berlin as its starting point, Unto the Breach deals with the aftermath of The Forgotten Village on one hand whilst pushing other characters into truly dangerous situations with the other.  It’s become something of a cliché for press releases to describe stories or episodes as pushing ‘characters into places they have never been before’, but this story fully lives up to that hype.  Tense, clever, surprising and utterly nasty at times, Dorney ends the series on a real high and you do reach the end wondering how on earth Series 4 is going to resolve all that’s happening.  This is where it is simultaneously like and unlike Dark Eyes 2, as I alluded to earlier.  Both of them are the first instalments of something larger, but whilst a lot of Dark Eyes 2 perhaps felt like it was setting up all of which is to come, Counter-Measures 3 is less setting up than being that first episode of a two-part adventure.  I have a feeling that Series 4 will be less a standalone affair and more akin to Series 3b... but I’m fine with that.  If it can successfully build on all that has been started here and bring it to a satisfactory conclusion (no easy task) then I’ll be cheering.

It’s just a pity we have such a long time to wait before then! Time enough to watch Remembrance of the Daleks one more time and go back to where it all started, perhaps.

As 2013 approaches, BBC Books have sent DWO the covers and details for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Edition Reprints.

Ten Little Aliens
by Stephen Cole

Deep in the heart of a hollowed-out moon the First Doctor finds a chilling secret: ten alien corpses, frozen in time at the moment of their death.

They are the empire’s most wanted terrorists, and their discovery could end a war devastating the galaxy.

But is the same force that killed them still lurking in the dark? And what are its plans for the people of Earth?

An adventure featuring the First Doctor as played by William Hartnell and his companions Ben and Polly.

Dreams Of Empire
by Justin Richards

On a barren asteroid, the once-mighty Haddron Empire is on the brink of collapse, torn apart by civil war.

The one man who might have saved it languishes in prison, his enemies planning his death and his friends plotting his escape.

The Second Doctor arrives as the last act of this deadly drama is being played out – and with both terrifying killers and cunning traitors to defeat, the future hangs in the balance.

An adventure featuring the Second Doctor as played by Patrick Troughton and his companions Jamie and Victoria.

Last Of The Gaderene
by Mark Gatiss

The aerodrome in Culverton has new owners, and they promise an era of prosperity for the idyllic village.

But former Spitfire pilot Alex Whistler is suspicious – when black-shirted troops appear on the streets, he contacts his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart at U.N.I.T.

The Third Doctor is sent to investigate – and soon uncovers a sinister plot to colonise the Earth. The Gaderene are on their way…

An adventure featuring the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee and his companion Jo.

Festival Of Death
by Jonathan Morris

The Beautiful Death is the ultimate theme-park ride: a sightseeing tour of the afterlife. 

But something has gone wrong, and when the Fourth Doctor arrives in the aftermath of the disaster, he is congratulated for saving the population from destruction – something he hasn’t actually done yet. He has no choice but to travel back in time and discover how he became a hero.

And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.

An adventure featuring the Fourth Doctor as played by Tom Baker and his companions Romana and K-9.

Fear Of The Dark
by Trevor Baxendale

On a moon of the ruined planet Akoshemon, an age-old terror is about to be reborn. 

Something that remembers the spiral of war, pestilence and deprivation – and rejoices in it. The Fifth Doctor joins a team of archaeologists searching for evidence of the planet’s infamous past, and uncovers more than just ancient history.

Forced to confront his own worst fears, even the Doctor will be pushed to breaking point – and beyond.

An adventure featuring the Fifth Doctor as played by Peter Davison and his companions Tegan and Nyssa.

Players
by Terrance Dicks 

Arriving on the sun-baked veldt in the middle of the Boer War, the Sixth Doctor is soon involved in the adventures of struggling politician and war correspondent Winston Churchill. Of course, he knows Churchill is destined for great things, but unseen forces seem to be interfering with Winston’s historic career…

The Doctor suspects the hidden hand of the Players, mysterious beings who regard human history as little more than a game.

With time running out, can the Doctor find the right moves to defeat them?

An adventure featuring the Sixth Doctor as played by Colin Baker and his companion Peri.

Remembrance Of The Daleks
by Ben Aaronovitch 

With unfinished business to attend to, the Seventh Doctor returns to where it all began: Coal Hill School in London in 1963. Last time he was here, the Doctor left something behind – a powerful Time Lord artefact that could unlock the secrets of time travel.

Can the Doctor retrieve it before two rival factions of Daleks track it down? And even if he can, how will the Doctor prevent the whole of London becoming a war zone as the Daleks meet in explosive confrontation?

An adventure featuring the Seventh Doctor as played by Sylvester McCoy and his companion Ace.

Earthworld
by Jacqueline Rayner 

Anji has just had the worst week of her life. She should be back at her desk, not travelling through time and space in a police box. The Eighth Doctor is supposed to be taking her home, so why are there dinosaurs outside?

The Doctor doesn’t seem to know either, or else he surely would have mentioned the homicidal princesses, teen terrorists and mad robots?

One thing is certain: Anji is never going to complain about Monday mornings in the office again.

An adventure featuring the Eighth Doctor as played by Paul McGann and his companions Fitz and Anji.

Only Human
by Gareth Roberts 

Reports of a time disturbance lead the Ninth Doctor to modern-day London, where he discovers a Neanderthal Man, twenty-eight thousand years after his race became extinct.

A trip back to the dawn of humanity only deepens the mystery: who are these strange humans from the far future now living in the distant past?

The Doctor must learn the truth about the Osterberg experiment before history is changed forever.

An adventure featuring the Ninth Doctor as played by Christopher Eccleston and his companion Rose.

Beautiful Chaos
by Gary Russell  

Wilfred Mott is very happy: his granddaughter, Donna, is back home, catching up with family and gossiping about her journeys, and he has just discovered a new star and had it named after him. He takes the Tenth Doctor with him to the naming ceremony.

But the Doctor soon discovers something else new, and worryingly bright, in the heavens – something that is heading for Earth.

It’s an ancient force from the Dark Times. And it is very, very angry…

An adventure featuring the Tenth Doctor as played by David Tennant and his companion Donna. 

The Silent Stars Go By
by Dan Abnett 

The winter festival is approaching for the hardy colony of Morphans, but no one is in the mood to celebrate. They’re trying to build a new life on a cold new world, but each year gets harder and harder.

It’s almost as if some dark force is working against them. Then three mysterious travelers arrive out of the midwinter night, one of them claiming to be a doctor.

Are they bringing the gift of salvation or doom? And what else might be lurking out there, about to wake up?

An adventure featuring the Eleventh Doctor as played by Matt Smith and his companions Amy and Rory.

+  The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Editions are all released on 7th March 2013, Priced £7.99.

+  Compare Prices for these Books on CompareTheDalek.com.

[Source: BBC Books]

Forbidden Planet have teamed up with Character Options for another Exclusive Doctor Who Toy.

The Remembrance of the Daleks Set features Davros (as Dalek Emperor) and a Destroyed Imperial Dalek (as seen in the Classic Series adventure Remembrance of the Daleks).

The TARDIS arrives in London in November 1963, where the Seventh Doctor and Ace discover that two rival factions of Daleks - one loyal to the Dalek Emperor and one to the Dalek Supreme - are seeking the Hand of Omega, a powerful Time Lord device that the first Doctor hid there during an earlier sojourn on Earth.

The Daleks are focusing their search around Coal Hill School - the school that the Doctor's grand-daughter Susan attended - while a human military unit led by Group Captain Gilmore is attempting to resist their incursions. The Imperial Daleks eventually capture the device.

The Dalek Emperor is revealed to be Davros, now with only the last vestiges of his humanoid form remaining. The Doctor begs him not to use the Hand but is ignored. However, this is just the final ruse in a complex trap laid by the Doctor.

The Hand of Omega utterly destroys the Dalek home planet, Skaro, and then returns to destroy their forces orbiting Earth.

Contents:

1 x Dalek Emperor Davros action figure.

1 x Destroyed Imperial Dalek action figure.

+  The Remembrance of the Daleks Set is released on 9th March 2012, priced £29.99.

+  Preorder this product from Forbidden Planet!

[Source: Forbidden Planet]