Big Finish Review: Counter-Measures Series 3

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 by Matt Fitton
Sir Toby fights for his career, while Counter-Measures leads a very different fight…

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

The Forgotten Village by Ken Bentley
A personal crisis for Allison turns into one of Counter-Measures’ most dangerous assignments.

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

The Counter-Measures series is kind of a niche within a niche within a niche within a niche. Most Doctor Who fans these days are newbies who prefer the new series. Of those who prefer the old series, few have any interest in the audios. Of those who do, fewer still have any interest in following the adventures of a group of supporting characters from one episode that aired over 25 years ago. That anyone would even attempt to make a series like this shows what madmen the Big Finish people really are. That it succeeds so very well as a combination of Cold War intrigue and alien invasion-type stories, proves their levels of genius.

This third series is no exception. It picks up where series two ended (and gives us a catchy new theme), with CMG supervisor Sir Toby having to attend a hearing about his involvement in certain events during World War II (overseen, amusingly, by the Department of Administrative Affairs). As he does, the rest of the CMG are dealing with their new leader, who turns out to be not nearly as competent. They’re also investigating an odd series of gangland crimes which all seem to have been done by the same person, who appears to be able to be in twenty different locations at once.

I quite liked this story. It’s not the strongest of the bunch, but it’s an extremely solid tale. Templeton, the replacement for Sir Toby, is one of those people who hasn’t yet learned how to wield power and who thinks that his title is enough to make people follow him. He’s mistaken there. I also found the acting by everyone, particularly guest actor Ben Bishop, to be quite excellent.

The second story deals with a haunted apartment block. Yeah. I dunno. I really wanted to like this story quite a lot, and it does have a lot going for it, including a fairly decent concept. Among other things it’s a great chance for Gilmore and Rachel to spend some quality time together, and I like the way Big Finish is building up the chemistry between them. But overall this one just felt kind of “eh”.

The third gets back into form, however, as Allison goes back to her hometown where her father has had an injury. Soon everyone notices that the townsfolk are behaving strangely (because, really, when do people from a small, rural town behave normally in fiction?), and it isn’t long before the rest of the CMG shows up and gets involved. This story had much more going for it, including some great character development for Allison, and some great chances for Karen Gledhill to show off her acting talents. I was also rather surprised by how it ended, and I’m left wondering how much of an impact that will have down the line.

And the fourth story brings us fully into the Cold War, as Gilmore, Rachel and Sir Toby head to Berlin to investigate an alien the East Germans seem to have captured. Yeah, remember when East Germany was a thing? Anyhow, things quickly spiral out of control, and without getting too much into spoiler territory, oh, my. It’ll be very interesting indeed to hear how Big Finish manages to dig everyone out of this hole.

Overall I felt this was a very strong series, and I really enjoyed it. It’s easily the best of the sets so far, and while it probably isn’t the best place to start listening to the Counter-Measures stories, it’s certainly a wonderful continuation.

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

Cast: Simon Williams (Group Captain Gilmore), Pamela Salem (Rachel Jensen), Karen Gledhill (Allison Williams), Hugh Ross (Sir Toby Kinsella), Philip Pope (Templeton), Ben Bishop (Kenny), Richard Hope (William Heaton), Michael Troughton (Roderick Purton), Janet Henfrey (Old Woman), Rupert Evans (Jack Maddocks), Tim Bentinck (Mr Williams), Derek Carlyle (Sam), Graham Seed (Mr Bevan), George Layton (Lehne), Toby Longworth (Werner), Anjella Mackintosh (Jager)

Counter-Measures Series 3 is available now from BigFinish.com or via the Amazon link below.