Counter Measures- a new Who Spin Off

[SiHart]

This sounds like it could be good:
(news from DWM)

Counter Measures reunitesd Simon Williams as Group Captain Gilmore, Pamela Salem as Prof Rachel Jensen and Karen Gledhill as Alison (from Remembrance of the Daleks) for a new series set in 1964, some months after Remembrance. The Government commissions a specialist group to investigate dangerous new technology and unexplained phenomena... "The tone is part 60s Who, part Quatermass, Part Doomwatch and a lot completely new," explains producer David Richardson.

Coming October 2012, writers to be revealed in the new year...

[Si Hunt]

Fabulous! Who's doing it? Big Finish?

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Coming October 2012, writers to be revealed in the new year...

So this is the much hinted at new spin-off. I can understand them waiting until they'd recorded it before making the announcement but then why announce it so soon if they're not releasing it for another 12 months (I assume there are good scheduling reasons for the delay such as the release the other boxsets we've had promised such as Dominion and the follow up to To the Death which I hope will both be 2012 releases!). Also if it's already recorded why keep the identity of the writers a secret? Are we supposed to be massively impressed if they reveal that Ben Aaronovitch and Cartmel have written for it?

Forgive me if I seem a little underwhelmed, I'll probably change my tune when this actually gets released and we get trailers and other exciting things but at the moment all I can hear is the sound of my credit card groaning from inside my wallet. For me this is definitely going to the bottom of the queue as I still haven't got any of the Jago & Litefoot boxsets.

[Si Hunt]

I can feel the steady thud of a fifth subscription lumbering my way.

Si.

[Jon Masters]

The Government commissions a specialist group to investigate dangerous new technology and unexplained phenomena...

Sorry to be picky, but isn't that just Torchwood ? And does that mean we can look forward to "Chunky" Gilmore getting it on with Captain Jack ?

[Dirk Gently]

Sorry to be picky, but isn't that just Torchwood ? And does that mean we can look forward to "Chunky" Gilmore getting it on with Captain Jack ?

Also sounds like a re-brand of UNIT but on a cheap budget.

[Simon R]

I can't say I'm excited. There aren't enough days in the year for another spin off. I'd rather they were the companions in a trilogy with McCoy's Doctor where he stays in sixties London for a bit.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Well Torchwood is outside the government and UNIT is an international organisation whereas this is some kind of British government organisation (P.R.O.B.E.?) although if it's some kind of quango will it have anything to do with department C19 or department C4 aka The Forge?

I suspect this may crossover with the Dominion mini-series featuring the 7th Doctor, Raine and Klein. At least I'm hoping it does as that would make it more interesting.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I can't say I'm excited. There aren't enough days in the year for another spin off. I'd rather they were the companions in a trilogy with McCoy's Doctor where he stays in sixties London for a bit.

*cough* Dominion *cough*

See my previous post

[SiHart]

Having not been particularly excited about many of the recent boxsets of spin offs (sorry) I'm finding thsi one rathe intriguing. I always liked the characters and the actors who played them, and with the added bonus of a 60s setting, this could be rather fantastic.

[Rob McCow]

with the added bonus of a 60s setting, this could be rather fantastic.

Ah, ever the optimist!

Me, I'm completely down about everything BF do these days. I'd love for these to be brilliant, but every time I think that, I also think of Red, The Dark Husband, Assassin in The Limelight, The Game...

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Ah, ever the optimist!

Me, I'm completely down about everything BF do these days. I'd love for these to be brilliant, but every time I think that, I also think of Red, The Dark Husband, Assassin in The Limelight, The Game...

Interesting how subjective these things can be. I liked all of those stories except The Dark Husband which is dreadful.

[SiHart]

You liked Assassin in the Limelight?

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

You liked Assassin in the Limelight?

I only said liked. I'm not about to write it a glowing review but I'd be lying if I said I hated it. Big Finish have done a lot worse.

[Si Hunt]

I'm with Si actually, mainly because I think Pamela Salem is fabulous and I'd love to hear her back.

What's Dominion?!?!

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

I think the problem is that BF have, in the past, oversaturated the spin-off market.

I mean, what the heck was Graceless based off of? I'm guessing some obscure characters from one of the main range plays?

That said, I think that this is a good idea, and the kind of thing that they should've been doing spin-offs of in the first place!

I'm excited, at the least!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I'm with Si actually, mainly because I think Pamela Salem is fabulous and I'd love to hear her back.

What's Dominion?!?!

Si.

It was mentioned in the Big Finish interview article piece a few DWMs ago but I'm guessing that it hasn't been recorded yet.
The only details given were that it would feature The Seventh Doctor, Raine, Klein and UNIT and was being written by Jason Arnopp.

Casting wise I'm sure Pamela Salem and Simon Williams will be great but I've learnt from experience to lower my expectations when the BF producers start over-enthusing about things.

[SiHart]

Casting wise I'm sure Pamela Salem and Simon Williams will be great but I've learnt from experience to lower my expectations when the BF producers start over-enthusing about things.

This is a good point!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I think the problem is that BF have, in the past, oversaturated the spin-off market.

I mean, what the heck was Graceless based off of? I'm guessing some obscure characters from one of the main range plays?

That said, I think that this is a good idea, and the kind of thing that they should've been doing spin-offs of in the first place!

I'm excited, at the least!

Graceless features the tracer twins Amy and Zara from the Key2Time trilogy (plus one of the companion chronicles). Although for obvious reasons they had to rename Amy as Abby. You do have to wonder why they bothered. Especially as I think Key2Time as a whole made a bit of a mess with the idea of who/what the Guardians are and what the Key to Time is so I don't think it needed a spin-off.

I do prefer spin-offs of the Gallifrey and Jago and Litefoot ilk with characters from the classic series.

[Simon R]

I see those cheap and nasty looking BBV audios from ten years ago are all about to be re-released. I'm hoping for more adventured of the Dominie and Alice...

[SiHart]

The box.

Couple of interesting posts on this on the facebook group this morning- they'll be using 60s stock music for the incidentals on it to give it a period feel and the scripts have a similiar feel to early Avengers with Steed and Cathy...

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I do like the look at that box and at only £5 more than the download version I might be tempted despite my lack of shelf space!
Also DWM got it wrong (again!) as this is actually coming out in July which is doesn't seem quite so unbearably long to wait.
Also the news that Alastair McKenzie from Monarch of the Glen is in it has gone down quite well and Hugh Ross was fab in the Companion Chronicle he did with Frazer last year.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Some more details of the four stories on this boxset have been Announced by Big Finish:

July 2012 sees the release of Counter-Measures – Season One, a new full cast audio series from Big Finish productions. This spin-off from the Doctor Who tv story Remembrance of the Daleks by Ben Aaronovitch sees the return of Simon Williams as Group Captain Gilmore, Pamela Salem as Rachel Jensen and Karen Gledhill as Allison Williams, who are joined by Hugh Ross as Toby Kinsella in four stories.

Counter-Measures is set in 1964, and centres on the titular specialist organization that is charged with investigating strange phenomena and dangerous new science.

The line up is as follows:

Threshold by Paul Finch
A missing scientist and ghostly phenomena bring Gilmore and Allison to a factory in Bermondsey, and the discovery of a science that should not exist. As Rachel Jensen returns to help them, a new future for Counter-Measures is set in motion...

Artificial Intelligence by Matt Fitton
Investigating a suicide at the Sen-Gen Facility, the group discovers a new weapon in the Cold War – and Gilmore meets an old flame. Meanwhile Rachel discovers that she can’t trust anyone, not even the sound of her own voice...

The Pelage Project by Ian Potter
A case of industrial pollution leads the group to the new industrial town Pelage, and a dangerous meeting with its leader Ken Temple. And deep within the plant it appears that an alien invasion is already underway...

State of Emergency by Justin Richards
There are creatures from another dimension on the streets, and traitors in the halls of Westminster. When the government is in jeopardy, Rachel, Allison and Gilmore take on a faction staging a very un-British coup...

[SiHart]

Well it's here... and I can't wait to hear it!

[Rob McCow]

Don't wait for me dear!