ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 12, 2021 14:01:15 GMT
And so begins the brilliant spin-off series, Counter Measures.
One thing it nails from the start is England, and specifically London, in the 1960s. It oozes atmosphere of a country entering the swinging 60s but still trying to recover from being bombed almost to submission in WWII.
The team, not yet fully established and without the full backing of Whitehall, investigate a potential teleportation device that is being tested by a German scientist in Bermondsey. It is worth noting that a blind eye was turned - post 1945 - to many a German scientist's war 'crimes' as the victorious countries in the world scrambled to acquire some of the most brilliant minds in Europe, who were working on projects seemingly far in advance of their time.
Maybe far in advance means extra terrestrial, who knows?
The story is a touch creepy and works as a fantastic set-up to the rest of the box set, and the 3 that follow. We also see how the relationship between Sir Toby, the slightly machiavellian senior civil servant in charge, and the rest of the team starts to develop.
Great stuff. And a brilliant soundtrack/refrain just for good measure.
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Post by Ela on Oct 20, 2021 4:49:05 GMT
Ooh this is interesting, well it is to me anyway. Matt Fitton's Artificial Intelligence is based partly on a short-wave radio phenomenon, which has been around for decades, called 'The Number Stations'. Radio buffs noticed that strange broadcasts, which sat at the very edges of the dial, were all over the airwaves. Most have a jingle followed by blocks of seemingly random numbers, and are suspected to be secret service broadcasts to their agents in the field. 'The Lincolnshire Poacher' is one such broadcast, which is still transmitting today - and AI has a similar jingle and operative(s) reading sets of numbers in the same manner. www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/counter-measures-podcast---artificial-intelligence-july-xyoutu.be/QnXPqUU6fI0www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000xf66 (starts about 5 mins in) I remember hearing about the number stations years ago, but it didn't occur to me that this story was based on that. I think I was heard about it on this radio broadcast: youtu.be/QP5J9-D7_jw
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Post by Ela on Oct 20, 2021 4:50:48 GMT
Anyway, I enjoyed the first set of stories. It was a little hard to follow at first, but got interesting and was suitably creepy in places.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2021 11:51:03 GMT
I can’t believe I haven’t commented on these sets before or that they never had a thread ...probably on the What are you listening today? Thread no doubt. Both of these ranges NEW and Old(er) are among my favourite teams and going back to the beginning the first story grabs you by the pants in its creepy vibe. i am sure New Listeners wont be disappointed on delving into them even if they do not know the actual TV origins...there’s no reliance on our favourite Time Lord to get them out of their scrapes until you delve into the 1963 release.Eah character in the TEAM is distinct and with beautiful enunciation 😂
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Post by Ela on Oct 24, 2021 17:54:58 GMT
i am sure New Listeners wont be disappointed on delving into them even if they do not know the actual TV origins...there’s no reliance on our favourite Time Lord to get them out of their scrapes until you delve into the 1963 release.Eah character in the TEAM is distinct and with beautiful enunciation 😂 Yeah, these can be listened to without going back to the TV series in which (some) of the characters first appeared.
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Post by Kestrel on Nov 23, 2021 10:10:30 GMT
Anyone notice whether or not these sets go on sale very often? Am about to start AI (first two stories are out there free) and am wondering just how much I'll be 'missing out' with just the front half of this set.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2021 11:28:05 GMT
Anyone notice whether or not these sets go on sale very often? Am about to start AI (first two stories are out there free) and am wondering just how much I'll be 'missing out' with just the front half of this set. Its been quite rare but does happen rarely 😂😂😂
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Nov 23, 2021 21:45:25 GMT
Anyone notice whether or not these sets go on sale very often? Am about to start AI (first two stories are out there free) and am wondering just how much I'll be 'missing out' with just the front half of this set. Yes, because there is an arc across the first box set (and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th come to think of it) and no, because you can just enjoy the first 2 stories for what they are.
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Post by Kestrel on Nov 25, 2021 6:37:04 GMT
Hm... guess I'll jump into AI, then. That may make the boxset a harder sell for me if and when it goes on sale, though, as I'd only be buying (practically speaking) two stories.
Now to decide if I do that before or after my (trainwreck) relisten of Dark Eyes... only five stories left to go!
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
|
Post by ljwilson on Nov 25, 2021 18:50:04 GMT
Hm... guess I'll jump into AI, then. That may make the boxset a harder sell for me if and when it goes on sale, though, as I'd only be buying (practically speaking) two stories. Now to decide if I do that before or after my (trainwreck) relisten of Dark Eyes... only five stories left to go! Did you start with Threshold?
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Post by Kestrel on Dec 2, 2021 3:14:07 GMT
Oh, sorry, I didn't see your question earlier. Yes, I started with Threshold. I enjoyed it, but I had a bit of a hard time following the story because I couldn't differentiate between the characters very well. I plan to give it a second listen soon, before jumping into AI, before posting my thoughts.
I am certainly very fascinated by the premise and approach BF took with this range, though. I'd assumed it was based on a 1960s story, so I was surprised to discover it was, in fact, based on the not-Brigadier & co., from Remembrance of the Daleks, which I only recently saw for the first time--notably after first listening the Threshold.
On my second listen, I suspect having Remembrance in mind will be very helpful. In retrospect, those characters (well, not the Nazi boy(s) so much, but the commanding officer and the scientist left a pretty oversized impression, almost as though Remembrance was meant to be a backdoor pilot. Between the strong characters and the domestic Nazis, I could easily see it snowballing into a "UNIT: The TV Show" prequel series to the Pertwee era.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Dec 2, 2021 8:57:46 GMT
Enjoy the ride, probably my favourite Big Finish series.
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