Doctor Who
Summary
MD Who ’s ultimate villain , the Master , has had several personification throughout the show , but some stand out more than others . Since the show ’s beginning in 1963 , the Master has taunted the Doctor for several reasons , including their past together on their dwelling house planet , Gallifrey , as well as each Doctor ’s ongoing commitment to Planet Earth and humanity . In the late 60th - anniversary special , the Toymaker ( Neil Patrick Harris ) teased that the Master may return . This came from substantiation that the Master was trapped in the Toymaker ’s atomic number 79 tooth , which could incriminate the Master ’s retort inDoctor Whoseason 14 .
Although theDoctor Whoseason 14 casthas yet to control this , it ’s likely that showrunner Russell T. Davies will bring the Master back . The Master ’s never - end struggles withevery avatar of the Doctorhave maintain audiences prosecute for decades , especially because of their complexities as a character and the antagonistic force they bring in to the show . The Master has always been a great way forDoctor Whowriters to expand on the titular eccentric ’s backstory , and much like the Dr. , some versions of the Master have been unspoiled than others .
Doctor Who ’s next time of year seems to feature supernatural threat , which suggests the Toymaker ’s influence could be feel in next stories .
Actor
Years As The Master
Roger Delgado
1971 – 1973
Peter Pratt & Eric Roberts
1976 & 1981
The latest Doctor Who series introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, joined by new companion Ruby Sunday.
Anthony Ainley
1981 – 1989
Eric Roberts
The latest Doctor Who series introduces the Fifteenth Doctor, joined by new companion Ruby Sunday.
1996
John Simm
2007 – 2010 , 2017
Michelle Gomez
2014 – 2017
Sacha Dhawan
2020 – 2022
Each edition of the Master listed is from doer who gave full , canonical performance as the character reference . It does not include adaptation of a young Master through flashbacks or versions of the Master from comedy or charity specials .
8Peter Pratt & Geoffrey Beevers (1976 & 1981)
The Crispy Master
Peter Pratt first played the Master in the Fourth Doctor ( Tom Baker ) adventure " The Deadly Assassin . " Also known as the Crispy Master because of his decayed appearance and raspy voice , Pratt was the first actor to roleplay the Master after Roger Delgado ’s death in 1973.Because the Master ’s flavor made it hard for Pratt to portray the role in full gesture , especially lacking strong facial expressions , it was a unmanageable job for him to abuse into the shoes of such a legendary actor .
Despite this , Pratt still give a solid and memorable performance throughout . This was peculiarly true as Pratt ’s Master was the last in his life cps , which allowed audience to well understand the fragility of the Time Lords , who had been prove as comparatively bullet - proof until this point . Understandably , Pratt front a lot of pressure in this role , not just because of Delgado ’s death but also because he was the second - ever performer to play the Master .
Pratt ’s Master was the last in his life cycle per second , which allowed hearing to better understand the delicacy of the Time Lords .
The Crispy Master return once again in the Fourth Doctor serial , " The Keeper of Traken , " portrayed by actor Geoffrey Beevers , which marked the 2nd appearance of this incarnation of the Master . This narrative included some interestingDoctor Wholore that would modify the future of the show , with the Master managing to chisel death by slipping into a new body . This would mark the origination of Anthony Ainley ’s Master , who would go on to star in severalDoctor Whoadventures as the character .
Although Beevers and Pratt toy the same incarnation of the Master , Beevers did not confront the same issue . For example , Beevers ' face was painted green rather than accept to wear off a mask , which made his diction easier to empathise , and he had a full range of movement in his side . His perverted portrayal of the Master was meet for the role , and despite appearing for only one episode , he devote a brilliant operation before hand the reigns over to Anthony Ainley .
7Eric Roberts (1996)
The Master Who Loved His Gallifreyan Robes
Eric Roberts starred in the 1996Doctor Whotelevision movie as the Master , opposite Paul McGann ’s Eighth Doctor . The Oscar - propose actor is well commemorate for his over - the - top public presentation as the Master , although this variation of the character disagree greatly from others . For example , for a lot of the picture show , the Master is sporting a full Time Lord robe attire , something that he clearly make whoopie in doing , but still a dash that previous incarnation would n’t have gone with .
Although Roberts was far from a spoiled Master , this personification did n’t quite fit the same structure that the likes of Ainley had established . It ’s deserving noting that theDoctor Whomovie , while canon , stands out as having a different look to the rest period of the show . However , it ’s clear thatRoberts ' variation of the Master borrowed from several movie and idiot box villain figure , with moment filled with tenseness while give mess of camp , a attractively accurate combination for anyDoctor Whostory or theatrical role .
6Derek Jacobi (2007)
The Time War Master
While Derek Jacobi only asterisk in the role of the Master for one episode , he made a immense wallop on the show as a whole . Jacobi appeared as the bumbling Professor Yana in one ofDoctor Who ’s best episodes , “ Utopia , ” and was shot by his assistant , Chantho ( Chipo Chung ) , which resulted in his regeneration into John Simm ’s Saxon Master . This was the first instance of a Master appearing inDoctor Whoafter the show ’s revival in 2005,and also saw the Doctor ’s ultimate frenemy at his most fragile .
Jacobi ’s public presentation balanced the vulnerability of the scared human in Yana with the Master ’s madden behavior . Even though Yana lack his original remembering and his material personality , it did n’t stop core element of the Master from drop off through , such as his sudden bitterness at points , as well as the first reference work to the drums , which would stay a prominent Master feature through John Simm ’s run . Watching him slowly discover his true self built up a lot of anticipation for several plot item that had been littered throughout the season , and Jacobi ’s portrait was a brilliant way to re-introduce the character .
5Anthony Ainley (1981–1989)
Doctor Who’s Longest-Running Master
Anthony Ainley was the farsighted - consecutive - running Master inDoctor Who ’s history , playing the function from 1981 until his last appearance in the 1989 story " Survival , " which was also the last dangerous undertaking before the show was canceled . During his run , Ainley ’s Master faced an unbelievable five incarnations of the physician : from the Third ( Jon Pertwee ) to the Seventh ( Sylvester McCoy ) . Although nobody ever quite matched Delgado ’s energy as the madden Time Lord , Ainley was definitely skinny to doing so while adding his own twisting on the role .
It ’s worth noting that despite the similarities in appearance between Delgado ’s and Ainley ’s rendition , the latter had an unmatched presence . For representative , every final scene of Ainley ’s , before disappearing for a while to amount back and stimulate mayhem at a later particular date , always leave behind a mysterious air and precariousness for the future . Plus , Ainley ’s Master had a very discrete joke that mystify in the audience ’s brain for years , something no other Master has been able to copy yet .
4Sacha Dhawan (2020–2022)
The First Person Of Color To Play The Master
Sacha Dhawan ’s Master sum a beautiful eerieness toDoctor Whothroughout the Thirteenth Doctor ’s ( Jodie Whittaker ) era and was brilliantly praised for it . Dhawan was the first actor of colour to depict the Master , which was a fitting contrast , alongside Whittaker being the first distaff actress to act the Dr. . This version of the Master is considered one of the most unhinged and vehement ; while every Master had these qualities to a point , Dhawan ’s interpretation took it one step further .
Dhawan ’s Master also gave hearing more context on his past with the Doctor , and his aroused reaction to discovering that the Doctor was the Timeless Child proved just how unmanageable the Master had found their life in the Doctor ’s fantasm .
For example , when he was the Spy Master , he attempted to kill the Doctor , Yaz ( Mandip Gill ) , Ryan ( Tosin Cole ) , and Graham ( Bradley Walsh ) by destroying the plane they were alongside while providing a sarcastic comment throughout . Dhawan ’s Master also give audiences more linguistic context on his past with the Doctor , and his emotional chemical reaction to discovering thatthe Doctor was the Timeless Childproved just how unmanageable the Master had found their lives in the Doctor ’s shadow . Plus , his rendition of Rasputin during " The Power of the Doctor " showed just how ridiculous the Master has always been .
3Michelle Gomez (2014–2017)
The Master’s First Female Incarnation
soon after the introduction of Peter Capaldi ’s Twelfth Doctor came his Master counterpart , played by Scottish actress Michelle Gomez . AlthoughDoctor Whowent on to introduce a woman Doctor with Jodie Whittaker , Gomez was the first female performer to play a Time Lord . Unlike former interpretation of the Master , Missy ( Gomez ) was even more chaotic than her forerunner but take a importantly more relaxed stance . Missy unquestionably still had an evil bar running through her but was more appreciative of her relationship with the Doctor , peculiarly inDoctor Whoseason 12 .
For example , in the season 12 two - part finale episodes , " World Enough and Time " and " The Doctor Falls , " Missy crosses paths with the Saxon Master . Although the two planned on destroying the Doctor together , Missy realized that there was more to their ongoing struggle with their oldest admirer than simply hate , which led to both Masters killing each other . Missy ’s absurdity , couple with the common Master ’s perverted position , proves why Gomez was such a unanimous casting choice inDoctor Who .
2John Simm (2007–2010, 2017)
The Saxon Master
John Simm has been one of the most intemperately featured Masters inDoctor Whoand isnotably retrieve for his season 3 plot line , where he pose as the UK ’s Prime Minister Harold Saxon and took over the Earth using manipulative judgment games . He then come along again in David Tennant ’s concluding dangerous undertaking as the 10th Doctor , " The End of Time , " in which he brought the Time Lords crashing down to innovative - day London , hell - bent on destroy the Doctor once again . The Saxon Master is one of the most recognisable version of the Master , mainly for being the first salient interpreting of the function since the 2005 reboot .
The insistent speech sound of the drum beat in the Master ’s head made him even more detached from world than his predecessor
However , the Saxon Master ’s " membranophone " plot line create Simm ’s operation digest out . The repetitious sound of the brake drum pulse in the Master ’s head made him even more detached from reality than his predecessors and led to some of the Master ’s most unhinged actions in the show . For deterrent example , the way he treat Martha ’s ( Freema Aygeman ) family during the class That Never Was or increasing the Doctor ’s age so much that he became unrecognizable .
Simm ’s Master also set off aDoctor Whomodern - era trendof a Master being associate with a pop Sung . For the Saxon Master , it was " Voodoo Child " by the Rogue Traders , which was played as the Toclafane descended on Earth ’s atmosphere and slaughtered the human race . While there is no doubt that any version of the Master would cause a lot of concern for the Doctor , John Sim ’s Saxon Master was instantly fear .
1Roger Delgado (1971–1973)
The Master Who Created The Mold
Sometimes , the first is the best , as proved by Roger Delgado ’s carrying into action as the Master . Delgado served as the Doctor ’s ultimate frenemy from 1971 to 1973 before tragically passing away in a cable car stroke in Turkey . As the first Master , Delgado set up an raiment of enthralling monetary standard for the characterthat no actor has manage to trump him in . Delgado ’s Master could have easy rivaled aJames Bondvillain , specially for his blunt demeanor and tempered expressions , but also because of the intelligence and complexness he brought to the character .
Delgado ’s Master has also been compared to Moriarty , with Jon Pertwee ’s Doctor being his Sherlock Holmes , which is beautifully demonstrated in their first series together , " Terror of the Autons . “Delgado ’s iconic functioning as the Master was one ofDoctor Who ’s safe , and it ’s a ignominy that the role player conk out before the show could expand the character . TheDoctor Whounmade serial " The Final Game , " which was also supposed to be Jon Pertwee ’s last episode as the Doctor , was due to have the Master give himself for the Doctor , which would have been some brilliant fictitious character development for them both .
Delgado ’s Master inhale several of the innovative - eraDoctor WhoMasters . For example , elements of Simm ’s and Dhawan ’s Masters were taken from Delgado , peculiarly the way they both delivered certain line of dialogue while the Master was at their most deranged . Although the future tense of Delgado ’s Master was cut unfairly myopic , there ’s no doubt that his depicting of the Master was the best in the history ofDoctor Who , creating the unofficial ruler Bible that others would go on to use as inspiration as the character grew and convert over the geezerhood .
Cast
The up-to-the-minute Dr. Who series introduces the Fifteenth Doctor , join by unexampled fellow traveller Ruby Sunday .
