Dr Lila Kreeg is desperate to prove her theories are correct – and will go to any lengths to do so…

Robert Valentine kicks off this new series focusing on Eric Roberts’ incarnation of the Master, which arrives just under 25 years after his debut on screen in the TV Movie. Roberts has returned to the part for Big Finish over the past few years, providing a more reined in version of the character than the larger than life Master we saw then (and I was a little surprised by his comment in the extras that he felt that he was bringing the camp level down by his performance!), and Valentine provides us with a Master who’s good at manipulating people but also more than happy to let the nastier side of his nature loose.

For the first part of this story, the Master is more of a presence in the background, allowing us to get to know Laura Aikman’s Lila Kreeg, as well as her superior (Rachel Atkins’ Cathrin Travers) and her ultimate boss, Alistair Petrie’s Magnus Drake. Valentine also lightly fills in the background – we’re in the period of rebuilding after the Dalek invasion was repelled in 2167. There’s a slightly different feel to this series from others we’ve had with the Master in the past, part of which is down to Howard Carter’s score and sound design as well as Roberts’ interpretation.

Verdict: A well-paced start to the series. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Master! from Big Finish!