Can a mysterious traveller help the population of a Dalek-dominated world?

Well, if said mysterious traveller was who he claimed to be, then maybe he could. But the person they’ve found isn’t the Doctor – which won’t come as too much of a surprise to listeners! We got very little time to see Derek Jacobi in full Master mode in either of his screen appearances – Scream of the Shalka (yes, a different sort of Master I know) or Utopia – but Nick Briggs extrapolates from this and from the constants within the Master’s character to give us a recognisably Machiavellian incarnation whose truest words come when he’s asked whose side he’s really on and he replies, “Mine”.

There’s a nice bit of misdirection going on in this story: we’re led to believe that the tale will end in a certain way, setting stuff up for the future, but the Master stays true to form. Derek Jacobi feels much closer to the Roger Delgado version than any other incarnation in the way that he deals with both allies and enemies – a ruthless core hidden within a silky smooth exterior. Director Scott Handcock ensures that we see plenty of the latter, as do those around the Master, before letting him loose…

Verdict: Double-crossing, devious and utterly self-centred – it’s good to finally have the Master starring in his own series. 8/10

Paul Simpson