Some people just don’t know when to take no for an answer…

I noted in the review of the first story in this box set that this felt like the nearest Derek Jacobi’s incarnation of the Master had come to his illustrious original incarnation (well, original that we saw on screen – we know James Dreyfus is an earlier version thanks to Big Finish). That’s a trend that continues in David Llewellyn’s script for this tale – I can just see Roger Delgado dealing with the arrogant Italian jackanapes at the heart of this story. And of course where was the first place we met the Master? A circus. How things come round…

However Jacobi gives the script his own spin, and he switches on a dime from full-on charm to menace to outright evil, precisely as required. Youssef Kerkour and Taj Atwal play his targets and a good proportion of the story is told through their viewpoint, rather than the Master’s, making the tale more credible. Anjela Lauren Smith’s Genevieve is an interesting character whom I hope we encounter in future, perhaps with the Seventh Doctor?

Peter Doggart’s sound design and Ioan Morris’ music really help set the place and period – the story has multiple aural requirements, and their work ties in with Scott Handcock’s able direction.

Verdict: Mystery, misdirection and menace – a Masterful combination. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The War Master volume 3 from Big Finish