Acting CIA Co-ordinator Narvin can’t quite believe that he’ll be the one to finally destroy the Master…

There’s an interesting meta point at the heart of this latest box set featuring Derek Jacobi’s War Master – do the Time Lords actually refer to the events of Genesis of the Daleks as “Genesis”? It’s no secret that this story revisits the time period of that seminal story, long acknowledged as the first move in the Time War, when the Time Lords sent the Fourth Doctor to avert the Daleks’ creation. It’s an incident that’s come up in the Gallifrey-set Big Finish stories before, and of course we’ve had a four-part series starring Terry Molloy as a prologue.

Nicholas Briggs’ script is in no hurry to move things along – this is very much an introduction to the key players. For those who don’t know the Gallifrey series, there’s a chance to meet President Livia and Sean Carlsen’s long-running Co-ordinator Narvin (don’t ask about where this fits chronologically in Narvin’s timeline – I don’t think that’s yet established), as well as Franchi Webb’s Lamarius, an intriguing character. We travel with Narvin into the Matrix – which is where things take an unusual turn.

It’s sometimes hard to remember that Jacobi’s Master was only on screen for a few minutes 13 years ago – he made such an impact then, and these Big Finish stories have fleshed out the characterisation, placing him high in the pantheon of those who’ve played the part.

Verdict: Taking full advantage of a box set’s extended running time, Briggs skilfully sets the scene for a rewrite of history that could set the Master up among the gods… 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Anti-Genesis from Big Finish