Script Doctor Reprint
Fifty Years of The Master
Fifty years ago today a new character entered the world of Doctor Who when, in Terror of the Autons, we met the Doctor's nemesis, The Master.
Created by producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks, the character was devised as a foil to the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. Given an academic name. The Master, to counterpoint the name of The Doctor, the character was to be the Moriarty to Pertwee’s Holmes, a character very much the equal to the Doctor in terms of intelligence and background.
The character outline was sketched out in an internal BBC document sent to the writers of Season 8 of the series, a document which also introduced the characters of Jo Grant and Captain Mike Yates, played by Richard Franklin and Katy Manning.
Only one actor was considered for the role of the Master, Roger Delgado, an actor known for playing sinister villains and a personal friend of Jon Pertwee.
The Master would appear in every story of season 8, becoming just as much a fixture of the series as The Doctor and Jo, somewhat to the chagrin of Jon Pertwee.
He was used less in season nine but still appeared in two of the five stories. In season ten he was used just once and it was decided to write the character out at the end of season 11 in a big final story.
That final story never happened as on the 18th June 1973 Roger Delgado was killed in a car accident in Turkey. The death stunned the production team and helped Pertwee to his decision to leave the series at the end of the eleventh series.
The actor may have died but the character he created was so strong it would return to the series in many incarnations. A mutilated Master at the end of his regelation cycle was seen in the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin.
In 1981 new producer John Nathan Turner decided to bring back the character as a regular with a look based on the original Delgado character. Played by Anthony Ainley, The Master would appear regularly until the cancellation of the series in 1989, appearing with the fifth, sixth and seventh Doctors. It was perhaps fitting that the last story of the classic series featured the Doctor and Ace in a battle with The Master. In the story Survival.
The TV movie in 1996 saw the arrival of the eighth Doctor and The Master was there to welcome him, this time in the body of American actor Eric Roberts.
When Doctor Who returned in 2005 there was much talk about reprising characters from the original series and The Master was high upon most fans wish lists. They had to wait until the series 3 before show-runner Russell T Davies obliged, and the story Utopia saw the character reappear in no less a body as that of veteran actor Derek Jacobi. At the end of the episode John Simm took over the role and a mad hyperactive Master took on the mad hyperactive Tenth Doctor. In 2010 the character helped bring about to the demise of the Tenth Doctor.
The next showrunner Steven Moffat put his own spin on the character when he created Missy, played by Michelle Gomez, in 2014 to taunt the Twelfth Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi. Much speculation about the real identity of the character was ended at the end of Series 8 when she was revealed to be a female incarnation of The Master.
Although Gomez was the incumbent Master, John Simm hadn’t quite finished with the role as he returned at the end of series ten to take part in a memorable Master v Master battle with Missy and The Doctor
The strength of the character is such that just last year another incarnation arrived when Sacha Dhawan took on the role of The Master in the 2020 Chris Chibnall story Spyfall.
The character of The Master is the most enduring in Doctor Who apart from that of the Doctor himself. Today, 50 years on, we pay tribute to all the hugely talented actors who have made the character such an essential part of Doctor Who lore. And we pay tribute to the numerous writer and Directors who have helped create such a fascinating and enduring character.
Doctor Who Back on New Year's Day
The Festive Special of Doctor Who, ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, will air in the UK on New Year’s Day.
In Australia it will air on ABC & ABC iview on January 2.
The Festive Special episode will see a host of exciting guest artists including previously announced John Barrowman MBE who will be reprising his role as Captain Jack Harkness alongside Chris Noth who will be back as the disgraced Jack Robertson. Chris Noth previously appeared in the series 11 episode ‘Arachnids in the UK’ and it’s safe to say the Doctor and all those involved were less than impressed by his questionable actions. However, viewers will have to wait and see just what brings him back this time…
Star of the stage and screen Dame Harriet Walter will also be making her Doctor Who debut for the Festive Special alongside television star Nathan Stewart-Jarrett who has recently appeared in The Trial of Christine Keeler.
Viewers last saw the Thirteenth Doctor at the end of series 12 where her fate was left hanging in the balance as she was locked away in a high-security alien prison with no hope of escape. In the upcoming Festive Special, Yaz, Ryan and Graham are far away on Earth and having to carry on with their lives without her. However, they soon discover a disturbing plan forming. A plan which involves a Dalek. How can you fight a Dalek without the Doctor? Even with Captain Jack’s help, the gang are set to face one of their biggest and most frightening challenges yet…
Chris Chibnall, the Executive Producer, said:
‘Revolution of the Daleks’ will air on New Year’s Day on BBC One.
Doctor Who is a BBC Studios Production.
Captain Jack Returns for Christmas
The BBC has revealed that Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman, will return in the Festive special of Doctor Who Revolution of the Daleks
Described as one of the most loved characters in the Doctor Who Universe Captain Jack was last seen in the series 12 episode, ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’, when he made a brief surprise appearance with a stark warning for Yaz, Ryan and Graham to pass on to the Doctor before disappearing.
In the upcoming special Captain Jack will be on hand to help the Doctor and his companions as they discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s most feared and dangerous enemies, the Daleks. With the Thirteenth Doctor locked away in a space prison, will Captain Jack be able to help save planet Earth?
On returning for the Festive Special, John Barrowman MBE revealed:
Chris Chibnall, Executive Producer, said:
Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added:
‘Revolution of the Daleks’ will air over the festive period on BBC One and BBC America with more details to be revealed soon.
Comsic Masque Issue XII
Series 13 Begins Filming
The BBC has announced that filming has begun on Series 13 of Doctor Who, the 39th season since Doctor Who began in November 1963
The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way back with Jodie Whittaker once again reprising her role as the Doctor, but next seasons run will be curtailed to just eight episodes due to current restrictions over COVID-19
With safety protocols in place, the Doctor Who team are now filming under strict industry and government guidelines to ensure the safety of all cast and crew. Due to the added time and protocols required, the team will be completing a total of eight episodes rather than the usual eleven.
Talking about the new series, Showrunner Chris Chibnall said
Matt Strevens, Executive Producer BBC Studios, added:
Piers Wenger, Controller BBC Drama, said:
The Thirteenth Doctor was last seen in the dramatic series 12 finale where the fate of the Doctor was seemingly left hanging in the balance after she was locked away in an eternal prison. In the upcoming festive special, titled ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, the Doctor’s best friends Yaz (played by Mandip Gill), Ryan (played by Tosin Cole) and Graham (played by Bradley Walsh) have to pick up their lives without her. However they soon discover a disturbing plan forming involving one of the Doctor’s biggest and most feared enemies – the Daleks. How do you fight the Daleks without the Doctor?
With the Doctor’s fate unknown, just what will series 13 bring?
Revolution of the Daleks will air on BBC One over the festive period. Doctor Who is a BBC Studios production.
Fish Fingers and Custard
Issue 18 is the first issue in four years and can be downloaded as a free PDF
- The Curse of Time – Are all Doctor Who stories with ‘Time’ in the title destined to not be very good? The Doctor Who Cookbook – A review of one of the more ‘left-field’ official publications.
- 10 Years of Fish Custard – How we took 4 years off but still claim to have been ‘fanzining’ for a decade.
- Returning Villains – Which classic Who baddies are due for a return?
- Obituaries for John Hurt and Deborah Watling
Tales from the Matrix
The latest edition of the Fanzine Tales from the Matrix is now available.
Tales from the Matrix is a free weekly Doctor Who long-form fiction zine. So far 10 issues have been published with over 300 pages of fiction.
The magazine is being distributed by three Doctor Who clubs (The Guardians of Gallifrey, the Prynceton Prydonians, and the Doctor Who Club of Australia) to all of their members. This is a non-commercial effort that now built a readership of over 1,000.
The zine can be found on Facebook, can be subscribed to by email,
Homemade Who
The Homemade Who project was launched last month to give the Doctor Who community something creative and fun to do while everyone’s been stuck at home.
With Doctor Who celebrating 15 years since its revival, fans were asked to recreate some of their favourite scenes from 2005 onwards using whatever they could find in their house.
A compilation video featuring every clip sent in so far can be found here
Entries were sent in from England, Australia, France, Luxembourg, Argentina, Wales, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, the USA, and New Zealand!
You can watch all the complete clips on Instagram:
Due to its success, the project has been extended for another month. If you would like to take part you can find all the details here.
The Unofficial Master Annual 2074
The annual is 136 pages, featuring stories and illustrations produced by fans, as well as contributions from well-known names such as Alister Pearson, Smuzz, and Andy Walker.
The Master annual was originally announced last November, with a call for contributors. The following is an excerpt from the writer's guidelines: The Master is the Anti-hero. Sometimes saving people, not because of compassion or moral values, but because it suits whatever agenda he has. Of course, he can also be the villain, remember that meddlesome Doctor isn't around - and that's when villains come out on top.
The focus of the annual is the original Master portrayed by Roger Delgado. The cover artwork is a homage to the first-ever Dr Who annual that was released in 1965 by World Distributors.
The publication follows The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1972 and The Unofficial Dr Who Annual 1987, which featured stories and illustrations produced by fans, as well as celebrity contributions from the worlds of Doctor Who.
The Unofficial Master Annual 2074 is available from Lulu at the print-on-demand price of £23.32 plus shipping costs). The annual is a not-for-profit publication, and none of the money paid by purchasers goes to the publisher or to any of the contributors.
The Unofficial Doctor Who Annual 1987 is also available, but will be retired later this year.
Later this year, Terraqueous Distributors will be releasing their fourth annual. This time the focus will be on the seventh Doctor. If you would like to contribute to the seventh Doctor annual, please send an email to: doctorwhoannual@aol.co.ukDetails on the Terraqueous Distributors FaceBook page