Enter The War Master!

If you have any interest in the current series of Doctor Who, it won’t have escaped your attention that John Simm has returned as the Master and appeared alongside Michelle Gomez as Missy.

- Tony Jones

It’s just over ten years since John Simm first appeared as the Master on our screens in Utopia, and ten years also since we learned of another incarnation of the Master, who survived the Time War by going into hiding. That Master was played by Derek Jacobi in a single episode where even he thought himself (until the end) to be the harmless Professor Yana. Enter: Big Finish!

On June 16th, the tenth anniversary of the transmission of Utopia, Big Finish announced some Master news of their own – Derek Jacobi would be appearing in a War Master box set, to be released in December 2017. STARBURST caught up with some of those involved in the War Master’s return.

Producer Scott Handcock told us just how long he’d been plotting the idea of a series dedicated to the Master: “I’ve wanted to tackle a series about the Master for years. He’s such a brilliant character, and I really wanted to explore his character and his successes away from the Doctor. I first mooted it at a point when Big Finish had lots of plans for Alex Macqueen and Geoffrey Beevers. Then, when John Hurt came on board, I suggested it again. After all, if we were exploring the War Doctor’s activities, what would the Master be up to? Surely he’d be wreaking chaos and exploiting the fallout while everyone else is fighting? Thankfully, Big Finish agreed. I chatted to Russell [T Davies] to make sure all the continuity tied up, and finally Sir Derek said yes!”

One of Scott’s first tasks was to assemble a team of writers, and The War Doctor