Who is the Master? To paraphraseTom Baker’s Fourth Doctor in the 1976 serial “The Deadly Assassin”, they’re the Doctor’s sworn archenemy, a fiend who glories in chaos and destruction. He’s also the Doctor’s former best friend, their schoolmate from the Time Lord Academy, and, for a while, the only other Gallifreyan survivor of the Time War in the universe. The Master was introduced in 1973, duringJon Pertwee’s second season as the Third Doctor. Portrayed byRoger Delgado, they quickly became one ofDoctor Who’s most iconic villains -themost iconic if we consider only individual enemies instead of entire alien civilizations, such as the Daleks.
A renegade Time Lord intent on taking over the universe and destroying humanity, the Master has been played by nine different actors over the course of the series’ long run, not including the little Master we see staring at the fire in flashbacks in “The End of Time”. In total, there are eight distinct incarnations of the Master, all of them equally evil and deranged. But regeneration has its impact on a Time Lord, and, much like the Doctor, no two Masters are the same. Here’s a list of all incarnations of the Master inDoctor Whotelevised history, ranked from worst to best.
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8. Peter Pratt and Geoffrey Beevers
Peter Pratt’s andGeoffrey Beevers’ portrayals of the Master are separated by four entire seasons, with Pratt appearing in “The Deadly Assassin”, and Beevers in 1981’s “The Keeper of Traken”. Still, both actors play the same version of the Time Lord, known as the decayed Master. After the tragic death ofRoger Delgadoin 1973, the Master spent a long time away from theDoctor Whouniverse. When he came back, writers had him reach the end of his regeneration cycle and search for ways to extend his life artificially. This turned him into a strange being that looks more like a burnt-up action figure ofHe-Man’s Skeletor than anything Master-adjacent. It was an interesting choice, but it didn’t quite work. This version of the Master is virtually indistinguishable from any other run-of-the-mill monster of the week, and the design looks weird even by 1970s BBC standards.
7. Derek Jacobi
Shakespearean actorDerek Jacobiwas the Master only for a few brief minutes. Throughout most of his time on Season 3’s “Utopia”, he was not exactly the Doctor’s arch-nemesis, but Professor Yana, a bright Chameleon Arch-created scientist who was looking for a way to save the last remnants of the human race. Shortly after his identity was revealed, Jacobi regenerated intoJohn Simm, who was thede factofirst Master of the 2005 show. Still, Jacobi was the one to announce the evil Time Lord’s return to theDoctor Whouniverse, and he did so with such intensity that his short stint as the Master will forever have a place in our fondest memories of the series.
6. Sacha Dhawan
Much likeJodie Whittaker,Sacha Dhawanbrought everything he had to the set ofDoctor Who. The problem is that the show’s writing just couldn’tmeet them at their level. Now approaching its end,Chris Chibnall’s tenure as showrunner is considered by many fans the show’s weakest set of seasons ever since the 2005 comeback. Despite being full of energy and fun to watch, Whittaker never had room to find her own voice as the Thirteenth Doctor, and her myriad of companions was largely left undeveloped. Likewise, Dhawan’s Master doesn’t have much to work with. His performance is entertaining and fits the character well, but the stories never give Dhawan enough material to truly distinguish himself from the unhinged Masters played byMichelle Gomezand John Simm. He feels too safe, even when he’s at his wildest, and when the writing does take chances, it backfires terribly. I mean, casting a non-white actor to play the Master for the first time and then having him work with the Nazis? That’s not a good look forDoctor Who.
5. Eric Roberts
The 1996Doctor Whomovie is a strange piece. It’s not exactly bad, but it seems oddly divorced from everything that makesDoctor Whotick. Intended as a sort of pilot for an American-produced version of the show, the film had much more in common with the standard action flicks of the late 80s and early 90s than with the BBC series that inspired it.Eric Roberts’ Master’s wardrobe, for instance, goes from broodyTerminator-chic toMortal KombatmeetsHighlanderlevels of camp in his formal Time Lord attire, and Roberts’ performance follows the lead. This by no means should be taken as a slight: Eric Roberts knows camp and isn’t afraid of it. When given the liberty to take matters into his own hands, Roberts shines as the Master.
In a more memorable movie, his line about dressing up for the occasion would certainly be quoted byWhofans and film buffs for years on end. Unfortunately, theDoctor Whomovie just wasn’tit, and Roberts didn’t have the time or the space he needed to make it higher on this list.
4. Anthony Ainley
Introduced at the end of “The Keeper of Traken” after Geoffrey Beevers’ regeneration,Anthony Ainleywas the most longevous Master in the show’s history. Ainley served as a foe to five incarnations of the Doctor, fromJon Pertwee’s Third Doctor (in “The Five Doctors”) toSylvester McCoy’s Seventh. In all of his adventures, he delivered great performances, and his love for the character was palpable in all of his scenes. His work inDoctor Whodeserves nothing but praise, but, still, there is something missing.
The truth is that Roger Delgado’s untimely death left a hole in the show that took decades to be properly filled. Despite Ainley’s best efforts, no one could match Delgado’s energy. The only way to bring the Master back would be to give the character a whole new spin. Unfortunately, showrunners of the time didn’t have the courage to take another leap of faith after the toasty decayed Master, and Ainley’s version of the character is a lot similar to Delgado’s, but with less flair.
3. Michelle Gomez
From Madam Satan inThe Chilling Adventures of Sabrinato Madame Rouge inDoom Patrolto, of course, just plain Missy inDoctor Who, it’s hard not to love a Michelle Gomez villain. It’s also pretty tough to be the one to share a scene with her. Gomez has a commanding presence that sets her apart from her castmates even when she’s just in the back of a room, and her borderline scenery-chewing acting style is perfect for the kind of over-the-top bad guys she so frequently portrays.
And, thankfully,Peter Capaldi’s raw energy as the Twelfth Doctor is the perfect counterbalance to her version of the Master. As Missy, Gomez delivers such a delightfully evil and deranged performance that she can even make the most boring of episodes (looking at you, “The Eaters of Light”) a real treat for the eyes and ears, at least for the duration of her screen time. Watching her share the limelight with Simmin the terrifying two-parter “World Enough and Time”/”The Doctor Falls”, flirting with her former self and fighting her old habits, is one of the best goodbyes fans of the show ever had.
2. Roger Delgado
The one that started it all. Roger Delgado made his first appearance in the Season 8 serial “Terror of the Autons”, starring opposite Pertwee’s Third Doctor in a fun, classic adventure that kicked off a new era of the show. Delgado’s mustache-twirling, Bond villain-like performance set the tone for what the Master was to be for a long time, and even in the more recent incarnations of the character it is possible to see traces of Delgado’s original rendition.
Delgado put everything he had into this alien Moriarty to the Doctor’s Sherlock Holmes. Even if his Master was considerably less nuanced than Gomez’s, Dhawan’s, and Simm’s, he still managed to create a complex villain that fans loved to hate. Sure, he might look serious and walk around with an actual, very Earthly gun in his hands, but he still miniaturizes people and finds it hard to understand children’s television. And, occasionally, he even helps the Doctor out, albeit reluctantly.
1. John Simm
David Tennant’s sophomore run as the Tenth Doctor was somewhat divisive. Though the third season of the 2005 reboot is remembered for its fair share of truly great episodes, such as “Blink” and “Human Nature”/”The Family of Blood”, not everyone was pleased by the pacing of the three-part finale andRussel T. Davies’ Jesus Christ take on the Doctor. The same can be said about the two “The End of Time” specials that aired between 2009 and 2010 and had the Master briefly bringing back the Time Lords.
But one thing fans can all agree on regarding these episodes is how wonderfully wild and charismatic John Simm is as the Master. Equally cruel and hilarious - and, more often than not, hilariously cruel - Simm picked up Jacobi’s baton and brought the Master back to theDoctor Whouniverse in full style, making even the strangest of Davies’ plot decisions work. It’s hard to imagine any other actor selling that “Master race” scene so hard. Apart from his incomparable comical skills, Simm also gave the Master more dramatic weight, turning him into a tragic figure of sorts, at least when he’s not murdering his entire ministerial cabinet with poisonous gas.
