‘Doctor Who’s Best Villain Officially Returns for New Release
Derek Jacobi has returned as the Master in a new Doctor Who audio drama, nearly two decades after his only television appearance in the role. The release gives fans another chance to hear Jacobi’s interpretation of the long-running character, whose personal history with the Doctor has made him one of the series’ enduring villains.
The four-story box set, The War Master: Deeds Without Name, is produced by Big Finish Productions and is available now. Its stories are “The Unstately Home” by Alison Winter, “Dead Man’s Pulse” by Mark Bowsher, “The Devil in the Detail” by David K Barnes and “In His Anecdotage” by Matthew Sweet. Jacobi, now 88, said he finds villains especially rewarding to play because they can have greater depth than heroic characters.
In short
- Derek Jacobi reprises the Master in a new audio drama.
- The four-story box set is available now.
- Jacobi first played the character on television in 2007.
Explained simply
Doctor Who is a British science-fiction series about the Doctor, a traveller who explores time and space. The Master is another Time Lord, from the same alien species as the Doctor, and has often opposed them.
The character has appeared in many versions of the series, played by different actors. Derek Jacobi portrayed the Master in a 2007 television story, and later returned to the role in audio dramas made by Big Finish Productions, which produces licensed Doctor Who stories.
The Doctor and the Master share a long and complicated history, which has helped make their rivalry a lasting part of the series. Audio dramas let actors tell further stories using sound and performance, without showing events on screen.