Doctor Who: The Last Adventure, Part 1: The End of the Line
by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris (Big Finish, 2015)
Decent enough drama, up to the point where the Master comes in with a pointless and impractical evil plan, and the Doctor thwarts him by talking a rulebound functionary into acknowledging said Master’s manifest breaking of rules. Colin Baker impresses, as always.
Dr. Seventh
by Adam Hargreaves (BBC, 2017)
Though drawing a pretty faithful Seventh Doctor (and Ace), Hargreaves manages the almost inconceivable feat of making his Cheetah People less threatening than those of the original serial. In mitigation, the Master’s cameo is era-appropriate in its preening reveal and blustering fizzle.
Doctor Who: The Two Masters
by John Dorney (Big Finish, 2016)
Though undoubtedly ingenious— relegating Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor to a supporting role while prefiguring the multi-Master double-up of ‘World Enough and Time’—The Two Masters asks too much of the audio format, voicing and characterising its twin antagonists in too similar a fashion.
Doctor Who: The Time Monster
by Robert Sloman; dir. Paul Bernard (BBC, 1972)
Roger Delgado is a tour de force as the Master but once again a Pertwee-era story does his character no justice. The Time Monster is overlong and shambolic — its threat false, the scheme pea-brained — with bafflegab and deus ex machina to burn.
Doctor Who, Series 3
(BBC, 2007)
David Tennant hits the ground running post- Rose Tyler, in a season characterised by overt explorations of racism (experienced by companion Martha Jones), the return of the Master (revitalised by John Simm), and the brilliant, almost Doctor-less episode ‘Blink’ (starring Carey Mulligan).