The Master (Terror of the Autons)

The Master
Main aliases:	see Aliases of the Master
Place of origin:	Gallifrey
Appearances:	see The Master - List of Appearances
Main actor:	[[actor::Roger Delgado|Roger Delgado]]

Suave and debonair, a familiar incarnation of the evil renegade Time Lord known as the Master opposed the Doctor and UNIT, mostly on late 20th century England though occasionally in other times and places.

Profile

Biography

Though formerly friends with him, the Master had, by this time already, sworn enmity against the Doctor.

Prior to the Doctor becoming aware of his presence, the Master infiltrated UNIT's headquarters. Here he learned of the failed Nestene invasion and decided to ally himself with them. (DWA: Reconnaissance)

The Master appears to have originally intended to proceed directly with his plan to use the Keller Machine, as he spent many months establishing his (and the Keller Process') credentials, and must have brought the mind parasite to Earth with him prior to joining forces with the Nestenes.

The Master then appeared at a circus, his TARDIS materializing in the form of a circus trailer or horse box. He promptly hypnotized the circus troupe to obey his orders, as part of his plan to assist the Nestenes in their latest bid to conquer Earth. A Time Lord emissary alerted the Doctor to his rival's presence on the planet (DW:Terror of the Autons).

As far as the Master's transport, it seemed he owned a Type 40 Mark II TARDIS, compared to the Doctor's Type 40 Mark I.

The Doctor stole the dematerialisation circuit of his ship, stranding the Master on Earth. He returned again, using the Keller Machine to try and foment nuclear war (DW:The Mind of Evil), recovered his mobility and brought Axos to Earth, (DW: The Claws of Axos), used information stolen from the Time Lords to visit an alien world in the future to try to gain control of a doomsday machine (DW: Colony in Space), and finally summoned the Dæmon Azal, to no avail. At the conclusion of this event, UNIT captured him (DW: The Dæmons).

Following a trial, the Master was given a sentence of life imprisonment on a prison on an island designed especially to hold him. (DW: The Sea Devils) While in custody, with the Doctor gone off-world (DW: The Curse of Peladon), the Master collaborated with UNIT in preventing an invasion by a fascist parallel England. (PDA: The Face of the Enemy). The Master escaped on his own later (DW: The Sea Devils).

Sometime during his obvious actions against the Doctor and UNIT, the Master attempted to alter the events surrounding the assassination of American president John F. Kennedy, initiating events which would eliminate the existence of UNIT and possibly also the third incarnation of the Doctor, which would have left vulnerable to conquest by the many alien races which threatened it during the later 20th century (MA: Who Killed Kennedy).

The Master travelled back to ancient Atlantis, confronting the Doctor there, brought forth Kronos, king of the Chronovores, escaped the destruction that followed in Kronos' wake (DW: The Time Monster) and forged a short-lived alliance with the Daleks (DW: Frontier in Space).

Unseen by the Master, shortly afterwards, the Doctor regained the full freedom of space and time travel (DW: The Three Doctors). The Doctor's ties with UNIT began to loosen. He would also regenerate (DW: Planet of the Spiders).

For a short while the Master adopted the identity of Duke Dominus, a gangster on early 20th century Earth, but his plan on this occasion was halted by the Doctor without his even knowing it (VD: The Duke of Dominoes).

For later events in the Master's life, see main article.

Behind the Scenes

Although they played antagonists onscreen, in real life Roger Delgado, who originated the role of the Master, and Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor, were actually close friends. In interviews and convention Q&A sessions, Pertwee often cited the death of Delgado as one of the factors which led him to give up the role.

His death meant that, on-screen, the feud between the Doctor and the Master never came to any resolution. Originally the Master would have died saving the Doctors's life. The Doctor would have then regenerated. Rumours suggest that the story would have revealed the Master as the evil side of the Doctor's personality, which would have explained why the Master never sought to actually kill the Doctor.

A persistent rumour, not verified by the production team of that era, has said that story would have revealed the Doctor and the Master as brothers.

The later story Planet of Fire included a line of dialogue which led to some speculation in this regard. A reference to this occurs much later in The Sound of Drums when Martha Jones tells the Tenth Doctor she thought he and the Master were brothers, to which he dismissively replies, "You watch too much TV".