A writer was a human from Earth in 1926. At some point, he became the Master of the Land.
Biography
On Earth, he was a writer for the boys' magazine The Ensign, writing the adventures of Captain Jack Harkaway. He was writing five thousand words every week for twenty-five years.
He told the Second Doctor that one day he had fallen asleep at his desk, and then found himself in the Land of Fiction. He had become enslaved to the Master Brain, becoming the Master of the Land. The Master Brain wanted the Doctor to take over the role, and desired for him to be added to the system in order to so that it could invade Earth and all humans would be adjusted to the Land, leaving Earth to be taken over.
Once the Master was disconnected, he seemingly had no idea what had happened or where he was going, merely hoping he was going home. During the destruction of the Brain by the White Robots, the Land dissolved. Apparently, this freed the Master — presumably enabling him to return to his proper place in time and space. (TV: The Mind Robber)
Personality
The Master appeared to have different personalities inhabiting him. When first meeting the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie, he was a charming, bumbling and humble old man. However, when the Master Brain had become angered, it spoke through him, changing his demeanour and voice to a furious, staccato, harsh ranting one, barking out commands and instructions. When scheming and plotting against the Doctor, his voice turned low and became cunning and sly, like a traditional villain. However, being connected to the Master Brain, it is unknown how much of him was him acting independently, as when he was disconnected he reverted to his bumbling and humble self, but with no memory of what had happened. (TV: The Mind Robber).
Behind the scenes
- It is implied on-screen that the Master was actually writer Charles Hamilton, who wrote under the pseudonym of Frank Richards, considered the most prolific author of all time. [1] (He had also created Billy Bunter, the basis of Cyril from The Celestial Toymaker.) The Mind Robber writer Peter Ling has also said he based the character partly on himself.
- It is reported elsewhere that Bracebridge Hemyng wrote the Harkaway stories.
- Many fans believed he was an earlier incarnation of the Master, although there has been no official sources to support this.