Every Master from Worst to Best - Doctor Who Ranking

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For every hero there must be a villain, and when it comes to Doctor Who there are few villains more memorable than the Master. But much like the Doctor, there have been multiple incarnations of the Master and multiple actors taking on the role. So let's take a look and rank them from worst to best.
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[@CouncilofGeeks]

Steal BLACK FRIDAY deal and get Atlas VPN Premium for $1.70/mo + 6 months extra. Limited-time offer! get.atlasvpn.com/geeks In reference to the BBC's issues: My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3-XppZmfb-ljac My video on the BBC's response to complaints of its reporting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZzLaWSEatGWj7s My short on why I'll continue to put up the note at the front of these: kzbin.infoHpwwzjzFXiE Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGXFpn2Dgs6qmck Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5fNhXpsiLudo7M Shaun’s 3rd video, following him escalating his complaints: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIPRYoiQacubmqc Shaun's 4th video, covering the BBC's response: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXeaeIpth9RnhbM Laura Kate Dale's protest speech outside the BBC offices: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnPNeKGNoNx0oKs

[@carschmn]

To me, John Simm’s Master enjoys being the villain but is starting to realize that it’s pointless and wasn’t really his choice, Missy has realized it’s pointless and wants to do better but doesn’t know how, and the one after Missy has given up on doing better.

[@gateauxq4604]

I thought that John Simm’s Master was kind of broken when he regenerated from War Master and he really suffered with not quite knowing how to exist in the world. He was a bit too over the top and theatrical so he could ignore the pain of remembering who he used to be.

[@TheWiseCollector]

I think Sacha dwarns master is in between Sims and Gomez's master

[@TheWiseCollector]

@- SageAegis - yes

[@leejohnstone4663]

The Master is the good guy compared to the Doctor. He burnt Gallifrey killing all the Time Lord's along with 2.47 billion children

[@leejohnstone4663]

The Doctor: there was one man in that war with more blood on his hands then anyone else. A man who would commit a crime so evil it would silence the universe. And that man was me

[@heatherrockwell9012]

What I love most about Simm’s Master is that he’s honestly kind of pathetic. After the horrors the War Master saw, it makes total sense to me that he’d overcorrect to this angry, childish, petty person, so petty that he lets himself die (albeit temporarily) just to hurt the Doctor as much as possible. And I love his last appearance specifically because it lets you see this part of him; once he’s less of a threat, you can tell exactly how sad and immature of a person he is compared to Missy and everyone else around. He just thinks otherwise when he happens to be winning. He’s a whiny bitch and I love watching him.

[@leejohnstone4663]

The War Doctor was more evil then the War Master. The War Doctor had more blood on his hands then anyone else in the Time War. He would commit a crime so evil it would silence the universe

[@HOTD108_]

I can't help but feel Simm's Master was mildly character assassinated under Moffat. When paired with Missy, Saxon Master is portrayed as being completely closed minded to doing anything even remotely good, but in The End of Time we're clearly shown that he does, on some level, miss being friends with The Doctor and has the capacity to get better, but that side of him just keeps being drowned out by the sound of the drums, literally and metaphorically. It's extremely odd that Saxon Master seems more evil in The Doctor Falls compared to The End of Time, since with the drums being gone he should be closer to seeing things The Doctor's way than ever before, but the story simply doesn't allow it because Moffat wanted a strong contrast for Missy. I can't help but think if RTD had been involved at the time, we would have gotten a far more nuanced approach to Simm's return.

[@cement_eater]

@@HOTD108_ to be honest, I kind of wish WE&T brought back Jacobi as the master instead of Simm. Not only because of the character development reasons you discussed, but also because more of the War Master on screen would be sorely welcome

[@LydiaTarine12]

I have to say that Power of the Doctor, even more than his first appearance (which showcased it enough), really gave Dhawan a chance to showcase just how good an actor he is. He can seem like one person and then snap into seeming like another person (or he can transition more slowly and eerily) _so well_.

[@bizarrebunny5579]

Missy was such a complex character and there’s nothing more I love than complex characters that are neither a hero nor the entire villain

[@vegansoylentgreen732]

Bit surprised by Simm. At the end of the day, the Master boils down to "The Doctor but evil". It made sense to make Simm's Master be "Tenth Doctor but evil", I feel like Simm played off Tennant really well and hoped he would be higher.

[@Valdaur]

The thing is though that they made the character too cartoonish and over the top. This was never the case in any of his previous incarnations. He lost all his menace, charm and suave qualities that made previous incarnations so great. Simm looked like he was playing a comedic role.

[@PosthumanHeresy]

@@Valdaur Yeah, but that's a mask, just like The Doctor's own increasingly immature and comedic behavior. Simm's Master's true self is the traumatized mess underneath that peaks through in moments like where he refuses to regenerate and his hatred for the Time Lords, just like Ten is the man we see at the end of Family of Blood. Have you seen the full instruction video? Compare and contrast that with the ending. The "I don't like pears" and making a series of mouth noises are the mask, the horrifying dealer of doom is the real man. Both of them are wearing goofy, over the top, silly masks to hide how broken they are.

[@peytonmac1131]

Regarding Anthony Ainsley, I remember reading an interview with him where he said he always wanted the Master to be more of a threatening, dangerous character. It was always the producers that forced him to play the character as camp.

[@lonewolf6884]

As someone has listen all the War Master stories from Big Finish, The War Master, IMHO, is still the most Evilist of all The Masters.

[@roberts.2300]

I agree with that sentiment. He is also the most competent of them all. Making him way more dangerous. Although I like Missy spin on the master, and she did get an interesting a character arch with the 12th doctor. Only wish her last box set was better. Which is a shame because I like her dynamic with the meddling monk. A bit of a spoiler though but she is coming back in another final box set soon.

[@rosco31100]

@@roberts.2300 why final box set? Is she not going to do more?

[@roberts.2300]

@@rosco31100 Sorry I meant she is going to appear in a final box set of a on going series. It won't be her last. Hopefully.

[@rosco31100]

@@roberts.2300 Really hope they bring back her Master Tardis. Such a great idea, and yet they've done nothing with it so far.

[@Hannahfab7]

For anyone who may wanna skip around :)) Number 8- 3:08 Number 7- 4:12 Number 6- 6:04 Number 5- 8:22 Number 4- 10:07 Number 3- 12:26 Number 2- 15:00 Number 1- 16:43

[@bizarrebunny5579]

Thank you- absolute legend xx

[@jacklawrence2212]

Sacha Dhawan's wit, presence. lightness of touch and edginess as the Master makes you realise what a great Doctor he'd have made.

[@EmperorJ123]

With luck somehow the next Dr will be him. How much would that blow people's mind

[@Mayt5987]

Imagine the shock if 13 regenerated and you go “THATS THE MASTERS FACE!” And everyone, including the Doctor is confused. And then if master/Missy has 13s what about other peoples? They got used to him being the master and now you have to do a monologue to explain what is going on.

[@nzrockboi]

“You do not understand hatred as I understand it. Only hate keeps me alive. Why else should I endure this pain?” - The Deadly Assassin, the Master describing how life is pain and pain is life.

[@stevenricks1703]

I recently rewatched Roger Delgado’s entire first season. He is so brilliant!

[@highvoltage7797]

I love Ainley. He’s just fun and I like the moustache twirling but also when he gets darker in episodes like Survival.

[@thevacuumofcomments2946]

A good one to better appreciate Ainley is Survival (also fitting, seeing as 7 is now your 2nd favourite). It's somehow Ainley's campest yet most restrained performance. Masterful is fun, as is the Multi-Master trilogy, but I'm not sure it'll change much. Mastermind is also cool if you want to learn more about crispy

[@Stephen-Fox]

While I agree that Survival is wonderful and his performance and characterization in it is masterful, I do think his absolute best performance in the role is in the otherwise mediocre video game Destiny of the Doctors, a game where the only other good part about it is the navigation puzzles involved in traversing the TARDIS, where sometimes doubling back on yourself is required to progress.

[@citrinedragonfly]

@@Stephen-Fox His performance was the best thing about Destiny of the Doctors. The playability of that game was difficult at best and nigh impossible at worst. I had the PC version (did it get anything other than a PC version?), and could never make it out of the console room! I've seen Ainley's full performance on KZbin and it's a true delight, but I could only ever see his first bit when I tried playing.

[@sbi168]

Survival is a great story with the master / 7 dynamic working very well.

[@nekusakura6748]

@@sbi168 It's a shame Ainley and McCoy didn't get the chance to work together again in Big Finish before Ainley's death in 2004.

[@Condor-gb1xp]

John Simms Master and Missy were sooooo good together. I want more multi Master stories. Big Finish has done a lot in the area, but I’d love to see a return of the Eric Roberts and Derek Jacobi. Especially Eric Roberts because of how New Who made the 8th Doctor one of the best in under 10 minutes and I’d love to see a new take on him. I haven’t listened to it yet, but one audio drama has every master up to and including Missy in a dinner party mystery setting, no Doctor.

[@Condor-gb1xp]

It would be cool if they threaded the line between Master regenerations. It’s not at all necessary but it would be cool to know where each of them falls in the timeline relative to one another, even if it’s just an Infograph and not in episodes

[@PosthumanHeresy]

Honestly Nu Who didn't make 8 one of the best, they just wrote an ending to one of the best Doctor runs ever. Big Finish made 8 one of the best. If you loved 8's death, you'll fucking _adore_ the 8th Doctor Big Finish stories.

[@kryten1016]

I completely agree, michelle gomez nocked it out the park. id argue she is the first master to actually be seen completely as a character not just a moustache twirling villain(no disrespect to the previous and fantastic masters who took on the role previously) maybe an extremely murderous character at that, but an actual evolving developing character. And who does that remind me of?…peter Capaldis 12th doctor, she was the perfect parallel to this doctor, two evolving and developing people, two heads of the same coin

[@kylejones8289]

I don't know if you've seen Survival yet, but Ainley was amazing in Survival in my opinion. He was a properly intimidating threat and was brutally nasty in that. It really made me wish that he had been given better material, as I think he could have been a consistently good Master if given better scripts.

[@paulhammond6978]

Yeah, I'm not sure you will annoy classic who fans by placing Ainley so low (unless they just think that classic everything is better than new everything). But I'm sure its been a view around in the fandom for a long time that Ainley was too much of a pantomime villain, and that is an opinion I heard predating any idea of a new series of Who coming around in 2005. I heard that people blame the directors, because the story is that they always wanted Ainley's performance turned up to 11, and there was also the feeling that he was written and told to play the character too much as a low-grade impersonation of Roger Delgado and was never really written or allowed to find his own performance or his own take on the character. I think that's the thing, he could have done so much more if he was allowed to establish himself as genuinely a different regeneration of the Master, and allowed to perform the part with more quiet menace.

[@modmaker7617]

Sacha Dhawan in Power of the Doctor was awesome. Best part of the episode honestly.

[@citrinedragonfly]

All of the Masters have been so good, and suited to the Doctors they've acted opposite. It's difficult sometimes for me to think about which one I prefer, because the moment I do, I start thinking of the others and how good they all are. I have been an Eric Roberts champion since 1996, when I saw the TVM the first time, ironically not too long after having seen Survival for the first time. So it really did feel to me like, even though it isn't intended that way, he's Ainley's direct successor, and I think it makes complete sense for Roberts' Master to act the way he does. If I had to do a ranking at the moment, it would be, from top to bottom: Gomez, Dhawan, Jacobi, Ainley, Delgado, Roberts, "Crispy", Simm. Though the bottom two might switch depending on how recently I'd seen either of them.

[@jmsbnd]

I think the 7th doctor and the war master would make for a great big finish

[@nekusakura6748]

I hope McCoy and Jacobi get to do that before they die.

[@jmsbnd]

@@nekusakura6748 here's hoping

[@glynhorton4923]

Yes, it's close but I'd rank Gomez highest too. She really seems to get under the skin of the Master. Witty, funny but can turn dangerous within a millisecond. She is such a fascinating actress, great at playing villains. She is a big Doctor Who fan as well, which i think has helped her portrayal

[@whocatalogue]

I'm in a weird boat with the NuWho Masters in that Sacha and Michelle give the equally best performances to me. I think I'd quite literally say my ranking of the modern Masters is: Sacha Dhawan Michelle Gomez John Simm The Classic Masters are a whole other story.

[@EvelynMadisonFaust]

what about Jacobi?

[@whocatalogue]

@@EvelynMadisonFaust I completely forgot to include him. I want to either wedge him in between Sacha and Michelle, or just say that I like the three of them equally haha.

[@ProfArmitage218]

One of Anthony Ainley's problems was that the writers started having him use ridiculous disguises that served absolutely no purpose in the story, for no other reason than "he's the Master and he wears disguises." An Asian mystic millions of years in the past? A scarecrow standing in the middle of a field? Why?

[@animationfanatic2133]

I think the late Christopher Lee might have made a good master

[@markgrehan3726]

For me, it's Missy she was such a great character who was kooky but deadly and as mentioned the chemistry between her and the Doctor was fantastic. I also liked that there was a reason why the Master/Mistress kept popping up to annoy the Doctor over the years which in its own insane way made sense and also explained why they had never just killed the Doctor outright. The other recent Masters while portrayed by good actors have been a little hammy and overdone, in some cases coming off as a parody of a Bond villain. Simms and Dhawans portrayals both suffer from this scene-chewing issue and ‎Sacha Dhawan has also had the unfortunate extra burden of some dodgy scripts giving his Master some awkward motivation and daft plans.

[@Venemofthe888]

Anthony Ainley's master was a very much a victim of too much all the time like he was featured in so many stories and the character really lost its lustre because he showed up too often and lost so how is he a threat. I will say i think the Master as a character needs an extended holiday like how the character didnt appear with Smith's doctor (although was mentioned). I think if the master was gone for a while i think it would do the character the world of good and with a universe so big lets have someone else do something

[@BeReasonableAndAskTheQuestion]

I really enjoy your videos! Thanks for running the Council! So, I wish we could have gotten a little more of the "crispy" Master onscreen. I wanted to drop a suggestion - if you haven't heard it already, I'd recommend checking out Big Finish's story, Dust Breeding. There's an interesting little twist to the Master's story in there, and it's the first time they got Geoffrey Beevers back into the role. As to the others, yes, Michelle Gomez was truly excellent, had a really interesting character arc, and did have tremendous chemistry with Peter Capaldi. Roger Delgado is of course the classic, though a bit overused, yes, particularly since they kind of just did the same thing with him repeatedly. And I also wish we could've gotten more of Derek Jacobi as the Master. I have not listened to much of the War Master audios yet. Cheers!

[@EvelynMadisonFaust]

Ainley is great in "Survival"... also one of my favorite moments from Delgado is in "The Mind Of Evil", you should check it out, if you haven't already.

[@will8994]

Would recommend ‘Survival’ for Anthony Ainley’s Master if you haven’t seen it. He’s so much more serious and deadly in that story than all his other appearances

[@kylejones8289]

Geoffrey Beevers was amazing in the Big Finish audio "And You Will Obey Me." It had the Master as this, horrific, corruptive, almost demonic force that invades these ordinary people's lives and just ruins them. It was the most disturbing version of the character that I have ever seen.

[@leejohnstone4663]

John Sims Master was the perfect mirror image of David Tennant's Doctor. Who was the villain?

[@ginam.6787]

Sascha is my favorite, because I could FEEL his self loathing and his hatred. Missy comes second 😃

[@patd25]

Ainley just feels like a poor impression of Delgado. Would love to know which War Doctor Big Finish episodes are worth a listen.

[@rosco31100]

His first set is definitely the best place to start, The War Master: Only the Good. It's on sale right now for limited time if you want to take a look on Big Finish. There's already a review of it on the Council of Geeks channel if you want their opinion. The first story is all right, but for me each story is better than the last and the last two in that set are amazing. It gives you a good idea for what the series is like.

[@meercatt]

Missy was brilliant and mesmerizing and hilarious and unpredictable and yes, super dangerous. LOVED her!❤😊

[@abbeyroad56]

Have you looked into Survival? As TVTropes puts it regarding The Master under Character Rerailment, "Anthony Ainley finally got to play the Master the way he intended, eschewing over-the-top campiness in favour of low-key menace."

[@byronheffner9838]

I would love to see Charles Dance take on the role in the RTD2 era, and just totally rock that Roger Delgado-like presence with the Tywin Lannister schtick. Idk, he just seems perfect for the role.

[@nekusakura6748]

Mark Strong would also be great as a Delgado style Master in my opinion.

[@ftc3000]

The funny thing is that both Ainley and Simm originally planned their versions of The Master to be a lot more menacing, but were told by their respective production team to be more "over the top". Both did get to play The Master how they originally intended eventually: Simm in "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls", and Ainley in "Survival". As for my ranking: 7. Roberts 6. Simm 5. Ainley 4. Jacobi 3. Gomez 2. Delgardo 1. Dhawan

[@rosco31100]

What puts Dhawan at the top for you?

[@ftc3000]

@@rosco31100 I think just how unpredictable he seems, going from childishly gleeful one moment to straight up menacing in a flash. He's probably the one version of The Master I'd genuinely be terrified at meeting as even if I did everything right, he'd probably still kill me just for the sake of it. At least with Delgardo's Master I think I might have a chance if I played my cards right.

[@rosco31100]

@@ftc3000 Totally agree, love Dhawan's range and the way he tries to contain his manic energy. But like you say, there's a chance Delgado would let you live, but with Dhawan's you'd never know.

[@rieh8373]

Derek Jacobi as the War Master on Big Finish is the absolute best. Just perfection as a villain.

[@RopeDrink]

Without spoiling anything - Anthony Ainley always wanted to play the master as dark and serious, but didn't get much opportunity until a certain story in a certain season involving a certain Doctor you apparently like (judging by previous lists). I'd be curious to see if your opinion on Ainley's master changes afterwards.

[@JayLiszte]

YOOOOOOOO VERA GOT A SPONSOR!

[@meteorrejector]

the crispy master with the bulged eyes fr scares the actual crap out of me lol

[@gateauxq4604]

I grew up on Anthony Ainley. Maybe it was just because I was young but I appreciated the camp a lot-it was the 70s snd 80s, the world was inherently campy (see also Reagan and the obsession with the middle class/nuclear family.) I love the frenetic Masters and Michelle Gomez did so much heavy lifting with her unique portrayal but Anthony will always be my cheesy, mustache-twirling Master to go with Tom Baker’s wackiness.

[@nekusakura6748]

But Ainley only did One Tom Baker Story.

[@richardbuckley1232]

Great list - I hope Sasha stays on for a bit after a break. His Master is truly frightening. That said, I’d put Roger first and Missy second.

[@kevin10001]

My list probably wouldn’t differ that much except Sacha Dhawan would be my last on the list moving up Eric Roberts cause Sacha Dhawan doesn’t sell the past history they have if feels like they wanted a heath ledger joker style master who is just a generic psychopath and like the joker that’s not who the master is unlike Michelle as the master it was like she saw roger delgado’s version of used it as inspiration for her master cause it works similarly to Delgado and her chemistry with Peter works also unlike Sacha’s version who doesn’t have chemistry with any of the “fam” in my opinion

[@ftumschk]

To be fair, the "fam" didn't really have much chemistry with anyone ;)

[@christianwise637]

I thought Dhawan played the part very well, but I do have to agree on your point about the lack of any sense of history between his Master and the Doctor. Like most things with Chibnall, it's primarily a fault of the writing, but I never got any sense that the pair were ever friends in any of their appearances together, which is usually what makes the Doctor/Master dynamic work really well. Also, your point at the end made me realise something else that bugged me about this version of the Master, and that's the lack of chemistry with the companions. If you look back at Delgado's Master, you'll find that he has a great dynamic not just with the Doctor but also with Jo and the Brigadier. The newer versions of the character kept this angle to a degree too, Simm's Master felt like just as much a personal enemy to Martha as the Doctor in series 3, and Gomez had plenty of great scenes bouncing off Clara, Bill and Nardole during her run. Dhawan never got many fun scenes interacting opposite any of Thirteen's companions, and while we did get some decent scenes between him and Yaz in his last episode, it felt like too little too late

[@TheCagedCorvid]

Yeah, Chibnall did them both dirty imo... I think both Jodie and Sacha could have crushed those roles under RTD... maybe big finish can give them the scripts they deserve one day.

[@mystic_mimi21]

I wish we had the war master and war doctor on screen together 😢

[@tokublwhovian]

- Gomez. - Roberts. - Dhawan. - Jacobi. - Simm (S10) - Ainley. - Delgado. - Simm (S3) - Pratt/Beevers.

[@michaelreindel6975]

1. Michelle Gomez 2. Roger Delgado 3. John Simm 2.0 4. Derek Jacobi 5. Anthony Ainley 6. John Simm 1.0 7. Sacha Dhawan 8. Eric Roberts …yeah, it’s hard for me to reconcile Simm’s wildly disparate versions of “his” master. And the “burnt” versions are, IMO, more about the prosthetics than the performances.

[@drwhogamer1650]

Council of Geeks Outro in an Alternate Universe: I am … the Council

[@gracienryan131]

I'd switch 2 and 3 but totally agree with your ranks( this time anyway). Until the introduction of Missy, The war Master was definitely my favorite. Missy had me even before the Master reveal.

[@drewlytle2281]

I want Eric Roberts to get another shot on screen. You want a surprise reveal that will light up the audience, imagine a the Doctor trying to find the source of an issue and encountering this old face. The show gave the 8th doctor another shot, give this master one.

[@sbi168]

For me ,my ranking has the top three as ; Sacha dhawan is my fave Missy is my second Roger Delgado is my third. My worst is probably the movie version closely followed by John simm who I never really liked .

[@hazelleblanc8969]

Interesting, my personal order agrees completely with yours, except for the last 3. I would put Delgado's master first, then Jacobi's, then Missy. I love the Master to be menacing with just a look, and I agree those three are in a separate league. The master is evil, not insane. The crazier acting Masters make me feel pity for their madness, and one should never pity the Master. Good ranking!

[@aboyandhisdogRE]

Ooh. A Master video, excited to see your ranking, loved your Doctor who ranking😍

[@nocturne8333]

I’d have to go with: 1. Gomez 2. Jacobi 3. Delgado 4. Ainley 5. Simm 6. Dhawan 7. Pratt/Beevers 8. Roberts

[@maurinet2291]

My first video of yours was the last time you ranked the Masters, so I feel like it's come full circle. And one of the things that caught me the first time was how you talked about Missy, because I was a lonely island of Who in a sea of those who didn't get it, and it was validation for everything I felt about her. I mean it is a testament to the strength of Sasha Dhawan's Master that I was on board with his version at all--after Missy and especially her exit, I thought they needed to leave the character alone for at least a few seasons. I never loved his Master but I did like him a lot; and you're right, it's because he lets you glimpse the damage.

[@marionbaggins]

We didn't need a Master so soon after Missy, it was 1 season, I Prefer having a few break seasons before Bringing the Master Back...

[@shannonalver7728]

Great, i was hoping youd pick missy. She was really something!

[@thegneech]

I always felt like John Simm was playing the Joker, not the Master, and that wasn't to my taste. Also, I'd like to give an honorable mention to Derek Jacobi in Scream of the Shalka, as perfunctory and WTFey as it may have been, it was a fun "bitchy" version of the Master.

[@kmsbean]

#8 Gordon Tipple & Eric Roberts in the TV movie, the less said about that the better. #7 Peter Pratt & Geoffrey Beevers as Crispy. Neither one is very good. #6 Anthony Ainley doing a bad Roger Delgado impersonation. Having John Nathan-Turner calling the shots didn’t help any. #5 Derek Jacobi only appeared in one episode, but it was a good one. #4 John Simm as “Mister Saxon” (Master No. 6 anagram) is a bit of a maniac, but post-time war that makes sense. #3 Michelle Gomez as Missy, admittedly a different take on the character, it worked. There was this weird sexual tension between her and the Doctor as to whether or no they were going to hook up. Thankfully they didn’t go that way since the Doctor is the Master’s brother (see season 21’s Planet of Fire). #2 I’d say Sacha Dhawan, who is basically a throwback (tribute?) to Roger Delgado. Unlike Ainley being bad partly because of John Nathan-Turner, Dhawan was good more of less in spite of Chris Chibnall. #1 has to be Roger Delgado, he is the Master, the definite article if you like. Not only is he the quintessential version, he is also the blueprint for both Ainley and Dhawan’s later versions of his character.

[@ryanpollard1166]

My Master rankings would probably go like this: 1. Roger Delgado 2. Michelle Gomez 3. John Simm (S10) 4. Derek Jacobi 5. Geoffrey Beevers 6. Peter Pratt 7. Sacha Dhawan 8. John Simm (S3/Specials) 9. Eric Roberts 10. Anthony Ainley

[@AndrewHalliwell]

How can Eric Roberts beat Ainley?

[@ryanpollard1166]

@@AndrewHalliwell Mostly Big Finish

[@ro_the_lion]

Ahhhh~ It's Missy, it's always gotta be Missy. There's no one else who gives the Master that level of nuance. PheNOMenal.

[@rosco31100]

Bar my top three, everything is subject to change on a daily bases for me. But at the moment, here's my ranking, which includes some Big Finish: 1. Delgado The Original and the best. He’s everything I want in a Master, charming, sophisticated, cunning, witty, and able to turn on a moments notice. He’s all business, and none of the new Who Masters really capture that side of the character for me. They’re all crazy, with one exception, but this man, while he’s mad, is never nuts. He’s always in control, love him. 2. MacQueen My God, the voice. And he’s basically a camp Delgado. Again, he can be funny, but deadly serious when needed. He commands the screen even if he’s yet to grace it with his presence. Another business Master, one of the few to have an actual long running companion in Dr Sally Armstrong, who only helps highlight his sadistic and well thought out plans. And he plays of Paul McGann amazing, really wish we’d get more with this incarnation, I love him so much and he doesn’t get enough recognition. 3. Jacobi I’ll be honest, I don’t love all the stories I’ve listened to involving him, but at the same time he makes every story he’s in. He’s like an older Delgado in many ways, only willing to go so much further. He’s so good a lulling you into a sense of security every time, and then revelling himself in truly brilliant and brutal ways. And while that business sense isn’t as strong as in my first two picks, it’s still there. He can laugh, and play, but never at the expense of his goals. 4. Dhawan The way he tries to contain the mania inside of him always gets me and in some rare moments when he lets it out I do find it funny. Not sure I’m supposed to, but I get a chuckle with this master. I’m hoping he’ll get elevated with Big Finish. I love his introduction in the show, but after that he never reaches the same hight. But Dhawan clearly puts a lot of thought into his performance and there’s little details that he brings that really make me want more. 5. Roberts Like MacQueen, he’s got the right amount of camp and can put it aside when he needs to. The Master! audio did wonders for him in my mind. Can’t say the sequel boxset was as good, but I definitely want to see more of this Master. He’s a proper bad guy, with a plan and like Eric Roberts said himself, he’s the ultimate boss. But his constant repeat storyline of trying to avoid being sucked back into the time vortex doesn’t help him out. 6. Gomez The harlequin of Masters. I like Missy, but not as much as other people. I do think her chemistry with Capaldi. as well as Gomez’ amazing acting, is what draws me in. But the truth is, I’m not a fan of the redemption arc, this incarnation spends a lot of time wanting to be friends with the Doctor while on the screen, and then in the audios she’s just bat-shit crazy. I can take this in handfuls, but there’s no sign of the control my top three have. For me, she’s too much fun for me to get the proper enjoyment. And with the growing popularity of Harley Quinn, I can’t stop comparing the two annoyingly, but that’s a me thing. 7. Beevers I’ve heard great things about him, but I just don’t click with him the way others do. I love Master, and part of that is down to him, but he’s also hardly playing the Master in that story bar a few scenes. I think he’s a great actor without question, but his incarnation of the Master never got beyond trying to survive. I don’t think he and Baker click as well as other duos, nor with McCoy either, and having not clicked with him, I wouldn’t rush to find any standalone stories with him as the focus. I like the idea on paper, and while the execution decent, it’s not great. 8. Simms Not enough of him. It really boils down to that. He’s also way more all over the place than Dhawan, and it doesn’t feel as intentional as Gomez. I feel with more stories, I might grow to love this incarnation, but with what we have so far, it just feels too short when compared to the others. Like a blip on the radar. He’s also very similar to Dhawan and Gomez for me, and while he came first, they left more of an impression. 9. Ainley I feel bad I don’t like him more, but like Beevers, I never clicked with him. Maybe it’s the stories, but I never really find him threatening and after a while the Saturday morning cartoon villain vibes begin to show. It also feels that after his first appearance, he never gets to win. And the Master has to win at least some of the time. Heck in the Five Doctors he’s basically treated like a nuisance and a joke. That’s not how you treat the Master. 10. Gatiss Barely heard him, thought he was fine, not really encouraged to go looking for more.

[@pious83]

I like that in Masterful, they all regard Missy as the most insane/unstable. To me personally, having heard Big Finish Roberts' Master. I'd switch his ranking with Dhawan. Sacha's Master did nothing for me. Aside from my own bug bear that he should have been Omega and not the Master at all. Everything he did onscreen, down to the Rasputin dance, really put me off. War Master and Missy are too close for me to separate either. They have been my joint number one for a while now.

[@therestingrancor8259]

Missy is my favourite Master.

[@alternatethirteenth5594]

The top 3 here I have to agree with. Like DAMN they're so good and might even be in that order? Eve number 4 feels right for me... As for the Audio exclusives... All issues aside with HIM, the OG Master is fairly decent imo, Milo Parker does a good young Master, the Unbound version is brilliantly suave and charming yet ruthless, while Alex MacQueen is always just full of such camp and unadulterated joy and evil I love him

[@chungkingexpress94]

Dhawan's master is fantastic, and it really comes down to his performance. His line readings and gear changes are surgical. Love it

[@samuelbarber6177]

In my opinion, the best will always be the original, Roger Delgado, he was just pure awesome for his entire time. Then, I’ma put Dhawan, Michelle Gomez, Derek Jacobi, John Simm, Anthony Ainley and then Eric Roberts (I haven’t seen either crispy Master). People might object to my placing of John Simm, but I never really gelled with his antics, I thought he was best in The Doctor Falls, but Last of the Time-Lords and The End of Time… yeesh. I put Jacobi so high despite being in it so little just because of how intimidating he was in that reveal.

[@marionbaggins]

Michelle Gomez is a Master I just met, and I tokd her how much my family loved her!!!

[@Toleezu6]

Based on the Master's personality arc, my head cannon is that Sasha's incarnation comes before Missy and they are just presented out of order

[@TheCagedCorvid]

That does kinda feel like it makes sense from a psychological point of view. Perhaps that's why I didn't truly appreciate Dhawans master as I can't imagine Missys character becoming him, but switching them around I can totally see the master that's full of self loathing and tries to literally become the doctor having a revelation and subsequently having Missys arc... this should be canon.

[@Netherfly]

The "Killing Time" boxset absolutely puts Jacobi over the top for me. It's incredibly brutal... to the point where it's actually difficult to listen to. This incarnation of the master isn't simply evil -- but deeply and profoundly cruel.

[@ryancarrick3585]

I think ainley works better with Tom and sylvester. It's odd because Davison is quite a quiet passive doctor and his master is very over the top and camp. They don't work well together

[@sectorzisnumbuhone]

Totally agree with your #1!!! 😁

[@barryhomeowner9293]

I really love Sacha Dhawan's master. He's the best for me. He has the cold, calculating nature of the masters of old but the crazy outbursts of Simm, and switches between them in a very considered manner to cause the most fear.

[@Gingerprince521]

I pretty much agree with this ranking except for The War Master as I've not listened to any of the Big Finish stuff with him. I'll have to give them a go. But for now, he'd have to go lower just due to seeing very little of him.

[@Smellystrawberry]

Congrats on the sponsor!

[@callumdavis9841]

I haven't seen classic who so this may be way off base but I can't help but notice that the way you described Missy sounds very similar to how you described the 6th doctor.

[@MrDarthT]

My issue with Ainley is that he always felt like a Roger Delgado ripoff. They also never really capitalise on the drama of him killing Nyssa's father and possessing his body. If it were me, he would have been defeated while Nyssa was still travelling with The Doctor, to wrap up that storyline. Bring in a new incarnation from that point onward.

[@lorelaitidwell5542]

I suggest reading divided loyalties by Gary Russell if you are interested in the drama of the Master killing Nyssa's father and possesing his body. I think it did a good job exploring that concept.

[@nekusakura6748]

​@lorelaitidwell5542 Nyssa as a character really benefits from what Big Finish Audios does with her too.

[@rosalie.e.morgan]

Michelle Gomez is always a delight, especially when a show can let her be weird

[@ritchards]

Where would you place Jonathan Pryce if he counted?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Not very high.

[@Lightningspirit]

Very much agree with the Top 3 as they are my 3 favorites as well

[@spockman4250]

I get why people like him, but I actually put Sacha Dhawan as the lowest of the NuWho Masters, just because I feel like his off-the-walls evil portrayal made him too much of a cartoon villain for the Doctor. I feel like the Masters in NuWho worked because there was some personal bond with the Doctor, whether it was being outcasts and Last of the Time Lords with the Tenth or oldest frenemies with the Twelfth. But Dhawans seething hatred for the Doctor felt like it lacked personal stakes and that their rivalry was simply a hero trying to stop a villain. Nothing wrong with that in principle, and I think he does a fine enough job as a rival for thirteen, but I just personally prefer the other ones.

[@sojabursche]

missy will probably always be my favourite master, it will be very hard for anyone to rank higher than her for me

[@glenaitken9403]

That Jacobi turn is legendary.

[@EmpressOfCatsup]

Roger Delgado will always be #1 for me. Michelle Gomez is a close #2.

[@thegabrielhyde]

A hill I will die on is that *every* Master is camp in their own way. 😎

[@ItsMeHarry]

Honestly I've still gotta see a lot of the Master's time on the show as I'm watching Classic in order, and am actually just past The Sea Devils myself, so I've only had Delgado of the Classic Who actors and each modern Master, but I have to say my ranking so far is the same. I adore Simm, but I think he just has a bit too much manic energy for me, but I enjoy his campiness too. Dhawan does have a similar energy and I enjoy that too, and I enjoy him embracing his camper side a bit more in The Power of the Doctor, with so many moments I genuinely just laughed so hard ("a man's allowed to experiment" and the whole Rasputin scene are some of my highlights). Delgado is brilliant, and as you say has perfect chemistry with 3 and shows great range and menacing, but Missy just has such a compelling story of being a terrible person who once wasn't that doesn't want to be anymore, and desperately wants to be good if it means she may have her friend back, even if she's fighting herself to do so. Her and Capaldi are both brilliant, and individually they may have been my favourites without each other, but with...they just soar to the top.

[@nozzlepie]

Delgado and Gomez are fantastic with their main Doctors, Jacobi is great without a Doctor just as a villan that would work anywhere. My top 3 too.

[@queensburyproductions3315]

Hang on... Just thinking from the big finish covers have you listened to the master of callous and missy series 2?

[@Donnagata1409]

You love Derek Jacobi, Vera???? 😍😍 On the other hand, who does not love him?

[@Donnagata1409]

Missy????? Really???? I'm so happy! She deserves it through and through. Thanks, Vera!

[@spencerluther6485]

Of those I’ve seen: 5. John Simm 4 Sacha Dhawan 3 Derek Jacobi 2 Roger Delgado 1 Michelle Gomez

[@angrybadger121]

I really really hope Sasha Dewan gets to bring back his Master in the show

[@TheCagedCorvid]

Yes, I struggled with his incarnation a lot of the time, something was just missing (thanks, Chibnall), but as time went on I saw flashes of brilliance in his portrayal. I'd have loved to see him (and honestly, Jodie too) with RTD at the helm.

[@rw-xf4cb]

Delgado: You may be a master, but I am The Master! The definitive article..... Wow you have to be a villain with a name like "Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto"

[@AlatheD]

Mmmm, now I want to find the old episodes again, and watch the old masters. They were often more camp than actual drama from what I can remember. I do enjoy your rankings, and the fact that it may change next time you do it. :)

[@rayman2902]

I don’t know if I agree, but all of your reasons are solid so good video

[@spoonietimelordy]

Not a big finish story but one from a book: the master and margarita from I am the master, is a phenomenal story about dhawan!master.

[@ikarikid]

I’m assuming that the Shalka Master would not even make the list, because (a) he’s a robot and (b) he’s restricted to the TARDIS?

[@rosco31100]

I would love to hear your thoughts on the Alex MacQueen Master from Big Finish. I'd imagine one of the best stories that sums him up is UNIT: Dominion, but his run in Dark Eyes is what defined him for me - which has been reduced in price for anyone who's interested, would highly recommend.

[@nekusakura6748]

'The Two Masters' is also a delight, especially with MacQueen's Master clashing with Geoffrey Beevers' Master.

[@rosco31100]

@@nekusakura6748 Yeah, I enjoyed that one too! I'm also a big fan of all his stuff in Dark Eyes since that was my introduction to him.

[@FOJO27]

Oh Missy you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind... HEY MISSY 🥳💙💙

[@marionbaggins]

That was improvised by Michelle, I found that out 2 days ago. She was an icon.

[@powbarabajagal2435]

Completely agree with the top 3!!

[@IronSalamander8]

Ainley was my 1st Master, and I'd rank him higher than Simms, but he is over the top too often, and almost goofy. Simms' manic behavior was beyond annoying. I did like Derek Jacobi as the War Master, he was my favorite part of Utopia for sure. Delgado is my favorite. Catching up on all the classics that are available made me realize how amazing he is. I like Gomez a lot as well. She lacked Simms' lunacy but was a nice mix of fun and malice.