Long time DOCTOR WHO Fan-theory CONFIRMED by new colourisation?

[@outcastkatsuki]

I liked the extension of the dating controversy at the end…

[@CulturePhilter]

Yes that was a fun touch.

[@kylerees3491]

There was also regeneration sounds when his body was dragged away, I don't think it fits though imo the Doctor and the War Chief seem more like acquaintances then best friends

[@CulturePhilter]

Oh I didn’t clock that either. Good catch.

[@ZoahLord]

I'm glad someone else picked up on the regeneration music. I had to re-watch this morning to check I wasn't going mad

[@CulturePhilter]

@@ZoahLord I’m going to have to give it another watch myself

[@BrianSmith-lj6ug]

I never noticed that.🙂

[@DistantCousin]

@@ZoahLord I rewound as soon as I heard it!

[@markstramtrainbuscapades1729]

The Delgado theme was used when the War Chief met The Doctor!

[@CulturePhilter]

Ahh cool. Apparently there was also the begining of a regeneration noise after he was killed which I also didn’t clock. Need to do another watch

[@thecelticdruid7707]

Terrence Dicks said in an interview that the War Chief and the Master are different characters, he created them both, but having said that i did like that it was implied that it could be the master.

[@CulturePhilter]

True. He did write them. But the originator of any story isn’t necessarily the ultimate arbitrator of what it means and anyone writing later stories is free to reframe what we saw with new context that wasn’t intended at the time.

[@palbrvn3737]

Only problem with that is he's already written pretty much the opposite in the target novelisation of the War Games!

[@CulturePhilter]

@@palbrvn3737 Doctor Who writers contradicting themselves? I’m shocked 😄

[@edmcguire753]

​@CulturePhilter Reframe is one thing, but this butchers Dicks legacy. The Master is the Doctor childhood Friend this is Magnus.

[@inspector2363]

If he was the Master, there would've been lines like "So... You escaped the Timelords?" & the Emissary who warned the Doctor would've at least mentioned War Games obliquely.

[@CulturePhilter]

Yes, like I say in the video it doesn’t entirely fit with the way they interact with one another.

[@stevehodge133]

I’ve always wondered about that too-could he really be The Master? They both seem to recognize each other when the War Chief enters the room. Or maybe that’s just a Time Lord thing. Who knows?

[@CulturePhilter]

There does seem to be a moment of recognition but then they don’t talk to each other (even when alone) like they had even interacted before let alone been friends once.

[@Melkur1981]

Its crazy to think they actually did this, but it's been a favourite fan theory since before I was born, and I guess there's a corner of fandom that is really happy right now.

[@CulturePhilter]

I like that they left it open to interpretation. Those that like it can take it, those that don’t can leave it. Which do you fall into?

[@Melkur1981]

@CulturePhilter I think it's fine. You can tell what the team behind this thinks by the Delgado Master and Simm Master themes :)

[@joshuajoshua2732]

The War Chief is not The Master Terence Dicks has confirmed this several times. It's a fanwank myth by RTD.

[@brewster_4]

“Several times” is a bit of a stretch. In all honesty, Terrance Dicks has said both yes and no to The War Chief and Master being the same. The only times he said no though was when he was writing for the VNAs, and that’s because that was their policy.

[@markstramtrainbuscapades1729]

I think it's mainly RTD being mischievous! Of course, only long term fans will get it and they're the only ones who are liable to get upset!

[@CulturePhilter]

Yeah they totally knew what they’d be igniting in terms of discussions. I like that it’s still open to interpretation though. Take it or leave it into your own head-canon, it’s up to you. 🙂

[@Mark-nh2hs]

@@CulturePhilter I was half expecting him to shoe horn in the 2nd to fugitive Doctor to really upset even more fans lol. I’m so glad he didn’t

[@Jay-ql4gp]

I've long felt that the War Cheif _is_ The Master. It doesn't fit completely. But it's fun. And while I'm at it, I wish they'd bring back The Rani.

[@CulturePhilter]

She is over-due an appearance isn’t she. I know there were Riggs issues to the character for a while.

[@badwolf66]

THEORY TIME: I think The Master (if it was The Master) wasn't really interested in The Doctor at the time but he was more concerned about a certain event which would involve Daleks and Timelords, He wanted to use human armies as proxies to battle "The Aliens".

[@bobburt8218]

Does anyone else see the likeness between the war chief in the war games and Seneca Crane from The Hunger Games.

[@CulturePhilter]

Now you mention it there is a similarity in the beard and hair style specifically.

[@buzzybeepopman2009]

I personally loved it but to be fair I’ve always thought the War Chief is the Master

[@CulturePhilter]

Because I hadn’t seen The War games until I watched the original 10 part black and white last week I’d never really taken a view on it, but was aware of the theory. I’m happy for it to be either to be fair.

[@Auntydaren]

Yes I agree but didn’t they also play the masters music in the story of ruby Sunday and that was a big red herring 😂

[@CulturePhilter]

That is true. Love that it leaves this open to interpretation. 😄

[@brewster_4]

I don’t think that was meant to be a red herring more of just “this music is good, and fits with the moment, so let’s use it even if it’s the Master’s theme”

[@CulturePhilter]

@ oh I think they absolutely knew what they were doing and what discussions/debates it would initiate 😄

[@selatidos]

i mean, i was used to think the theory was fake because there is also a meddling monk theory about that being the Master,but maybe ,just maybe the war chief makes more sense,and BBC and Russell in the present wants us to believe in that

[@CulturePhilter]

I was never keen on the Monk being the Master theory. But maybe that’s more to do with the fact that I first saw his episode about 30 years ago but have only just watched War Games for the first time last week 🤷‍♂️

[@johnjames-glover4630]

Anyone else think they'll enjoy the War Games colourisation more than this year's Xmas special?

[@CulturePhilter]

They both look fun in different ways.

[@palbrvn3737]

Terrance Dicks and Malcolm Hulke both confirmed it was in fact the Master in the Target novelisations of Colony in Space, Terror of the Autons and the War Games. Can't really argue with the people who wrote the stories and created the characters... but this is the internet.

[@CulturePhilter]

Oh that’s interesting. Because other people in my comments have been saying Terrance said that it wasn’t.

[@palbrvn3737]

@@CulturePhilter Well that's true as well. Apparently when he wrote for Virgin books their editorial policy was to keep the characters separate to fit in with their story plans...so he retconned his own retcon

[@ZoahLord]

@@palbrvn3737 Correct there. The links between the War Chief and any other Time Lord were kept extremely subtle in 'Timewyrm: Exodus' - even The Doctor didn't seem to realise the link

[@kalebdiaz1671]

Is there anywhere in the us I can watch it

[@CulturePhilter]

Not without a VPN. They are releasing it on DVD and blu-ray though. You might be able to order that?

[@Blazing_Ninja]

God i'm jealous of you brits right now! I love the half cannon theory though!

[@CulturePhilter]

They are bringing it out on DVD if you’re able to order that.

[@Blazing_Ninja]

@@CulturePhilter Once I find it on sale for cheap enough then I'll get it. But you still get to see it so much faster!

[@CulturePhilter]

@ true.

[@timelordvictorious]

I don’t think the war chief is the master but I think the it’s interesting how that theory came out .the war chief comparing himself to the doctor and almost being the doctors dark self was very master like .

[@selatidos]

i didn't know what to think about war chief being the master theory,what if actually he is not a previous master ,but a distant friend or alternatively he is a younger master that was considering a different name and he didn't become the master until james dreyfus incarnation,despite big finish not saying that,apparently

[@CulturePhilter]

Yes he may not be going by that name yet I guess.

[@W123-x1u]

I don’t think it’s implying that the war chief is the master I think they just did it to emphasise that he is another time lord. They reused the masters theme for Suteks reveal and I don’t think he’s the master 😂

[@CulturePhilter]

That’s a good point about Sutekh. Although there had never been any fan theories about him being the Master so I think they absolutely knew what they were doing here.

[@vortexalliance9938]

Nothing was really confirmed, the music doesn't really mean anything cause like they just reused the master and thats it. It would be like saying cause they used "I am the Doctor" (11s theme) in the 60th when Donna remembered she is the 11th Doctor, do you see how silly that sounds.

[@CulturePhilter]

Hmm I’m not sure that comparison works as “I am the doctor” playing would indicate she is kind of The Doctor (not a specific incarnation) and in a sense (The DoctorDonna) she is. But there is an example of using a theme where it really didn’t mean anything and that’s the Masters theme being used for Sutekh last season.

[@vortexalliance9938]

@CulturePhilter Yeah that's a better example, the Donna thing was just the first thing I thought of plus i didn't know they played that last season must have missed it but aleast you knew what i meant by it.

[@ftumschk]

I don't much care for this, mainly because watching events unfold at a safe distance in a "control centre" isn't the Master's style. Unlike the War Chief, the Master's more usual M.O. is to get involved in the action, under an assumed identity or even in disguise.

[@CulturePhilter]

True but personalities do shift over incarnations.

[@ftumschk]

@@CulturePhilter persinality and modus operandi are different things

[@CulturePhilter]

@@ftumschk personality might affect someone’s MO. Plus Delgado’s master certainly did his fair share of manipulating behind the scenes.

[@ftumschk]

@@CulturePhilter I don't really remember him that way, and I grew up in that era. Both Delgado and Ainley were very much "hands on" Masters, and loved adopting assumed identities/disguises.... a habit the Master carried forward into the movie and indeed NuWho. The War Chief just came across as a fairly generic baddie to me, and he still does.

[@TheValarClan]

when I was a kid and I watched the series I wondered the same thing but no, they are not the same character. And it’ll be lazy riding to try to make the two the same. Just as the monk is not the master as well. Which is another renegade time, Lord I actually like the idea that these two other characters might be running around the universe still

[@CulturePhilter]

Yes apparently they added a regeneration noise in to to indicate the War chief might regenerate, which even if he doesn’t end up being thee Master it’s good for keeping the character around.

[@williamhollenbach]

I will leave it.

[@CulturePhilter]

Absolutely fair 😄

[@WertyQ543]

Bullshit he was just a prototype timelord individual Last-minute Baddie

[@CulturePhilter]

That was certinally the intention at the time. Things can be reframed in retrospect though. Although I guess from your comment you wouldn’t be a fan of that?

[@timecontroller8800]

I don’t think I like this theory. While I see the logic in thinking their the same they are also characterised quite differently, with the only similarity being that they team up with aliens. The master is far more competent than the war chief. Most other media has explained that the war chief is another member of the doctors friend circle like the Rani and the monk which I think is more interesting

[@CulturePhilter]

The Doctor sure did have bad taste in friends as a Academy student 😄

[@bobjordan69]

Subtle?? It was subtle as a brick!

[@CulturePhilter]

Subtle because unless you pay attention to music cues you might not notice it. It wasn’t an added line of dialogue directly calling him Master for instance.

[@SciFiGuy72]

Interesting, but The Master was never Saxon.....Nu Who and Doctor Who are not the same thing.

[@CulturePhilter]

It’s all Doctor Who. You’ll like some eras more than others, that’s just natural. But just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it not what it is.

[@CastellanSpandex]

​@@CulturePhilter But the 'Sherlock Holmes' extended literary universe isn't Sherlock Holmes, unless you want it to be. Discuss.

[@CastellanSpandex]

​@@CulturePhilter Even though Conan Doyle said people can do what they like with him.

[@CastellanSpandex]

Is the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' a continuation of the BBC 's 'Come Dancing'? Is the BBC's 'Top Gear' from the 1970s the same show that "came back" later? If your answer to Doctor Who and all of the above is yes they are because they're licenced by the BBC, then where does that leave the BBC books and Big Finish? Moffat inserting Big Finish names into the McGann mini episode doesn't really make them 'canon', as Big Finish stories contradict the TV series as much as it contradicts itself.

[@CulturePhilter]

@CastellanSpandex It’s still Sherlock Holmes… it’s just not “Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes” . But it’s not the same situation anyway as Doctor who has never had a single author. It has current custodians of it that all have their own take.

[@marvelsomething1952]

I would rather he was a different time lord

[@CulturePhilter]

Would you want him to come back regenerated in the modern series at all if he was?

[@joshuajoshua2732]

He was shot dead how can he regenerate.

[@CulturePhilter]

@@joshuajoshua2732 clearly he wasn’t fully dead.

[@LaytonMathieson]

I really don't like the idea that the War Chief is the Master. Really the only thing to go off is "evil Time Lord" and for me that's not a valid enough reason to say they're the same character. I just feel that them being the same character (and by extension, any other evil Time Lord being theorised to be the Master), just makes the universe that little bit smaller, I'd like there to be more Time Lords around, they don't all need to be the Master. Narratively, there are a few inconsistencies as well, they don't seem to have that best enemies vibe that the Doctor has with the Master, along with the lack of acknowledgement of The War Games when the Doctor learns of the Master's presence on Earth, as well as there being no references to it during any other Master story. I feel like there was no reason to "confirm" this fan theory beyond causing a stir in the fandom that they know can get rather aggressive with each other. It was best left alone in my opinion.

[@CulturePhilter]

The ONLY thing to go off? I think you’re forgetting the beard 😜

[@LaytonMathieson]

@@CulturePhilter Confirmed, everyone with a beard is now officially the Master!

[@CulturePhilter]

@@LaytonMathieson wait. Am *i* the Master? 😳

[@LaytonMathieson]

@@CulturePhilter Am I the Master???

[@Mark-nh2hs]

Ugggh is the first thing out of my mouth 😂. Then the saxon theme played and so out of place with the story. Yes ive heard this theory way back in the 90s and for a while liked it but after watching the story numerous times i found the War Chief a more interesting character - whats his backstory, who is he?

[@CulturePhilter]

Out of interest what made you like the idea initially in the 90s?

[@Mark-nh2hs]

@ I started watching doctor who at the end of the 5th Doctor’s era when I was 6. I remember watching the War Games on double VHS in the 90s and my first thought it was the Master lol. Then I read some where there were two popular theories about the master - 1. He was the Doctors Brother or half brother, 2 the War Chief was the Master. The other reason I liked the idea at the time the Master was one of my fav villains lol. But over time as I grew up the theory didn’t add up. Esp when the Doctor first learns of the Master in Terror of the Autons - if the War Chief was the master he would have mentioned that fact lol.

[@blastfromthepast-o1d]

It confirms nothing... except a fan-boy who has probably been fantasizing about it for 40 years decided to insert the musical cue in there for all the other hardcore fan winkers. The same with putting New Who Doctors onto the screen at the end. Means nothing. Not canon in any way. Merry Christmas.

[@CulturePhilter]

Doctor who has no official canon anyway. Just the TV show itself is awash with contradictions. Count what you want to count, discount what you want to 🤷‍♂️

[@daemonartursson5952]

No the War Chief and the Master are two different Timelords. . going by Terrance Dicks sequel to Wargames - Timewyrm Exodus set in Nazi Germany. Just watched the colourized version. Its beautiful but the editting is Terrible. 😮😮 Didn't need the regeneration at the end as ruins series 6b theory (Pat Troughton in the Five Doctors and the Two Doctors) but liked the timedial clicking between 1970 and 1980 😂😂

[@GavyLad]

No, no chance. The Master was created during and for the Third Doctors era. Fanboy rubbish.

[@paulholgate4664]

Bullshit!