Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Derek Jacobi, Jonny Green, Nicholas Briggs, Rachel Atkins, Jonathan Bailey, Hannah Barker, Robert Daws, Jacob Dudman, Mark Elstob, Nerys Hughes, Jacqueline King, Deidre Mullins.

What is a hero without their counterpoint, after all they come from the same stock, the same blood runs through their veins, it is only reasonable to assume that without the supposed hero running through their lives, that they too have adventures in which are just as remarkable, just as defining as those we come to seek from the protagonist we hope will save the day, and perhaps our souls at the same time.

We are never privy to the perceived villain’s own explorations, exploits and wanderings through life, after all being a villain is a matter of subjective taste, and for the most part their stories are not for the faint-hearted, for those in need of hope in a dark universe. And yet we are captivated by the abuses and back stories of Moriarty, by Colonel Kurtz, by Stephen King’s Pennywise, and of course by The Master. For in their own ways they consider themselves the hero of their chronicles and their own voice, their narrative, reflects that sincerely.

As with Big Finish’s spin off series involving the Doctor’s wife, River Song, so it was only to be expected that a Master should find their way into the catacombs and warrens of audio drama, than The Master, and with obvious hindsight it was always going to involve the one to whom had barely time on screen but provided arguably the most sensational impact and reveals, that of Derek Jacobi’s incarnation, The War Master.

Across the four tales, Nicholas Briggs’ Beneath the Viscoid, Janine H Jones’ The Good Master, Guy Adams’ The Heavenly Paradigm and James Goss’ The Sky Man, what could have been is unveiled and it one that adds greatness, sensational loathing to a character to whom without Doctor Who would certainly not have been the same without.

If ever there was a Doctor-light, or indeed in this case, Doctor-absent, story which encapsulated the fear of time and the smallest action taken in the name of good being found to have the worst possible outcomes, then it is in James Goss’ The Sky Man to which holds such devilry in the twist, such infinite dread in understanding what is to come. It is in this story that the true malevolence of The Master can be appreciated, how his influence can be felt even without apparently lifting a finger.

For Cole Jarnish, played with pure sensitivity by Jonny Green, the nightmare as acting as the saviour, the redeemer of a world which turns to a darker side, one that materializes time and again across the many folds of time and space, is too much to bear, the pain and anguish at what he has unwittingly created, carries deep into the listener’s own heart, the conscious decision to help backfiring in such a spectacular way, and all the time, The Master watches on, allowing the moment and the reckoning to be played out.

In any other incarnation of The Master, such a moment would arguably not have had the fall from grace that is needed to carry off such brilliant writing, the acting of subterfuge; however for Derek Jacobi, such woven acts of underhand apparent kindness are to be feared themselves as they are by no means benign, and it is with that tremendous sense of malice that comes out a mouth that seems to speak reconciliation, that is to be afraid of the most. 

An astonishing set of tales that make this first series of The War Master an affair with the malignant entity such a fierce and exciting prospect to delve into; for after all those that stare into the abyss are always more interesting to human nature than to those who save the day.

Ian D. Hall