I know it's something we all sort of dicussed a few weeks ago in the Jacobi thread but I was wondering what people's views are overall of who their favourite Master is and what you think of the less known Master's.

My fave is still Anthony Ainley, because he was the Master when I was growing up and his chuckle always gave me the creeps. My disguise detector wasn't so finely tuned then so when he sudenly appeared out of disguise that used to scare the crap out of me as well!!!! I guess I liked him also because he was more manic and less humourous than Delgado, who I rate highly as well.

But what about the lesser known Masters? I thought Peter Pratt did a great job using his voice in The Deadly Assassin, that was quite scary as well. And I think Geoffrey Beevers was almost as good as well in The Keeper Of Traken, though the less effective make-up sort of spoilt things a bit.

As for the others, Eric Roberts was okay until the scenes in the TARDIS at the end of the TV Movie. Went a bit of the rails after that. Loved Derek Jacobi despite his short stint in the role, John Simm was okay, just a little OTT in The End Of Time.

So who was your Fave Master and did you like the less known ones?

I think it's a shame that Jonathan Pryce never got to play the Master for real, since he was fantastic in Curse of the Fatal Death. He could have been the best.

I loved Anthony Ainley, probably for much the same reason you did, daveyboy. I like a good old fashioned moustache twirling villain!

Simm and Delgado would be joint second, they both bought something special to the role.

Jacobi we only saw for a few minutes, and he was suitably sinister, but I like his performance as Yana more if I am honest.

The others I did not like much in the role.

It's Delgado for me, mainly as he was my first, I suspect. As for Ainley, when I watch him now I thouroughly enjoy his performances and he'd come in at number two.
Similar to someone else said regarding Simms: I quite enjoyed him in The Sound Of Drums two parter, but he became nothing more than a cartoon in The End Of Time.

I would've enjoyed the chance of seeing what Jacobi might have brought more fully to the role, but ultimately he and the others amount to little more than cameos.

Oh yes definatley. I still remember him as the best Master there never was.

He certainly was that. He had such great poise in the role as well. I think Tom Baker pointed out once that in Logopolis the real subtle way he tapped into that console as he tipped The Doctor of that platform. As Baker said, he really typed menace into it!!!! He wasn't perfect by any means, I thought his performance in Planet Of Fire was a bit OTT but come Survival I thought he gave his very best, and sadly last, performance.

I enjoyed him in that as well!!!

Skeletor, specifically.

Delgado

End of.

He was The Master.

The rest were fertilizer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HAUzVJPM2g

Indeed

Delgado for me too, although they did overdo it by making him appear in every episode of Jon Pertwee's 2nd season.

couldn't have put it better myself.

Delgado

The definitive frightening master - just looked up his full name - Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto.
R.I.P.

I liked Delgado a lot, and Beevers has done a great job in the Big Finish audios, but Antrony Ainley was my Master, growing up. It's a shame he didn't get to come back in 1996: Eric Roberts was atrocious.

Seen him loads of other 60's programmes lately and he's just as charming as he was in Doctor Who!!!


I agree with you there Tony, Ainley would have been brilliant in the Tv Movie. Big Shame.

I think if Anthony Ainley had given the kind of performance he did in Survival in all his stories, he'd have been the best ever Master.

However, he didn't, so Roger Delgado remains the best Master.

I think you've hit the nail on the head, for me.

Ainley was excellent in some stories, Delgado stole every scene.

Got to be Delgardo.

"I am the Master and you will obey me!"

Delgado...although the return in The Deadly Assassin gave me nightmares at the time and remains an iconic costume/make-up job.

To be fair, that was not Ainley's fault. He wanted to make his Master genuinely sinister, but every time he tried to inject a bit too much menace into his performance,JNT ordered him to camp it up.

It was Marc Singer in the films and Daniel Goddard in the TV series, wasn't it?

I agree with you, Tony, Ainley should have been able to play The Master as he did in Survival throughout.

I think the first few stories he did as The Master were also amongst his best as well. I'd say Logopolis and Castrovalva were quite good for him. After that, Time-Flight was a bit of weird one, but I put that down to the production and the writing. King's Demons wasn't too bad but it was all the stories he appeared in after that and up until Trial Of A Time Lord that were just a little bit OTT. I still liked him in those stories but he was just a side show during both Colin Baker's stories and Planet Of Fire he went a bit of the rails. Thankfully he had Survival to make amends and end on a high note.

Ainley!!!

Survival is still one of my faves