10 Best Cliffhangers Of Modern Doctor Who
7. Utopia
The final Master entry on this list is the best of the lot, with the return being an extremely pleasant surprise, even if he is a dastardly villain. The cliffhanger works on multiple fronts thanks to the reveal of The Master being kept under wraps- well at least who was playing him.
The episode has a rather basic plot outline to start with, the Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack trying to assist the last remaining humans to the planet of Utopia in escaping the menacing 'future kind'. The focus instead is on the seemingly nice old man known as Professor Yana. The slow unravelling that he is actually The Master disguised as a human builds the tension beautifully, but that's nothing compared with what is to come.
Derek Jacobi plays the transformation from nice Professor to evil timelord to perfection, before John Simm takes over the role effortlessly when the Master is forced to regenerate. The brief discussion between the last remaining timelords is brilliant if a little short, although we get more extended dialogue in the finale that works a treat.
The cliffhanger moment occurs when The Master leaves the Doctor and his companions trapped in the future when he takes off in the TARDIS, leaving them at the hands of the future kind. Martha's panicked mention that she "has heard that voice" in regards to John Simm's Master is yet another exciting plot point that sets up the final two episodes perfectly.