10 Doctor Who "Plot Holes" That Really Aren't

Spyfall Part 1 ends with one of the most jaw-dropping cliffhangers in recent years, with MI6 agent O revealing himself to be none other than the Master. But shouldn’t the Doctor have cottoned on to this much sooner?

Well, it depends which way you look at it.

The Ninth Doctor was adamant that he was the last of the Time Lords, telling Rose that he’d “know” if any others were left. Yet two series later, we’d discover that the Master also survived the Time War, and was very much alive and kicking.

There are two possibilities here: either the Doctor’s Time Lord sixth sense is not as accurate as Nine made it out to be, or the Master’s disguise was so sophisticated that he managed to evade it.

Either way, the Master has been able to dupe the Doctor on so many other occasions – including, but not limited to, Spyfall – meaning that this one instance cannot be a plot hole.

Perhaps the process of stealing a new body, or even regenerating into one, is enough to put the Doctor off the scent? Hence why the Doctor failed to recognise both O and Missy until they revealed themselves to him.

Or perhaps there’s more to it – some sort of perception filter that hides the Master’s identity. This would certainly explain why some of his more obvious disguises have proved so successful. We’re looking at you, Sir Gilles Estram!