Doctor Who: All The Masters Ranked Worst To Best

7. Eric Roberts

The only Master that can be considered a bit rubbish, Eric Roberts delivered ham in spades to bring his maniacal Master to life for the 1996 TV movie. Bizarrely, he possessed snake-like abilities which enabled him to possess a host body - in this case Bruce, a paramedic in 1999 San Francisco. The writers obviously looked to Anthony Ainsley's Master in the Keeper Of Traken, possessing Tremas, though the abilities shown in this story are nothing like the Time Lord mythology seen before or since. There is no subtlety to Robert's Master. He strides around San Francisco looking like the Terminator in sun glasses and then dons a garish Time Lord robe that looks completely out of place even against the Gothic style of the Seventh/Eighth Doctor's TARDIS and the latter's Byronesque costume. He spits acid, laughs maniacally and has a terrible companion in street kid Chang Lee. There is nothing redeemable about this villain. Even his plan to obtain the Eye of Harmony and steal the Doctor's remaining regenerations is both over the top and has been done before... and much better. If Paul McGann hadn't been so great as the Eighth Doctor then the chances are the TV movie would never have become canon. However slotting in between the classic and NuWho era, it makes this Master part of the Time Lord's history, albeit one many would rather forget.