Doctor Who: All The Masters Ranked Worst To Best

3. Anthony Ainley

The longest running Master, Anthony Ainley first appeared in Doctor Who as Nyssa's father before his body was stolen and he transformed into the Master all the way to the final Classic Who adventure Survival. As a character he brought menace and manipulation in equal measure, but he could also bring in a little too much ham to his performance, which stopped him from reaching the heights of the earlier Roger Delgado. But as a character, there is no denying this Master more then any other had the most impact on the Doctor's life. His first act was one of the most terrible, wiping out chunks of the universe in Logopolis and killing off the long-beloved Fourth Doctor before acting as a thorn in the Fifth Doctor's side for many episodes. He returned again to scheme with a new Time Lady villain the Rani against the Sixth Doctor before battling the Seventh Doctor on the planet of the Cheetah people. His last story was perhaps his greatest, with Ainley allowed to tone down some of the over the top acting to deliver a more measured, dangerous Doctor closer to Delgado. Used perhaps a little too often and not always to the best effect, Ainley's Master none the less made his mark on the show during its final decade with a performance that it took a long time to beat.