Doctor Who: Every Master Story In The New Series Ranked Worst To Best

John Simm’s grinning and insane portrayal of the Master is nothing short of iconic. The task of bringing such a well-loved character from the classic series back to television after an eleven-year absence was a dauting one, and Simm proved that he had the acting chops to pull it off.

But The End of Time, while acting as a decent swansong for the Tenth Doctor, is still a little wonky in places. For one thing, the Master’s insanity is just a little too over the top here to fully take him seriously as a villain. In the Series 3 finale, it felt as though he had all the power and that our heroes were helpless to stop him. Here, he feels like more of an annoyance that’s pulling clownish party tricks on the human race.

He is quickly upstaged by the return of Gallifrey and the Time Lords in Part Two, before sacrificing himself to save the Doctor and vanishing from the show for four years.

Until the Series 10 finale, this was the final outing for Simm’s Master and, as endings go, it wouldn’t have been the worst way for him to say goodbye forever. But there was certainly room for improvement.