Doctor Who Series 10: 7 Reasons To Be Excited About The Return Of John Simm's Master
Just why has there been such a buzz about John Simm's Doctor Who comeback?
The BBC really ought to think about hiring River Song as a publicist. In the build up to Series 10, spoiler after spoiler has been officially announced, leaving us to wonder just how many surprises Doctor Who in 2017 has left up its sleeve.
It’s all part of a deliberate effort to draw up interest in the new series of course, and all started almost a year ago in an FA Cup semi-final, with a specially shot scene introducing new companion Bill as played by Pearl Mackie.
The new character barely registered outside of fandom, and the reveal of the returning Ice Warriors or the sixties Cybermen was just as underwhelming. Even the announcement of Peter Capaldi’s departure in the Christmas Special failed to generate much interest.
And then came the sensational news that the Master, as played by the popular Life on Mars actor John Simm, is set to make a comeback. Finally, we are seeing more than just a flutter of interest in the BBC’s supposedly flagship program.
With Simm being directly associated with the 21st Century’s most popular Doctor, David Tennant, the BBC and Steven Moffat knew exactly what they were doing and the excitement generated by the announcement suggests that there is still an appetite for the Saturday evening family drama.
But what exactly do we have to look forward to? And why is this character in particular exciting fans and non-fans alike?
7. Tying Up The Loose Ends
When the Master sensationally returned to our screens as Missy, we were kept largely in the dark as to what happened to Simm’s incarnation. He was last seen returning to the time locked Time War with Rassilon and his Gallifreyan entourage. Aside from a brief hint that the Doctor’s actions in The Day of the Doctor inadvertently saved the Master, exactly what triggered his regeneration into Missy remains unknown.
For years, the same was true of Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, until Moffat delighted fans with the surprise regeneration story in the 50th anniversary minisode Night of the Doctor. Such gaps are particular bugbears for the fan-base, as demonstrated by the various attempts in audio and book form to provide the story behind the Sixth Doctor’s botched TV regeneration.
John Simm confirmed the rumours of his return in a tweet that implied it’s all thanks to time travel. That much goes without saying, but it has nevertheless led some to wrongly assume that he will be plucked out of an earlier point in his timeline (ala The Five Doctors).
We are almost guaranteed to see a post The End of Time Master. He has been spotted with the blonde haired look that premiered in David Tennant’s finale, and Steven Moffat has previous in giving fans exactly what they want. Regeneration or no regeneration, we can expect to finally find out how the Master survived the Time War second time around.