Doctor Who: Every Version Of The Master, Ranked

Doctor Who is fast approaching its 60th anniversary and one of the Doctor's greatest enemies, the Master, has been around for over 50 of those years. During that time there have been many incarnations of the character who have appeared on-screen but all of them had the same goal in mind - universal domination.

Fans have long argued over whom the best incarnation of the Master is in Doctor Who and with every new actor that takes on the role, the debate only gets fiercer as there has yet to be a performance that hasn't brought something positive to the role. Despite this, there are some stand-out performances on the roster and some others that didn't quite hit the mark as well as others.

9 Peter Pratt: The First Crispy Master

Peter Pratt played the decayed Master (or crispy Master as fans commonly refer to him) in the Fourth Doctor story, The Deadly Assassin. Pratt was the first actor to take on the role after a three-year absence from the character due to the tragic death of Roger Delgado in 1973.

Pratt's performance was hindered by the prosthetics used as they didn't allow for facial expressions. His lines weren't dubbed either, which led to a performance that's harder to hear and not as animated as others. However, Pratt still delivered a memorable performance and while The Deadly Assassin was poorly received when first aired, it has since become a fan favorite episode in which Pratt firmly cemented himself as the Master.

8 Eric Roberts: The Sinister Showman

Roberts is arguably the most prestigious actor to take on the role of The Master with him being one of the few Oscar-nominated actors to appear in Doctor Who. He makes his appearance as the classic villain in the 1996 TV movie in which Paul McGann played the eighth incarnation of the Doctor.

Roberts' portrayal of the time lord is very rarely at the top of the list when fans rank their favorite Masters and this is most likely due to his hammy acting in the movie. He is by no means a bad Master, but his short time as the character is often over-the-top and feels as if it's lacking something. However, Roberts emanates the showmanship that is often seen with the Master which is on full display when he rocks the traditional Time Lord robes, and it's clear that he relished every moment.

7 Geoffrey Beevers: The Second Crispy Master

geoffrey beevers crispy master doctor who

Geoffrey Beevers played the Master in the Fourth Doctor's penultimate story, The Keeper of Traken, and is the same incarnation as the one played by Peter Pratt. The mask used in The Deadly Assassin had deteriorated and so Beevers instead had his face painted green to achieve a similar effect.

Beevers and Pratt both played the same incarnation and only for a short time, but Beevers has the edge over his predecessor because he wasn't held back by the mask. While the makeup isn't as horrifying as the mask from The Deadly Assasin, Beevers more than makes up for this with his conniving and twisted portrayal of the Master.

6 Derek Jacobi: The War Master

Derek Jacobi briefly played the Master in the Tenth Doctor story, Utopia, after it was revealed that the tender-hearted Professor Yana was the Master in human form.

Jacobi only spends a couple of minutes as the Master before being killed and forced to regenerate, but he makes every second of his performance count with his menacing charm and iconic line, "I...am...the Master", before killing his faithful companion. It can't be denied that Jacobi made the Master's reveal in the series 3 finale one of the most memorable moments of the modern series.

5 Sacha Dhawan: The Chaotic Evil

Dhawan is the most recent incarnation of the Master and is easily one of the standout features of the Chibnall era. His reveal in Spyfall part 1 was largely met with praise and curiosity among fans as Dhawan's enthusiasm for the role was evident, and he appeared to offer a new take on the character.

However, despite his phenomenal entrance, Dhawan never really got the chance to show off his acting chops again as the character was written primarily as an angry exposition machine in subsequent episodes. Dhawan is still the current incarnation of the Master though, so, hopefully, there's still time for him to develop the character in the kind of way that other actors did.

4 Anthony Ainley: The Master Of Camp

Anthony Ainley is probably the most underrated iteration of the Master, often getting sidelined and forgotten in discussions. He is the longest-serving actor to take on the role to date and faced off against four incarnations of the titular Time Lord during his tenure.

However, some big things are holding back Ainley from being held in the same regard as some of his fellow Masters. Many of the stories Ainley appeared in were forgettable at best, and it often felt as if he was being written more like a caricature of the Master as opposed to a fully-fledged incarnation. As a result, his role in the classic series is inconsistent, and his character lacks any unique traits that help him to stand out from the crowd.

3 John Simm: The Insane Drummer

John Simm is one of the more divisive actors to take on the role of The Master, with his performance being both praised and criticized. However, there can be no denying that he transformed the character into a more three-dimensional baddie that stole many of the scenes he was in.

Simm's first appearance in the series 3 finale was a refreshing take showing fans the more maniacal and outright insane side of the character. It was in The End of Time that things went a little awry though, and he resembled something more akin to a comic-book villain than the cunning opponent audiences were used to. Simm did get his redemption in The Doctor Falls, in which he toned down the theatrics and highlighted the callousness of the Master.

2 Michelle Gomez: The Time Lady

The Master has always loved a dramatic reveal and Missy's was easily one of their best as it was the first time that the Master had been played by a woman. Gomez went up against Capaldi throughout his run and even teamed up with her predecessor in one of the best cliffhangers the show has ever had.

Gomez is easily the best incarnation of the modern series and that's because she helped to develop the character in ways that the show had never explored before. For the first time in Doctor Who history, viewers saw the Master begin to reconsider their nature and start working with the Doctor rather than against them. Gomez's performance during this arc elevated the storytelling to a new level, and it all culminated in what could have been a poetic end for the character.

1 Roger Delgado: The Master... Universally

Roger Delgado was the first actor to play the Master all the way back in 1971 and tormented the Third Doctor during his exile on Earth. Delgado was the Moriarty to Pertwee's Sherlock and encapsulated everything that's great about the character, including his use of disguises, utilization of other races to forward his plans, cunning schemes, and a level of charm that goes well beyond even that of the Doctor.

The Pertwee era is seen as one of the most consistent of the show's run, so Delgado had some great scripts to work with. Delgado was far less extravagant than his successors and had a cooler, more debonair presence that made him feel more like the Doctor's equal. While his incarnation was less developed than that of NuWho Masters, it was originally planned for him to sacrifice himself for the Doctor, but Delgado sadly died in a car crash before the story could be filmed. Roger Delgado's performance is iconic, and, without him, the Master may not have the legendary villain status that they do today.

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