Doctor Whohas been through several different iterations since it first began in 1963, from the classic era, to the rebooted era, to the re-rebooted era that started with Ncuti Gatwa’s introduction in 2023. However, thebest episodes ofDoctor Whoare the ones that draw inspiration from many different points in the show’s past, blending the eras together in a way that pleases both new and returning fans. This is something that’s generally been done very well in the rebooted era, but there’s certainly room for improvement.
Bringing characters from the classic era back to the modern iteration is a great way to bridge the gap between the eras, andDoctor Whohas been doing this way back in the beginning. The Master is perhaps the strongest example of this; he’s appeared consistently throughout the show’s history, and every time he shows up, the writers do something unique with the character.The Master has appeared in many different forms, butif the show really wants to make the most of this villain, it should return to the old format ofnoregeneration.
The Master Stayed Mostly The Same During Doctor Who’s Classic Era
He Was Only Played By Two Recurring Actors
While the Doctor’s regeneration cycle was a major plot point in classicDoctor Who, this was never the case with his old nemesis.The Master was played by Roger Delgado until the actor’s death in 1973, when he was replaced by a couple of faceless stand-ins before Anthony Ainley took over in 1981. This means there were only two recurring incarnations of The Master in the entirety of classicDoctor Who- whereas the rebooted show has already included twice as many.
Doctor Who’s Next Master Should Be Sacha Dhawan’s Version
The Actor Would Work Brilliantly Alongside Ncuti’s Doctor
WhileDoctor Whohas introduced several characters to replace the Masterin recent years,it’s inevitable that he will return at some point in the future. When this happens, the show could finally break the character’s regenerative streak and simply bring Sacha Dhawan back instead of casting a new actor. Not only would this please existing fans who’ve stuck around for the newly rebooted era, but it would also ensure thatDoctor Whodoesn’t overwhelm audiences withyet anotherversion of the character. Bringing the same actor back is much closer to classicDoctor Who’s treatment of the villain.
There’s No In-Universe Reason To Recast The Villain
Importantly, the Master isn’t canonically dead inDoctor Who- which means he doesn’t have to regenerate to come back. The majority of the times the Doctor has defeated his nemesis, the villain has been on the verge of death and forced to regenerate into a new incarnation. This wasn’t the case inThe Power of the Doctor, where the Master left of his own accord shortly before Jodie Whittaker’s regeneration scene. This is the perfect excuse to avoid a recast, which has typically been the case whenever a version of the Doctor is introduced.
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Doctor Who: Released on May 31, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
