We look back at the first time multiple Masters appeared in Doctor Who, in Big Finish’s epic Two Masters trilogy. What made it such a strong set of stories?
Have you listened to the fifth series of The Diary of River Song yet? I have. Blimey, that’s fantastic. River Song meeting the Master four different times. With a different Master in each episode, it makes them a joy to listen to. Especially River and Missy. It’s a wonder that they never met in Doctor Who.
But with so many Masters in one box set, it reminds me of the first time we had multiple Masters in one story. No, not World Enough and Time. The one before that…
In 2016 – just a year before Steven Moffat gave us a story with both Missy and the Saxon Master – Big Finish gave us something very special. To celebrate the forty-fifth anniversary of the Doctor’s greatest enemy, they decided to do something that had never been officially done before: a multi-Master story.
Yes, that’s right: while we’ve had plenty of stories with multiple Doctors meeting each other, the same idea had never been done with the Master. Not even in expanded media. Harvest of Time does technically feature multiple incarnations, but most of them are incapacitated. (As a fantastic tribute to both the UNIT years and Roger Delgado, it’s still worth a read, at least.)
So this was a big deal. Of course, Big Finish being Big Finish, they wanted to be just a little bit bolder than that…
A clash of styles
Two very different incarnations of the Master met in the aptly named The Two Masters. The incarnations were played by Geoffrey Beevers and Alex Macqueen.
If you’re unaware of these incarnations, Beevers plays a horrifically burnt or decaying incarnation (depending on the story). Originally from the Fourth Doctor’s era, he was an incarnation that was supposed to be on his last life, desperate to survive and restore himself, by any means necessary. With his features so horrifically scarred, he was an incarnation who was more openly evil than most.
Macqueen is an incarnation unique to Big Finish. Taking place perfectly between the Classic and New eras, he’s an incarnation who’s charming and playful, while also being ruthless and psychotic. He’ll kill you without hesitation, but not without a bad joke first. This incarnation has deliberate echoes of Simm, but some of the sophistication of Delgado, too.
As you can imagine, these two incarnations meeting leads to a clash of very different styles. However, they don’t meet straight away.
Two Masters, one trilogy
Instead, Big Finish built up to The Two Masters by making it part of a trilogy. The final part, naturally. Before that, each of the incarnations were given their own individual stories. Beevers featured in the opening story And You Will Obey Me, while Macqueen featured in the middle instalent of the trilogy, Vampire of the Mind.
These are two very different stories. And You Will Obey Me has the Master as more of a threatening presence, one that isn’t revealed until halfway through. This works very well in the story’s favor, though, especially with the excellent buildup to his return.
Vampire of the Mind however is more old-school. The Master has an evil plan, using the very thinnest of disguises (not even a mask, this time, just a really obvious alias), and he shows up not too far into the story. Each of them is a great Master story in their own right.
But, of course, these are more than just tasters for each Master. Especially since…well, actually, that would be telling. But each of these stories are part of an arc, containing many clues about what’s really going on. Vampire of the Mind is the most standalone, but it still has key connections to the final act.
The Two Masters
Which brings me to The Two Masters itself. It’s such a fantastic story, and an epic that features so many twists and turns. It begins with virtually the whole of history ending, and just gets bigger from there.
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What’s really surprising is, while there are references to the events of the first two stories, it works surprisingly well on its own. Not that you shouldn’t listen to the previous two stories first. (After all, I always do.) But it can be listened to on its own terms and still be enjoyed.
The interaction between the two Masters is fantastic to hear, and of course, they’re responsible for a lot of destruction in this story. And I mean a lot. Seriously, it’s a wonder anyone survives this one.
It also features one of the best reveals in a Master story ever, and that’s saying something. It’s a twist that’s hidden right in front of you, and yet comes as a big shock when you hear it. On top of that, The Two Masters even reveals a major part of the Master’s history. Not a regeneration, but something surprisingly close.
Overall, The Two Masters trilogy is just fantastic to hear. It’s ambitious, it gives us three really solid stories, and both Masters are equally brilliant. If you’re a fan of the Doctor’s greatest enemy, then this trilogy is well worth checking out.
Have you listened to The Two Masters trilogy? Is it something you’re curious about? Which incarnations would you like to meet each other? Let us know in the comments below.