Doctor Who review: The Deadly Assassin redefines the Time Lords and the Master

By his third season, Tom Baker’s Doctor had faced Daleks, Cybermen and Zygons. But in this story, he faces his greatest challenge yet: coming home…

(Photo by Anwar Hussein/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Deadly Assassin didn’t just give Doctor Who fans a deep exploration of the Doctor’s race. In some ways, it practically reimagined them altogether.

The Deadly Assassin was a particularly major story for Doctor Who, for several key reasons. First, it was the first story to explore Gallifrey in a truly deep way. While we had barely seen it in The War Games and The Three Doctors (both times unnamed), the whole of The Deadly Assassin was set on the Doctor’s home planet.

This leads me to the second reason why this story is so crucial: it’s not only responsible for inventing a ton of major Doctor Who mythology, such as featuring the first mentions of Rassilon, the Eye of Harmony, and even the thirteen lives limit. But it’s also responsible for giving us a new depiction of the Time Lords. In some ways, The Deadly Assassin almost reimagines them completely.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that before this story, the Time Lords had been presented as wise and powerful beings. Especially in their first appearance – not only were they shown to have highly developed mental powers, but they could put force fields around entire planets and dematerialize whole armies. They seemed almost god-like in their power.

Now, skip to The Deadly Assassin. To say that it gives a more “grounded” version of the Time Lords is an understatement. Where once they had been seen as almost god-like beings, we were seeing them in politics, presenting news programs, as incompetent guards, etc. It was certainly a shock for many fans to see. But not, I think, as much of a shock as the Master’s new form…

Reimagining the Master

Before The Deadly Assassin, the Master had originally been played by Roger Delgado. Charming, sophisticated, and stylish, Delgado’s Master was an excellent match for Jon Pertwee’s Doctor. Delgado’s sudden death in 1973 meant that the character wasn’t seen in Doctor Who for several years.

The Deadly Assassin marked the first time we had seen the villain since Frontier in Space with Jon Pertwee. It’s quite a shocking new interpretation. Rather than attempt to replicate Delgado’s style and charm with a new incarnation, we’re instead introduced to a Master that’s horrifically scarred and on the edge of life itself. Depicting a corpse-like incarnation is bold at any time. Doing so just several years after the previous actor’s death is definitely pushing it.

With all of that taken into that context, it’s perhaps unsurprising to know that The Deadly Assassin wasn’t exactly popular with fans at the time. Here’s what Jan Vincent-Rudzki, former President of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, had to say about it in 1977:

"As a Doctor Who story, The Deadly Assassin is just not worth considering. I’ve spoken to many people… and they all said how this story shattered their illusions of the Time Lords and lowered them to ordinary people. Once, Time Lords were all-powerful, awe-inspiring beings, capable of imprisoning planets forever in force fields, defenders of truth and good (when called in). Now, they are petty, squabbling, feeble-minded, doddering old fools. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE MAGIC OF DOCTOR WHO?"

Those are extremely strong words. But, watched in its original context, it’s easy to see why he and many other fans weren’t so keen on this story. However, in retrospect, it’s also easy to see why it has become so universally loved since then.

A classic story

First of all, The Deadly Assassin has a really great plot, one that unfolds naturally over the course of its four episodes. The first sees the Doctor trying desperately (and ultimately failing) to prevent the assassination of the retiring president. The second sees him framed for the crime and doing everything he can to prove his innocence. The third features him in a mental battle for survival, while in the process, giving us one of the trippiest Doctor Who episodes ever made. The fourth and final episode has the Doctor battling the Master to save Gallifrey.

Each episode in this serial has a key role to play, helping to provide the story with a nice pace and a clear sense of direction. On top of that, Robert Holmes manages to combine several different genres together, including conspiracy thriller, surrealism, and horror. We’re given a pretty packed story as a result, but one that unfolds at a pace that’s fast but never rushed.

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Strong performances

Peter Pratt is also fantastic as the Master in this. This version of the character is radically different from Delgado’s incarnation – one that’s more desperate and far more spiteful – but it works. With his face hidden by a rather horrific mask, Pratt uses his voice to convey the menace and pure evil of the character. He does it extremely well, and it’s a shame we never got to hear him play the role again for Big Finish. (Having said that, there’s no question that Geoffrey Beevers – who plays the same incarnation of the character – is at least equally brilliant.)

Tom Baker is also brilliant to watch. Sometimes, the Doctor can act frivolous or not take the situation seriously at all. That isn’t the case here, however: from the very beginning of the story, he’s desperate to stop a tragedy at all costs, letting the audience know just how high the stakes are. Tom Baker portrays that sense of desperation brilliantly. Especially in episode 3, when he finds himself hunted across a virtual landscape and pushed to the limit.

For all of these reasons, The Deadly Assassin is still a classic that holds up and is – along with The Robots of Death and The Talons of Weng-Chiang from the same season – one of the all-time greats. While not appreciated at the time, it’s now seen as a major part of Doctor Who mythology, both for what it introduces and for its actual story. An absolute classic that all fans should watch.

What are your thoughts on The Deadly Assassin? If you watched it on its original broadcast, did you enjoy it at the time? Do you agree that it’s a classic now? Let us know in the comments below.