Doctor Who review: Master Thief / Lesser Evils provide two distinct glimpses of the Master

Giving us two distinct glimpses of Doctor Who’s greatest villain, Master Thief / Lesser Evils is an essential purchase for Master fans.

Ever since their announcement back in June, I have been really excited about the two Short Trips for Time Lord Victorious. In some ways, even more excited than the upcoming full-cast audios with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. While it’ll be fun to find out Eight’s role in the epic multi-platform event, Master Thief and Lesser Evils offer a rare and extremely exciting glimpse at two great Masters in the world of Big Finish.

What’s interesting about listening to both stories is that they feel complimentary, and yet at the same time, distinctly different. Both Sophie Iles and Simon Guerrier explore different sides of the Doctor’s greatest enemy while aiming to stay true to who they are. But there’s no question that Master Thief and Lesser Evils are extremely different stories – and not just because of which Masters they feature.

With Master Thief, Sophie Iles gives us a story entirely focused on Roger Delgado’s iconic take of the character. Considering his Master was not just the first one we ever saw on-screen, but arguably one of the greatest, any new stories exploring his distinct interpretation are more than welcome.

Initially, Master Thief seems to be a simple tale of the Master needing to break in somewhere and steal a valuable artifact before escaping. Naturally, there’s a lot of murder and mayhem in both directions. But Sophie Iles gives the story a unique little twist – one that explores the Master’s identity on a very deep level…

The Master versus the Kotturuh

Simon Guerrier, meanwhile, takes a different approach with Lesser Evils. It’s an extremely small story, smaller even than Master Thief. Not in terms of its length, but in terms of scale and focus. It focuses heavily on one conversation – a conversation between the Master (who in this story is based on Anthony Ainley’s incarnation) and a member of the Kotturuh…

This is an interesting idea that’s explored rather well. The Kotturuh have arrived on a world to bring death to its species. Not to simply kill them immediately, but to restrict their lifespans. The Master has sworn to protect this world from the Kotturuh. But why? Has he really become changed by the creatures of this planet? Or is there something else going on…?

Both stories work extremely well, giving us distinct and fascinating glimpses of two truly iconic Masters. The fact that they’re both connected to Time Lord Victorious is almost incidental – Lesser Evils works on its own as a great introduction to the Kotturuh, who are central to the whole event (particularly in the novel The Knight, The Fool and The Dead), while it’s hard to see any connection at all in Master Thief. (At least, it’s hard to see right now, although that may become clearer in future releases.)

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Masterful reading

Lastly, we can’t talk about these two audio readings without mentioning who narrates them both: Jon Culshaw. Along with being a great voice actor for Big Finish, Culshaw is also a brilliant impressionist. So it’s exciting to get to hear his take on not one but two versions of the Master with this story. But which is better: his take on Delgado or Ainley?

With Master Thief, he captures a lot of the rhythms and vocal qualities of Delgado extremely well. It’s not perfect, but it suits this narrative reading well enough, and it’s easy to picture the original Master himself quite often.

However, as great as his rendition of Delgado is, his take on Ainley’s Master is even better. Listening to him feels almost like listening to Ainley during his subtler, quieter moments. It’s a performance that works extremely well, and I hope we get to hear it again soon.

Overall, Master Thief / Lesser Evils is highly recommended, especially for Master fans. Each story offers unique glimpses of two much-loved Masters, while Culshaw’s narration and performance are fantastic to listen to. Whether you’re keen to check out everything related to Time Lord Victorious, or whether you just want to enjoy two brand new stories of your favorite Time Lord villain, you’ll surely enjoy Master Thief / Lesser Evils.

Which Master do you prefer: Delgado or Ainley? Which do you hope will be explored more in future Big Finish audios? Let us know in the comments below.