Doctor Who spin-off review: The War Master unleashes a grand scheme in The Master of Callous

The War Master returns in The Master of Callous, the second volume of his own Doctor Who spin-off series. But why is he so interested in a small mining world?

Last year, Big Finish released The War Master: Only the Good. To say that it was one of my favorite Doctor Who related audios of last year is an understatement. To be honest, it’s probably one of my favorite releases of the past five years, and that’s saying something.

I’ve actually lost track of how many times I’ve listened to it since its release. Not only did it have four great stories with a deliciously dark tone, but Derek Jacobi’s long overdue performance as the Master was wonderful to listen to.

So when Big Finish announced a few months ago that the War Master was not only getting one more series, but three, you can imagine how excited I was about it. In some ways it was kind of surprising, (due to how the last episode ended,) but at the same time, not too surprising. Especially since the box set was a hugely successful release for Big Finish.

But how is the second box set in the series, The Master of Callous? Does it aim to do more of what Only the Good did? Or does it offer up something very different, instead?

The Master of Callous is in some ways a very ambitious story. For starters, despite having the same length as Only the Good, it is only one story this time instead of four. This means that writers James Goss and Guy Adams had to take a very different approach to the box set compared to the first.

Whereas Only the Good had the Master causing mayhem and destruction across the whole of time and space, The Master of Callous focuses on one small world. A mining colony where people struggle to make a living, the planet Callous isn’t even involved in the Time War. So why is the Master so interested in it?

The Master, played by Derek Jacobi, is one again up to one of his evil schemes. What’s he got planned for the people of Callous?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

One grand scheme

What unfolds over the next four hours is a long term plan by the Master. We’ve kind of seen him do this before, but never to such a large extent. Usually, this is because the Doctor is turns up late his scheme and stops him relatively quickly. But this is the Master’s own series, and this time, the Doctor’s not coming.

Hearing how the Master’s scheme unfolds across four hours is definitely satisfying to listen to. Particularly since the Master is less focused on than in the previous box set. Throughout this box set, he likes to keep to the shadows more while he puts his plans into motion.

For example, the opening episode, Call for the Dead, hardly has the Master feature at all. Instead, it focuses on building two things: the world of Callous and a sense of atmosphere.

It’s through the King family that we really discover just how unforgiving life on Callous can be. If trying to mine a substance that can literally drive you mad wasn’t bad enough, Elliot King, the father of the family, has to deal with a really nasty piece of work: Teremon.

When you have a series where the villain is the protagonist, how do you root for them? Simple: you have a particularly loathsome villain on the other side, one that really makes you hope they get their comeuppance. Greedy, unforgiving and with no pity, Teremon is a perfect example of the kind of character that you just love to hate.

The Ood also have a major role to play in this story, as the Master puts them to good use…

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

The Master and the Kings

But The Master of Callous also ensures that we have plenty of sympathetic characters, too. Flawed, of course, (and some of those flaws are key to the Master’s plans in the opening episode,) but still sympathetic.

Especially the King family. They are eager for money, almost greedy for it. But they also care about their world a great deal, and feel like real, fleshed-out people.

And this is exactly what makes The Master of Callous such a fantastic listen. Both Goss and Adams take their time with this one, letting us get to know the characters and their world very well.

So when events eventually escalate, of course, people you care about are caught in the crossfire. So don’t be too hopeful for many survivors by the time this epic finishes.

Reminders of a Doctor Who classic

More from Winter is Coming

• For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
• Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
• Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
• Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
• Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”

In some ways, The Master of Callous actually reminded me of a classic Doctor Who story, one of the best, in fact: The Caves of Androzani. That too was focused on both fleshing out a small world and its civilization, as well as building the story up to a huge conflict that feels incredibly personal by the end.

The Master of Callous was an incredibly ambitious box set, by Big Finish’s standards. It’s not a volume that relies too much on major continuity, and feels quite standalone compared to the previous volume.

But it certainly isn’t throwaway. This is a really enjoyable, if admittedly dark and grim set of episodes. Derek Jacobi continues to be a magnificent Master, and even when he isn’t really in it (which is true for most of the first and third episodes, quite honestly), his character never fails to have presence throughout the whole story.

Overall, The Master of Callous is very different to Only the Good. But it’s still an excellent set of episodes that I enjoyed greatly, and I’d strongly recommend any fan of the character to check it out.

Are you a fan of the War Master? Are you excited about this new volume in his own series? Let us know in the comments below.