Doctor Who news: Eric Roberts’s Master will face the Daleks in his own audio spin-off next year!

Details have been revealed for Big Finish’s new Doctor Who spin-off Master!, starring Eric Roberts as the Doctor’s oldest foe – and he’ll be facing some other old enemies, too…

More and more details are being revealed about Master!, the upcoming Doctor Who audio spin-off starring Eric Roberts as the titular villain. Last week, we got to see a little glimpse of him in a brand new teaser, with Roberts playing the character for the first time since the TV movie. Today, new story details have been revealed, and we get to learn even more about what to expect – and which enemies he’ll be facing once more.

Faustian by Robert Valentine

"Drake Enterprises is the most powerful company on Earth. Dr Lila Kreeg is its most valued asset. But her experiments open a doorway which allow an evil back into the universe. The Master can offer Lila the world, so long as she obeys him…"

This definitely sounds like a great way to kick off the series. There’s always something rather satisfying about seeing (or, in this case, hearing) the Master manipulate someone. It’s one of the things that he does best. Sometimes, it’s through hypnosis, but other times, it’s subtler than that. This was a side to Eric Roberts’s Master that we saw plenty of in the movie with Chang Lee, and honestly, that’s when his Master worked best in the film. So knowing that we’ll be getting a story with him that’s literally titled “Faustian” is extremely exciting.

Eric Roberts’s Master originally appeared in the Doctor Who TV movie. What will he get up to when the Doctor isn’t around to stop him?

Image Courtesy Aaron Rappaport/BBC

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Prey by Robert Whitelock

"Impossibly glamorous assassin Vienna Salvatori has a new target. Crossing time and space, Vienna takes one final job to free her from this life.But when the Master is hunted through the slums and ganglands of London, the line is blurred between predator and prey…"

This sounds like an intriguing episode, and not just because it features Chase Masterson as Vienna Salvatori. (Especially since, at the time of writing, I’ve yet to check out her own audio series Vienna.) Putting the Master in a desperate situation should give us plenty of the villain’s cunning and guile. It’ll be interesting to see how – or even if – Vienna will stop him.

Vengeance by Matt Fitton

"The Daleks are returning. Their plan, long in the making, is complete. Earth will be theirs once more.But someone stands against them. Someone with his own reasons for revenge – and Vienna and Lila are caught in the crossfire. Because Earth’s greatest hope against the Daleks lies with the Master."

This is definitely the biggest surprise. There had been nothing even hinted about the Daleks being in this series. But at the same time, it makes a lot of sense. Especially the title of “Vengeance”. After all, they destroyed the Master’s previous body (as barely seen at the start of the TV movie). So naturally, he’s not going to be too happy with seeing them again.

Even more intriguing is what the Daleks look like when he encounters them. As revealed on the cover, the Daleks he’ll be facing are distinctly those of the Time War era, as often featured in Doctor Who since 2005. Why is he facing these Daleks now? Is he encountering them in the Time War, or sometime after, such as after the invasion seen in The Parting of the Ways?

We’ve got a lot of questions about this series, and we can’t wait to find out the answers when Master! is released on CD and download in March next year!

Are you looking forward to Eric Roberts’s Master getting his own audio series? Have you heard either of his two previous audio appearances as the classic Time Lord villain? And have you seen the recent teaser trailer on YouTube? Let us know in the comments below.