Doctor Who news: Sacha Dhawan’s Master returns next year in new audio series

Back in 2022, Big Finish Productions announced two exciting Doctor Who spin-off series, both based on Chris Chibnall’s era as showrunner. One was The Fugitive Doctor Adventures, starring Jo Martin as a mysteriously forgotten Doctor introduced in Series 12. The other was based on another Time Lord: Call Me Master, starring Sacha Dhawan.

It’s been a long wait for fans of BIg Finish’s Doctor Who audios, but they’ll finally get to listen to each series in a matter of months. Right after The Fugitive Doctor Adventures begins in Jan 2025, Call Me Master will be released the following month.

Very recently, Big Finish have released more details on the series, and based on the first episode alone, it certainly sounds exciting. Here’s the official description of Robert Valentine's opening story Self-Help:

"The Master is having a crisis of the existential variety. While he may have a classic diabolical scheme on the go, the dastardly Time Lord's latest incarnation isn't quite feeling himself. In fact, he's not even sure who he is anymore. He needs help. But can he help himself?"

That sounds like a possible post-regeneration story, something that writer Robert Valentine hints at even further with his description of the episode.

"Where Sacha's Master fits into the timeline is a deliberate mystery, so I thought it would be fun, in the context of starting a fresh series with him as our antihero, to embrace his identity crisis in a big way and make that the point of the story – he doesn't know where he fits in, and that's a huge source of anxiety for him."

- Robert Valentine

Before or after Missy?

It’s interesting that the Master’s placement in the timeline is a key point of this episode. When he was introduced, it seemed like Dhawan’s incarnation was the latest, especially with all of his appearances being in Jodie Whitaker’s era (so far).

But at the same time, Michelle Gomez’s Missy was never directly addressed during O's TV appearances. This was never much of an issue with previous Masters, but at the same time, very few incarnations of them went through as much character development as Missy did. In her final moments, Missy even chose to stand with the Doctor before being murdered by her earlier incarnation played by John Simm. And when speaking with this incarnation in the same episode, even Missy seemed to be unsure if she was directly after him.

Could Dhawan's incarnation take place before Missy? Or, like the Fifteenth Doctor, could he and Missy be a product of bi-generation, existing simultaneously in the Master's timeline? This episode probably won't provide any answers, but knowing that the ambiguousness of Dhawan's Master will be addressed is exciting.

The Clockwork Swan

"Opening night is approaching for the latest presentation at cultural theme park Historica Dramatica: Earth-set whodunnit The Clockwork Swan. But cast and crew are being murdered... Enter a mysterious stranger. Who better to solve the crime than galaxy-renowned detective LeMaitre? Only, LeMaitre isn’t all he seems..."

Georgia Cook’s episode sounds like a fun mix of detective story and the Master’s pantomime roots. Especially with Cook’s description of her story.

"The Master has such a wonderful history of putting on personas and adopting monikers and different costumes. People tend not to notice that he’s not always doing them particularly well! It's so great to add to that mythos, with him hamming it up trying to portray a Poirot or Sherlock Holmes-style detective."

- Georgia Cook

This already sounds like it could be a lot of fun to listen to. Big Finish have given us a few spin-offs focusing on the Doctor’s archenemy at this point, and one thing that’s stood out is that, while a series with a villain protagonist can be horrifying, it can also in some cases be a lot of fun, too. And the Master playing a detective and hamming it up sounds like so much fun.

The Good Life

"On a distant Island, a group of holy men and women work together to keep the Balance. Elta, one of the Shore-folk, has come to learn. But there’s a new man on the Island – the first in living memory – and it’s not clear whether he’s saint or sinner. Is it only coincidence that the weather seems more changeable these days? That people are angrier and turning to violence? Where, wonders Elta, is this all heading – and does the stranger even know himself? "

This episode sounds like the creepier type of Master story. The kind where the Master arrives somewhere and gradually makes things worse for everyone involved. The War Master has given us several stories like this. (The Master of Callous is a horrific and excellent example.) Hearing the Master affecting everyone on an island - even with just his presence - sounds deliciously dark.

Even more promising is writer Una McCormack’s description of the story.

"My initial pitch was that we do something similar to Mervyn Peake's novel Mr Pye. The hero of that novel arrives on the island of Sark, where he carries out so many good deeds that he begins to sprout angel wings. I really liked the idea of the Master trying to be good but not being very good at it."

- Una McCormack

The Master being bad at trying to be good sounds like an excellent idea. Again, it’s an idea that’s been explored before. (Only the Good, both the opening box set and the conclusion to The War Master, works brilliantly at highlighting this.) While it shouldn’t happen too often - one thing that’s refreshing about the Master is that they genuinely enjoy being evil - it’s still a good idea to explore every once in a while, especially with different Masters.

Call Me Master: Inner Demons sounds like a very promising beginning, and I’ll be listening to it when it releases on CD and download in Feb 2025.