One of the most significant and terrifying villain in Doctor Who history made his first appearance in the long-running sci-fi series 55 years ago today. In the six decades since his debut on-screen, the various incarnations of the Doctor have battled countless foes during his travels through time and space, but some have stuck out more than others. Monsters and villains such as the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Sontarans, the Autons, and more have become the Doctor’s most frequent enemies in Doctor Who, and one celebrates his birthday today.
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55 years ago today, the Master made his very first appearance in Doctor Who, as he was introduced in the first episode of “Terror of the Autons,” which premiered on January 2, 1971. “Terror of the Autons” saw the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Jo Grant (Katy Manning), and the forces of UNIT fight to stop the Master (Roger Delgado) from summoning the Nestenes—otherwise known as Autons—to Earth. In the 55 years since his debut, the Master, a renegade Time Lord who repeatedly seeks universal domination, has become one of the Doctor’s greatest foes, even to this day.
The Master Has Become One of the Doctor’s Longest-Running Enemies
It was character actor Roger Delgado who brought the Master to life in “Terror of the Autons,” and he established him as a truly evil villain. Delgado appeared in a total of 37 episodes before a tragic car crash took his life in 1973, which has been cited as the reason Jon Pertwee left Doctor Who the following year. In the years since Delgado’s Master, ten further actors have portrayed the twisted Time Lord. Delgado was followed by Peter Pratt and Geoffrey Beevers, both of whom portrayed an emaciated Master at the end of his life and with no regenerations left.
While Delgado’s Master had been iconic, it was Anthony Ainley who really put the character on the map. Ainley originally portrayed Consul Tremas in 1981’s “The Keeper of Traken,” who was companion Nyssa’s father. Beevers’ Master managed to merge with Tremas’ body and steal it for himself, however, so Ainley spent the next eight years portraying the Master, making his final appearance in 1989’s “Survival,” which was Doctor Who’s last story before its cancellation. The Master is often characterized by his ability to beat death at any cost, and this has continued in Doctor Who’s modern era.
The Master returned alongside the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in 2007, originally in the human form of Professor Yana (Derek Jacobi) before regenerating into his most iconic body—John Simm. This Master became Prime Minister, cheated death, turned everyone on Earth into himself, almost brought back the Time Lords, and ultimately helped in the genesis of the Cybermen. Since Simm’s portrayal, Michelle Gomez played the first female Master, renamed the Mistress, while Sacha Dhawan played the antagonist alongside the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), and his version wiped out the Time Lords yet again, proving that the Master is still one of Doctor Who’s most powerful villains.
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