Doctor Who The Monster Collection The Master   Starring: Jon Pertwee and David Tennant Distributor: BBC DVD RRP: £10.20 BBCDVD3814 Certificate: PG Release Date: 30 September 2013

The Master was always a mysterious character in the Who universe, like the Doctor he was a Time Lord. Often a back story with the Doctor was hinted at and they became opponents and yet, even though the Doctor defeated him time and again, he never seemed to be able to bring himself to stop the Master for good. Fan desire rationalised that he was, in fact his brother, a nice conceit which was neither confirmed nor denied by the show.

The Monster Collection: The Master contains two stories which showcase two different actors in the role. Presented as a two DVD set, the discs contain no extras.

Terror of the Autons (1971 - Colour - 4 episodes) introduced the character for the first time as an adversary who would be the Doctor's equal. Originally played by Roger Delgado, his run as the character was only brought to an end by his untimely death. Delgado became a fan favourite and his portrayal set the tone for all the actors which came after him. As the character developed he provided a let-out clause for the Doctor's limited regenerations by showing that Time Lords could both steal and be given extra regenerations.

In Terror of the Autons the Master steals the last remaining Nestene Consciousness sphere and opens a plastics factory. Using a radio telescope he beams a signal into the void, planning to use the expected spheres to take control of the earth. John Pertwee’s Doctor is aided by UNIT and his companion Jo Grant in their fight to stop the invasion, but in the end the Master's own self-interest resolves the situation.

It’s a good story for both the reuse of a popular villain and the introduction of the Master. There is the contention of using John Simm in the menu, for a story he doesn’t appear in, but this has been a problem across the range.

When the new version of the show was launched, it was inevitable that a new Master would emerge. Hints were dropped across the preceding stories, until at the furthest point in time, during the death of the universe David Tennant’s Doctor comes face to face with the Master, played by Derek Jacobi, who regenerated into John Simm, whose portrayal of the Master renewed interest in the character as he made the role his own.

The End of Time: Parts 1 & 2 (2009 – 2010) brings together a number of new and old elements of the Master's history. Having been seemingly killed in his last story, the Master is resurrected by a cult devoted to him. The resurrection is interrupted leaving him only partially regenerated. As the Doctor pursues him across London, the Master is kidnapped by Joshua Naismith who intends to use his technical knowledge in using alien technology to create an immortality arch for his daughter. The Master has no intention of using it to those ends, preferring to rewrite the DNA of the human race to create a planet full of Masters. At the moment of his final triumph both the Doctor and the Time Lords arrive.

As this was David Tennant’s swansong as the Doctor, it’s a testament to John Simm's acting that he more than holds his own, as well as carrying large sections of the story. The story gathered together some of the best elements of Tennant’s time as the Doctor, being both full of action, steeped in the show's history and sad enough to break your heart.

It would be a personal choice whether you think that the two stories offer up the best of the Master stories, but both are strong and in their own way enjoyable.

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Charles Packer