The Master Returns!
Throughout his many lives, the Master has visited myriad places and planets. Some he has spared, others he has destroyed… but all have felt his presence, however fleeting.
- In the Time War, he helps a soldier save their world from Dalek assault…
- On Earth, he helps a young woman discover the truth about her boyfriend’s abduction…
- At the Sublime Porte, he helps himself to a source of incredible power…
And as the universe itself ends, a lonely old man tries to help in any way he can. But the Master is always waiting.
New Release Out Today
The War Master returns in his ten Master box set out today – The War Master: Rogue Encounters. The box set stars Sir Derek Jacobi and features the late Murray Melvinas Torchwood’s Bilis Manger. Completing the full cast audio are Samuel Barnett, Nathanial Curtis, Damian Lynch, Ayesha Antoine and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks.
Scott Handcock, now television Doctor Who’s script editor, produced and directed the series. He adds his thoughts about the four new episodes.
The first episode, Runtime, is written by Tim Foley. Scott Handcock adds, “It’s always good to have the Master fighting the Daleks – we’ve not had that much of it in The War Master, and this is very much kicking off our series of one-off adventures.”
In Manhunt by Rochana Patel, Hancock comments on the lack of alien abduction stories. “Doctor Who hasn’t made that many alien abduction stories in the traditional sense, so it was nice to tackle it here.”
Handcock loved working with the late Murray Melvin on James Goss’s The Sublimed Porte, the third episode in the boxset. “Bilis is wonderfully charming and unknowable – but there’s a sinister malignancy at the heart of him, something that no one can understand. That makes him utterly terrifying, and the fact he can turn on a sixpence is really eerie, sinister and disturbing.”
Handcock wrote the final story, Alone, and worked with Sir Derek Jacobi on where he wanted to take the role. Jacobi “expressed an interest in playing someone a little more vulnerable, and we’ve had a few stories where the Master is on the back foot. Because the Master is the Master, however, he’s responding, it’s not quite the same thing, so the idea of bringing back Professor Yana was borne out of Derek’s desire to do something a little more human.”
The result is the special boxset that can be purchased at BigFinish.com
THE WAR MASTER: ROGUE ENCOUNTERS.
Purchase at Big Finish –
Duration: 304 minutes.
Released: 09 November 2023, exclusively from the Big Finish website.
Director: Scott Handcock
Writers: Tim Foley, Rochana Patel, James Goss, Scott Handcock
Script Editors: Alfie Shaw, Scott Handcock
Producer: Scott Handcock
Senior Producer: David Richardson
Executive Producers: Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery
Runtime by Tim Foley
When the Daleks threaten to alter the course of history, the Master has no choice but to save a world – and he only has an hour to do it.
Manhunt by Rochana Patel
After her boyfriend disappears on an American road trip, Alison Walker instantly becomes the prime suspect. But are the abductors from further afield than Earth?
The Sublime Porte by James Goss
Hijacking an archaeological dig, the Master excavates the mythical Sublime Porte. But he also unleashes a far more ancient force with it — and its name is Bilis Manger.
Alone by Scott Handcock
As the human race dwindles against the encroaching night, one man strives to find a solution to their plight. But can Professor Yana save the future when a dark past threatens his present?
Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing Rogue Encounters along with the Solitary Confinement (available now) and Future Phantoms (due for release in December 2024) box sets, together in a bundle for just £72 (collector’s edition CD box set + download) or £58 (download only).
