Rumours Of The Master’s Return Hit Mainstream Media

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Potential spoiler alert! While nothing has been officially confirmed (and judging by the story reported here, why would anything be confirmed at this stage?) if you are of spoiler sensitive disposition, move along; there’s nothing to see here.

Get ready friends, here we go again.

Today, the Daily Star have ‘confirmed’ that the Master will return in an explosive finale of the next season.

On the one hand, it’s a rumour that’s not so much been around the block for a while as has its own blue plaque dedicated to its heroic block traversing activities – in other words it’s persistent and backed up somewhat by some of the recent on location shenanigans.

However, on the other hand, while it is the first time the mainstream media have thrown their shabby, possibly bugged hat into the ring; it’s done in such clodhopping, blustering fashion that it has the net result of making you doubt the very existence of paper itself.

In customary cloak and dagger fashion, the Daily Star comment that BBC bosses have been ‘secretly plotting’ to resurrect the beardy one and that he’ll be played by a ‘Hollywood actor’.

No names have been forthcoming other than the ones previously rumoured to be taking on the role – although I guess this all could be a roundabout way of saying ‘no!’ to Steve John Shepherd – who has appeared in a few Hollywood movies (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Layer Cake) but wouldn’t be the first name that comes to mind when using the phrase ‘Hollywood actor’.

And that’s about it for content – there are plans which here are hilariously given shadowy overtones – I mean, ‘secretly plotting’? How else is it going to be achieved? It isn’t much of a mystery if they just come out an announce it. It isn’t something the Daily Star needs to foil either; it’s just the way things are done.

Later in the article they also make sly reference to the fact that ‘Now we can reveal he is being brought back to life’ which is how the news works, right?

First, you have nothing, then later, you have something. No matter if it’s been confirmed, verified, utter by a dying BBC tempt after he was shot with a poisoned dart shortly before spilling his guts to the truth-seeking Daily Star.

It doesn’t mean it’s a shadowy conspiracy – it’s just not been released yet.

This is how the game is played.

Anyway, dosing the red hot rumour is the fact that the Daily Star – perhaps, so caught up revealing the BBC’s darkest secrets – forgot to, well… research anything.

I’m just going to leave the following passage right here, make of it what you will:

“The last time fans saw The Master – who has been a recurring character on the sci-fi show since 1971 – was in 2010.

In a story called The End of Time, the villain – played by John Simm, 43 – tried to control the human race only for his plans to be thwarted. It ended with the rogue Time Lord being shot by his own wife.

He refused to regenerate and The Doctor, played then by David Tennant, 43, cremated The Master’s body on a funeral pyre.

However, his ring did not burn.

And viewers saw a mystery female with long, red fingernails, who was a member of a coven loyal to The Master, retrieve it.”

So what can we confirm that would suggest he may be about to return?

There is the recent return to Lanzarote in an episode that MIGHT follow on from the Master-centric events of the 1984 serial Planet of Fire, the appearance of a tiny TARDIS in recent on location photos – perhaps hinting at some tissue compression eliminator action (hints of Logopolis) dotted about in the episodes leading to his return and also Sylvester McCoy said it’s happening… so there.

So what do you make of the Daily Star’s article? Would you like to see the Master return? And which ‘Hollywood actor’ would you like to see grow a rather natty beard and menace the Doctor anew?

The post Rumours Of The Master’s Return Hit Mainstream Media appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.