I Am The Master

"People think it must be fun to be the Master."

Writer: Geoffrey Beavers
Format: Audio
Released: October 2018
Series: Short Trips 8.10

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

There is a message for you. It comes from a long way, from a dying world. No, not a dying world. A killed world. And the message is from the killer.

Please attend carefully. The message that follows is vital to your future...

However much longer that may be.

Verdict

I Am The Master was sadly a bit of an average Short Trip audio. I had been looking forward to this one for some time and it's not often that I purchase from this range but I was enticed by the idea of the Master telling his own story but it actually ended up just being rather bland. Geoffrey Beavers gave a decent performance as the emaciated incarnation of the Master that existed chronologically between The Deadly Assassin and The Keeper of Traken but I'm not sure that I was actually a fan of the writing itself. The narration was a bit naff in parts and I don't think directly addressing the listener was a good way to go about things. It is obvious to us that we are not the 'one' going to be chosen to go and greet the Doctor and that part of the story actually felt like a Decide Your Destiny book come to audio. I wasn't a fan. I thought the Master asking the listener if they were still listening got a little tiresome and I found myself laughing a little towards its conclusion where the Master firmly stated that we would listen to the adventure again because he was the Master and we will obey him. I am a huge fan of that line and I always love when it gets mentioned, but here I can safely say that I shan't be listening to this one again. I just can't believe how disappointed I was with it! The introduction about this incarnation of the Master seemed a little unnecessary and I don't think a mix of a story and biography worked well. It should have been one or the other. The actual story we got of how the Master settled into a society and slowly took over by becoming Vice-President needed more depth but I did like the idea of him ruling an empire. What I didn't like was the mentions of the Doctor and how if he arrived, the Master's plans were thrown out of the window. Now, we all know that's usually what happens but the Master shouldn't expect defeat every time he encounters his arch enemy! I really hated that. The Master should have confidence and show bravado despite his emaciated form and he should believe that the Doctor is no match for him. The foreshadowings of The End of Time and the female Doctor were nice inclusions but I just didn't like much of the story itself. It was a somewhat intriguing insight into the mind of the Master, and particularly his search for a new body, but it was lacking severely in the action and engagement of the listener. Overall, sadly this was an average tale.

Rating: 5/10