John Simm will return as The Master to face his old enemy The Doctor, new companion Bill Potts and Nardole in the new series of Doctor Who...
John Simm's version of The Master was last seen on New Year's Day in 2010 in a David Tennant era episode called The End of Time in which he went insane and was left trapped on the Time Lord's home planet Gallifrey...
Now The Master has somehow been brought back to be battle Peter Capaldi's Doctor, new companion Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) some time during the new series of Doctor Who, which begins on April 15 (BBC1, 7.20pm).
“I can confirm that it’s true, thanks to the power of time travel I’m back," said John. "It’s always a pleasure to work with this great team of people and I can’t wait for you all to see what The Master gets up to in the next series."
It was previously announced that the new series of Doctor Who will also see the return of Michelle Gomez as Missy (below) – who of course is a later regeneration of The Master. So could she be facing John Simm's Master?
Steven Moffat, writer and executive producer on Doctor Who, said: "Nothing stays secret for long on Doctor Who, but you'll have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly what The Master is up to and how he makes his return to face the Doctor. It’s been a huge pleasure to have fan favourites John Simm and Michelle Gomez face to face in the same role! It’s not often you get to see a solo personality clash."
This series will also feature other returning foes include the Daleks, the Ice Warriors and – returning for the first time in around 50 years – the Mondasian Cybermen. There are plenty of new faces and adversaries, including some adorable-but-deadly Emojibots, David Suchet as The Landlord, Ralf Little as a gun-toting character Steadfast. Location filming has seen the team at a museum complex in Valencia, Spain, and on the island of Tenerife, as well as in the Brecon Beacons and other idyllic spots in Wales.
*Doctor Who returns to BBC1 with episode one, The Pilot, starting at 7:20pm on Saturday, 15 April
