The Master is the Moriarty to the Doctor’s Holmes. They’re an overarching nemesis for an episodic show, who could pop up at any moment to make a bad situation worse. The character has died numerous times and nine different actors have taken on the role. The Master could take on any look and appear in any form. Frankly, the tough part of casting this role might be finding actors who haven’t already appeared on Doctor Who.

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Terrence Stamp

The vast majority of actors portraying this character have been older British men, so another actor of that type wouldn’t go amiss. However, Stamp has a long history of playing stellar villains in big and small projects. He is perhaps best known as Zod in the first two Richard Donner Superman movies. Though those performances were more than forty years ago, they remain underrated in the now oversaturated world of superhero cinema. Outside of cinema, Stamp portrayed Mankar Camoran in Oblivion, a solid villain in one of the best-loved games of the modern era. Recently, he appeared as Giacomo Paradisi in His Dark Materials. Stamp is a simple, straightforward, classic pick for this role, but that doesn’t make him any less perfect for it.

Gillian Anderson

Once best known for her starring role on The X-Files, Anderson has become one of the most impressive actresses on TV. Her turn as sex therapist Jean Milburn on Netflix’s Sex Education steals the show in almost every scene. She recently took on the difficult role of Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, perhaps her most impressive dramatic performance. By taking on that role, she sets herself up for comparison to both the real figure and Meryl Streep, and she came away looking excellent. Anderson is also a celebrated stage actress, most notably in her award-winning performance as Blanche in the 2014 and 2016 stagings of A Streetcar Named Desire. Anderson has a long list of fantastic performances in a wide variety of interesting roles, but science fiction is where she cut her teeth. She’s the star of one classic sci-fi series, so why not join another one?

Malcolm McDowell

The star of A Clockwork Orange and Caligula has had something of a strange career since his massive early success. Not to suggest he hasn’t been prolific, because he certainly has. He’s in countless TV shows, movies, and video games. He’s taken on some fascinating roles, like when he embodied Dr. Loomis in Rob Zombie’s Halloween films. H stepped into the role originated by Donald Pleasance and pulled it off with aplomb. McDowell is very much still out doing stuff, appearing in three films this year with two in post-production. He’s an accomplished voice actor, with huge roles in shows like Castlevania and games like Elder Scrolls Online. McDowell made a name for himself with a few excellent performances a long time ago, but fans are always excited to see him in anything. Imagine his character from Community with the power of a Time Lord and his casting immediately becomes a great call.

Munya Chawawa

This is an outside-the-box casting decision. Chawawa is a British-Zimbabwean comedian, most of his time on TV is spent on hilarious panel shows, and he’s perhaps best known for his viral parody of drill rap “Unknown P.” However, he did recently appear as Choronzon on Netflix’s The Sandman, so he’s clearly open to villainous roles in genre fiction. As his recent appearance on series 14 of Taskmaster has borne out, Munya Chawawa is a man who never gives less than 110%. His pure unbridled energy, his speed and violence, and his unshakable charisma would be a new direction for the Master. Perhaps it’s time for a Master that the audience kind of wants to win, or at least one who justifies the show’s long shift towards more action-heavy material. Munya Chawawa could be the man who brings the character into that new realm.

James Nesbitt

That’s right, it’s time to bring Jekyll back into the public consciousness. Since Russell T. Davies took control of Doctor Who once again, a lot of differing opinions about his successor Stephen Moffat have surfaced. Some believe he fully ruined the show in a way that may never be undone. James Nesbitt starred in Moffat’s failed six-episode serial Jekyll, which many now see as a predecessor to the showrunners’ turn on Doctor Who. Nesbitt is a hugely compelling screen presence, able to carry the insufferable script of Moffat’s earlier project on his back all by himself. Some may recall him as Bofur in The Hobbit trilogy or Sicinius in Coriolanus. He’s a great performer, but his talents are all too often driven toward similar cop show roles. It would be fascinating to see him brought into this show, allowing him to show off in a different piece of British fictional history.

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