Doctor Who’s Sacha Dhawan and Steven Moffat address plot hole with The Master’s return after Missy’s death
THE Master sent shockwaves through Doctor Who fans when he made a long-awaited return in the season 12 premiere.
Bursting onto the scene in two-part opener Spyfall, The Master, played by Sacha Dhawan, proved to be a dastardly as ever as he left Jodie Whittaker’s companions to fend for themselves in a nose-diving plane.
He subsequently revealed that he’s left the Time Lord home planet Gallifrey in ashes, much to the horror of The Doctor.
Then in last week’s finale opener, The Master appeared once again with a grave warning as Jodie and the gang attempted to flee through a portal.
However, long term fans of the series will know that The Master’s history is seriously complicated.
The previous incarnation of the villain, Missy (Michelle Gomez), was seemingly killed off permanently after her ability to regenerate was removed by her older form, John Simm.
With that in mind, Dhawan’s appearance should be completely impossible, something that has left fans scratching their heads.
Unfortunately it looks like we won’t be getting answers anytime soon, as Dhawan stressed that he was looking forward rather than back.
“I didn’t question it too much,” Dhawan said of the apparent inconsistency.
“I was more focussed on, as soon as the Master appeared, it’s like right – let’s get back to business. He doesn’t quite dwell on the past,” he added to Radio Times.
“Like at the end of [Spyfall Part 2] you kind of think… Oh, the Master’s gone, but he always makes a surprise appearance. And I think the character will always do that in some form or other.”
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Meanwhile former show runner Steven Moffat insisted that there was no need for writers to address the riddle, in part due to the imaginations of the fan base.
“I don’t necessarily want all the gaps to be plugged, kids out there are making up their own stories about how Missy escaped that place and regenerated into Sacha,” he chipped in.
“They’re doing their own version of it. And that’s much more exciting to me than actually filling all those gaps.”
He continued: “I think it is absolutely fine with the Master not to know, I like that.
“Even with the Doctor there are whole sections you don’t know about. I don’t necessarily want to know every detail.
“You don’t have to join everything up, you get glimpses. That’s so much more exciting.”
Elsewhere, Dhawan recently revealed how The Master paved the way for the series finale way back in his debut episode.
He also hit back at critics who had branded Doctor Who “too woke” in recent years.
Doctor Who concluded Sunday at 7:10pm on BBC One and will be available to stream on BBC One.