Double trouble for Derek Jacobi in Rogue Encounters
The War Master is back for four very different adventures in the latest full-cast audio drama box set, Rogue Encounters, released about a month earlier than expected today by Big Finish Productions.
The War Master is back! And this time he’s scared…
In his 10th War Master box set, Sir Derek Jacobi stars as our favorite Time Lord anti-hero in a quartet of new tales, with some familiar faces popping up along the way. The late Murray Melvin guest stars as Torchwood’s Bilis Manger, and the cast also includes Samuel Barnett (The History Boys), Nathanial Curtis (It’s a Sin), Damian Lynch (The Split), Ayesha Antoine (Holby City) and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks.
In four brand-new spin-off audio adventures, Jacobi reprises the two roles he first performed on television (in the 2007 Doctor Who episode, Utopia) as both the Master and Professor Yana.
Sir Derek Jacobi said: “I love the character of Yana. He’s sweet, gentle and nice.
“I’ve got a mental picture of me as Yana so in that sense it was helpful. I never watch myself acting, I’ve never seen it – but I do know what I looked like as I still get a lot of fan mail of photographs to sign.”
And then the Master meets his match in the shape of Bilis (played by the late Melvin), breaking free of the Torchwood audio range and crossing into the Worlds of Doctor Who.
Producer-director Scott Handcock said: “It initially seemed like such a mad idea to bring back Bilis Manger. He’d only really appeared in two episodes of Torchwood, over a decade previously, and yet Murray had absolutely owned that character.
“When he arrived in studio, he was so full of life and enthusiasm for the project, it wasn’t long before he became a staple of the Torchwood range. He made Bilis such an inscrutable, charming, dangerous character. Pitting him against the Master — and Murray against Sir Derek — was an absolute joy.
“You could not wish for classier or more powerful performances, and it’s been heartbreaking listening to edits knowing how much Murray still had to offer.”
The War Master: Rogue Encounters is now available to pre-order for just £24.99 (collector’s edition 4-disc CD box set + download) or £19.99 (download only), exclusively at www.bigfinish.com.
Throughout his many lives, the Master has visited myriad places and planets. Some he has spared, others he has destroyed… but all have felt his presence, however fleeting.
In the Time War, he helps a soldier save their world from Dalek assault…
On Earth, he helps a young woman discover the truth about her boyfriend’s abduction…
At the Sublime Porte, he helps himself to a source of incredible power…
And as the universe itself comes to an end, a lonely old man tries to help any way he can. But the Master is always waiting.
Handcock talks us through each of the four fear-filled new episodes:
“Runtime” by Tim Foley
When the Daleks threaten to alter the course of history, the Master has no choice but to save a world – and he only has an hour to do it.
“It’s always good to have the Master fighting the Daleks – we’ve not had that much of it in The War Master, and this is very much kicking off our series of one-off adventures.”
“Manhunt” by Rochana Patel
After her boyfriend disappears on an American road trip, Alison Walker instantly becomes the prime suspect. But are the abductors from further afield than Earth?
“I don’t think Doctor Who has made that many alien abduction stories in the traditional sense, so it was nice to tackle it here.”
“The Sublime Porte” by James Goss
Hijacking an archaeological dig, the Master excavates the mythical Sublime Porte. But he also unleashes a far more ancient force with it — and its name is Bilis Manger.
“I loved working with Murray Melvin. Bilis is wonderfully charming and unknowable – but there’s a sinister malignance at the heart of him, something that no one can understand. That makes him utterly terrifying and the fact he can turn on a sixpence is really eerie, sinister and disturbing.”
“Alone” by Scott Handcock
As the human race dwindles against the encroaching night, one man strives to find a solution to their plight. But can Professor Yana save the future when a dark past threatens his present?
“(Sir Derek Jacobi) expressed an interest in playing someone a little more vulnerable, and we’ve had a few stories where the Master is on the back foot. Because the Master is the Master, however he’s responding, it’s not quite the same thing so the idea of bringing back Professor Yana was borne out of Derek’s desire to do something a little more human.”
