The Doctor In The TARDIS

We can't discuss this story without mentioning the late great Anthony Ainley and his wonderfully over the top performance here.

It's horrid to compare, but for me he was never quite as good as Delgado in the role. Actually, that's unfair. I think he was as good an actor, just not as good a Master. He was a great actor, there is no doubting that, I just think he played the villainous side in a much more panto way than Delgado did. Delgado often feels very menacing to me, but I never feel that from Ainley. I think perhaps it has a lot to do with the writing and the stories though, rather than his acting. I think the Delgado Master was written to be a lot more straight and cunning than Ainley ever was and it's a shame. When he played Tremas I thought he was absolutely wonderful. He has a very warm, kind look about him when he smiles. As if you could trust him with your life. I think they should have played that angle more, because to have him be so charming and then do something terrible would certainly make him seem much more of a threat, I think.

I think Ainley was brilliant in the role but it is hard not to make comparisons to Delgado. He was still finding his feet in the role at this point though and I think his later performances are far better, but that's not to say that this was a bad performance.

Trying to recreate the role after Delgado was an almost impossible task, but he did a great job.  I think, as Mr Chinn said, there was just a shade of subtlety missing, but he's excellent.  In a way, he's much more of a copy of the Delgado Master than the later Masters, or than each of the Doctors, which makes sense because he hasn't actually regenerated.

I think Ainley is great in the role. It took me a while to warm to him because I was so used to seeing either Delgado or Simm (who it isn't really hard to be better than where the writing is concerned) but the more I watched him the more I liked his take on the role. This isn't the strongest story for him, but it's by no means a bad outing.

Ainley was the first Master I ever knew and so will always be special to me and gain my preference, but I think everyone who has played the Master has given it a great shot, even if they haven't always had the best material to work with *coughEndOfTimecough!*

I love Ainleys take on the Master. I won't deny he can get a bit over the top and even hammy at times, but when he is on form he is brilliant.

Exactly this

Exactly this

I'd agree with this. Not his best performance, but not a bad one either.