The Master answered our questions (Picture: BBC)

Sacha Dhawan shocked every Whovian out there when he was revealed to be the next incarnation of The Master in Doctor Who series 12.

The renegade Time Lord returned to the BBC’s long-running sci-fi show in the form of the 35-year-old actor, and came with a stern warning for Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor, as well as one of this season’s most enduring questions; just what is the Timeless Child and why did it make the Master basically commit genocide, destroying the Time Lords and their home planet of Gallifrey?

Hopefully, we’ll be getting some answers soon as the finale for series 12 airs this weekend, ominously titled The Timeless Children.



But speaking to Metro.co.uk ahead of Sunday’s episode and after his shocking return last week, Sacha teased that he was actually in the know all along.


‘Yes, I did [know],’ the actor revealed. ‘I found out a couple of months after filming the first two episodes. I knew that I was coming back but not to what extent.

‘When I spoke to Chris we had a chat about it, the script was being evolved. Chris [Chibnall, showrunner] was gathering ideas that felt very collaborative as well. And it put some of my thoughts into it.’

Despite our best efforts (sorry, we tried!) Sacha wasn’t budging on what specific influence he had over the finale script.

The Master returns in this weekend’s The Timeless Children (Picture: BBC)

‘I can’t tell you,’ he teased. ‘It would reveal too much…’

The Sherlock star, however, assures us that fans will enjoy the finale not just because it will (hopefully) bridge all the plot strands from this series together, but it speaks to our society in the present too.

‘You know what I really like about Doctor Who?’ Sacha asks. ‘Yes, it’s set in different universes, it also relates to what’s going on right now in real life and that’s what I love about it.

‘As wild and crazy as the Master is, there’s something very human and emotional about the character as well, particularly for this season.’

Will the Master help or hinder the Doctor’s battle against the Cybermen this weekend? (Picture: BBC)

As for what viewers can expect from the Timeless Children? Well, given that it’s been hinted that the origin of the Time Lords, and thus the Doctor herself, has been a lie…we can most certainly look forward to the biggest re-writing of the show’s mythos in nearly 60 years.

‘In that plane scene I said to Jodie everything that you think you know is a lie,’ Sacha explained, pointing a huge clue going into Sunday. ‘That is going to be…that question is going to be uncovered.

‘As with Doctor Who, more answers lead to more questions.’

He continued: ‘It is going to be a game-changer. It’s going to be something people haven’t seen before.’

Roll on Sunday…

Doctor Who concludes this Sunday at 7.10pm on BBC One.

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