Name something more iconic than Big Finish creating new series for each version of the Master. Call Me Master is their fourth such series, starring Sacha Dhawan as the Spy Master version of the character. Suffering from character fatigue, though, I’d originally decided to give this series a miss. However, upon listening to some of the new 13^th Doctor Adventures, it had rekindled my interest in the era, providing new motivation to give it a try.  

Comprising three new 60-minute stories, Monsters is the second boxset in the series. The Craft of Corruption by Alison Winter opens the boxset, and finds the Master forced to lie low on an interstellar cruise liner.

The Master is posing as ship’s counsellor on an interstellar cruise liner: the fastest transport in a galaxy where lightspeed travel is outlawed by the overbearing Interstellar Protection Corps. All he needs to do is keep out of trouble until the ship crosses into a sector outside IPC jurisdiction. But trouble abhors a vacuum.

Big Finish Synopsis

The central premise of this story is an instant recipe for success. Despite the pedestrian setting of a cruise liner in space, there’s plenty of potential to be had in a role-reversal story where someone as brazen as The Master is forced to lay low and not stand out. Playing the role of the ship’s counsellor, the story’s first act plays well into this premise, as The Master puts several behind-the-scenes schemes underway to aid in his eventual escape.

These scenes are great fun to listen to, as The Master is not only sneaky but also ends up having to play several very out-of-character personas. From the caring counsellor to the snivelling hostage, The Master dons many convincing hats in aid of his escape, all of which are expertly portrayed by Sacha Dhawan.

As the story progresses, however, the tight escape plot begins to unravel. By the time the third act comes around, the number of obstacles blocking The Master’s escape is more of a hindrance to the story itself rather than the titular Timelord antagonist. The Light Bandits and their digital ID theft scheme, for instance, is better left for a different style of story. While it is interesting in its own way, the 60-minute timeframe was never going to be enough time to develop the intricacies of their suffering at the hands of the IPC and every other plot in this episode in a way that would have sufficient depth.

In total, there are more than six plot obstacles blocking The Master’s escape, leaving the pacing of the climax slow and messy. However, I did enjoy the story’s concluding moments where the IPC’s greatest monster, teased throughout the adventure, ends up being The Master all along.