‘Doctor Who’ might be moving on from Jodie Whittaker to David Tennant, but this Master is staying around

Sacha Dhawan’s portrayal of Doctor Who arch-nemesis the Master was one of the best things to come out of Jodie Whittaker’s time manning the TARDIS, so it wouldn’t come off as a complete surprise if Russell T. Davies planned a return for this incarnation in Ncuti Gatwa’s upcoming tenure.

Only four months separate us from the long-anticipated 60th anniversary, which will see the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble, respectively. This version of Tennant, however, is being marketed as the 14th Doctor, and the enigmatic enemy (Neil Patrick Harris) he’s going up against has been a subject of much debate.

The obvious candidate is always the Master, who has served as the Doctor’s frenemy since the show’s conception in the early ’60s. But perhaps the show isn’t quite done with the current version yet. Recently chatting with Radio Times, Sacha Dhawan was asked if he’s received a call from Davies yet, to which he cheekily replied:

“Well, I’m involved in a few things that I can’t talk about, so who knows? I’m also creating my own stuff because I don’t necessarily just want to be moving from job to job, but it’s not always easy. The industry can feel quite isolating, but I’m holding my nerve.”

Dhawan could always be referring to other media in the Doctor Who universe — say, a classic Big Finish audio drama — but perhaps this is something bigger than that. Is another major outing for the “Enmity of Ages” in the wings? Only time will tell.