John Simm is to return to Doctor Who as the Time Lord’s arch-nemesis The Master.
The Life On Mars actor played The Master in five episodes of the BBC1 sci-fi show and will return to do battle with Peter Capaldi in the forthcoming series.
He was last seen in the role on New Year’s Day 2010 and John has previously said he had grown fed up with the attention he received from fans of the popular programme.
The new series, which starts on April 15, will also feature Michelle Gomez as Missy – a later regeneration of The Master.
John said: “I can confirm that it’s true, thanks to the power of time travel I’m back.
“It’s always a pleasure to work with this great team of people and I can’t wait for you all to see what The Master gets up to in the next series.”
Steven Moffat, the show’s writer and executive producer, said: “Nothing stays secret for long on Doctor Who but you’ll have to wait a little bit longer to see exactly what The Master is up to and how he makes his return to face the Doctor.
“It’s been a huge pleasure to have fan favourites John Simm and Michelle Gomez face to face in the same role. It’s not often you get to see a solo personality clash.”
Series 10 of Doctor Who marks Peter’s and Steven’s last as Doctor and writer.
