Sacha Dhawan "would really love" Doctor Who comeback as The Master: "I'm sure he'll be inclined to make another visit"

Dhawan appeared in four of 10 episodes aired earlier in 2020, with finale The Timeless Children pitting him against Jodie Whittaker's Doctor in a quite literally explosive confrontation on the Time Lords' home planet of Gallifrey.

But was the Master vaporised in the detonation set off by Ko Sharmus (Ian McElhinney)? If you listen closely, he can be heard off-screen saying "All of you, through here, now!" as the 'Death Particle' is released, implying that the Master - and possibly his army of 'CyberMasters' - escaped.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com to promote his involvement in Sky Kids' new mindfulness series Dreamflight, Dhawan said: "The thing is... what I love about the Master is that you can put him in the darkest, dangerous, most impossible situations... and he'll always find a way of getting out of them. How, I don't know!"

We're taking that as confirmation of survival – though Dhawan was quick to add that he's not yet been approached about returning to Doctor Who for its upcoming 13th series.

"There's been no talk about me coming back," he insisted. "I know they are planning another series and I'm waiting for that phone call.

"I would really love to come back. I'm just really excited to see, if I do come back, where they'd take the character. Y'know, the Master's so unpredictable, he can get out of anything! I'm sure he'll be inclined to make another visit. I hope!"

The Master's plots were as deranged as ever in series 12, from teaming up with a malevolent alien race in the form of the Kasaavin (will he never learn?) to destroying Gallifrey and fusing the Cybermen's biology with the Time Lords' own to create a 'Master race' with the power to regenerate.

"It's quite intimidating," Dhawan said of a possible comeback. "Because if I do come back, I need to come back with an bigger bang. I don't want to disappoint the fans. But I've got to wait for that phone call, so I'm not getting too stressed yet!"

Dreamflight is available now on Sky Kids and and with the NOW TV Kids Pass (£3.99 a month). You can sign up to Sky TV here.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One for a festive special in late 2020 / early 2021 – check out what else is on with our TV Guide.