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Arriving back on Earth, the Doctor, Martha and Jack find the Masters alter ego a.k.a. Harold Saxon occupying the top seat in the British government where...

He starts with the cabinet slain, then a journo gets to feel the pain, gathers up Martha's family, builds on his popularity, then embarks on his wicked campaign.

Meanwhile the time travelling trio are pursued and hunted before perceptively making it onto the aircraft carrier Valiant after discovering the secrets of the Master's mind games.

With "The Sound of Drums", Russell T. Davies shows that despite a smörgåsbord of treats throughout the season, there's still a lot more surprises in his TARDIS-like bag.

A dark, tense and highly original episode, "The Sound of Drums" is so good it's difficult to know where to begin. Davies' teases fans with references to The Doctor's brother (a few seconds pause seemed like an eternity in this scene), jelly babies and so on, while giving long-term viewers the best Gallifrey treat they could ever wish for in this episode. The short, beautifully shot clip of The Master's back-history is informative and manages to honour the memories of anybody who has grown up with "The Deadly Assassin" and the various subsequent Time Lord tales. This is epic stuff - there's a legendary feel to "The Sound of Drums" and the show appears bigger in scale than a television programme, having an almost movie-like feel to the proceedings. After watching this series of "Doctor Who" other science fiction offerings are going to feel tired and drawn-out compared to this lean and mean, multi-faced beast. We have seen a diverse number of stories this year but the quality has remained constant throughout.

John Simm steals the show as the psychopathic Master. He has all the best lines and eats the part up like the world's most scrumptious meal. Simm is the very picture of a maniacal genius and it's hard to imagine anybody delivering a better performance in this role. His scenes with the cabinet and the President of the USA will be difficult to forget.

The Jones family are proving more entertaining and likable than the Tylers - Trevor Laird and Adjoa Andoh are excellent as Martha's parents and Gugu Mbatha-Raw is wonderful as younger sister, Tish.

The episode finishes on the ultimate cliffhanger. This is black as night "Doctor Who" and it's an absolute delight.

10 out of 10. Again, thank you Russel T. Davies and Phil Collinson for delivering such a treat to fans everywhere, young and old. This is more than anybody could have ever expected and as each season progresses, the creative envelope is pushed ever further. Genuinely jaw-dropping entertainment.

First of all I'll say whoopey doo, a finale that doesn't feature the daleks, this tried to do something very different. The tenuous link from Utopia to Cardiff begins, and we learn of Saxon's rise into Blair-esque Prime Minister and the reveal of his plan to end the world. All seems lost, and all eyes are on Martha to save the world.

John Simm's performance is boundless, his energy and pizazz are phenomenal. He brings the script to life, and even at this early stage I want more of him. He steals the show.

The tapping and drumming asks a lot of questions, it's cleverly realised, the concept of the phone network is a good one too.

The brief appearance of Nicola McAuliffe was fun, and I can't answer why but I'm really drawn to Lucy Saxon.

I like that we get an insight into the Doctor's youth, finally we see some of Gallifrey, we see Time Lords, and we get to see a young Master, at last!!

I kept wondering about Utopia, were the humans left to be destroyed by the Future kind, and the resolution is a nasty one. Not too sure about the Toclafane though.

Martha's family story continues and starts to be revealed, they are still annoying and i'm still missing Jackie, but at least they're given more then just bickering.

Finally the question i'd asked about Torchwood's link from Who and from the show is answered.

It's very good, pieces of the jigsaw from the series are coming together, a few little flaws stop it from being brilliant, the Toclafane, little irritations with the script, but it's big and bold, the use of The Rogue Traders Voodoo Child is so fitting, it fits John Simm's Master so well.

8/10

Review: Episodes of The Sound of Drums and The Last of the Timelords

This follows on from the brilliant Utopia in which we had the great Derek Jacobi as the Master and he was truly magnificent. Thanks to Big Finish audio adventures we get to enjoy Jacobi more but it would have been amazing to get him on screen as the Master for a bit longer.

Simm, whilst very different and shockingly bonkers is suitably menacing, fun and impressive in the role and this two parter gives him plenty of chance to treat us to a mixture of zany humour and dark threatening drama.

Both these last two episodes are very funny in the comedic dialogue and very exciting in the dramatic plot development. The story is thrilling, interesting, dark and thoroughly enjoyable. As well as Simm's fine performance we get Tennant on superb peak form, Freema Agyeman again demonstrating what a great companion Martha is and John Barrowman enjoyable as ever as Captain Jack Harkness.

The threat to Earth in the first part is wonderfully well evoked and leads to a thrilling cliffhanger.

The Last of the Timelords is harshly judged by some for being over the top and for its resolution where bad events on Earth are conveniently wiped from ever happening. I think that is very exaggerated as a criticism.

Yes the events on Earth are undone which feels a bit convenient but the whole story features the Master using a Paradox Machine and the destruction of that logically means that events that took place after the paradox began cease to exist. It makes sense (unlike quite a few stories in Moffatt and Chibnall eras). I still feel all the horrifying events shown retain most of their strength and impact despite the fact they get wiped from ever happening.

They were never going to continue with a decimated Earth for all future stories so to have a story featuring a paradox machine allowing a logical reset was, I think, a clever way to deal with it. It is pretty well executed although the way the Doctor defeats the Master is slightly hyped up for my taste.

My main complaint in this story is the way they depict the Doctor being aged into a small withered figure with out of proportion head and eyes. I would happily do a George Lucas and superimpose a better version with modern graphics over the top of the original effects haha.

My Ratings: Utopia - 10/10 The Sound of Drums - 10/10 The Last of the Timelords - 8.5/10 Overall 3-part story - 9.5/10.

The story is continuous, no slow build up, there is always something happening. Really enjoyed the music that was use throughout the entire episode, then here come the drums later was also use brilliantly. Was good to hear the Cloister Bell being used, a a trip down memory lane to the Doctor Who of old (might have been a good idea to explain it again for the younger viewers who never saw original classic Who but i suppose their plates were already full). Finally of course we have The Masters final words at the end of the episode, icing on the cake

Lke Jack Nicholson/Heath Ledger in Batman, John Simm totally was the star. He made David Tennant look like Colin Baker in the Dr Who stakes. Every bit of screen time he had, was classic. It's always more fun to play baddies and he needs to come back to this show ASAP. The Master has always been the No1 Dr Who baddie- period. However compared to John Simms, The previous actors come off as Dick Darstidly gone wrong! I have worn out my VHS seeing his scenes. Don't forget the Scissor Sisters Scenes- very funny and when regenerates- pure quality. Even when he dies, he refuses defeat. Please resurrect his character, as you need a flamboyant pyschopath with a taste for camp retro themed disco music on Saturday Evening TV!!!!!!!!!!

I have watched Doctor Who beginning in the 70's. I always loved the Master and was worried how they would bring him back. But, my apprehensions were put to rest with this episode. This Doctor Who series (all 3 of them) have been updated for a new audience. I had watched John Simm in "Life on Mars" and was a little tentative of his being cast as the Master. Stupid me - he is FANTASTIC! Finally a match for the Doctor of this series - witty, cocky ... and his opposite - totally lacking in sympathy & insane. Oh, and I got the pleasure of seeing the US President being disintegrated - just what the present incumbent, George Dubbya, deserves for what he has wrought on this earth. This is my favourite episode of the new incarnation of Doctor Who. Absolutely fabulous!!

Watching this episode is like someone giving you all your favourite food . Salmon , steak , pasta , , curry , blancmange and apple crumble all on the same plate . Seeing as the chef is Russell T Davies he'll also give you everything you don't like such as rabbit , marmite and appropriately tripe on the same plate as your faves .

The Sound Of Drums gets off to a bad start with a quite terrible resolution to the previous week's cliffhanger . What is with episodes dovetailing in to one another ? The writers can't seem to make an effort at all with The Doctor Dances and Age of Steel both suffering from ridiculous resolutions and this episode is no different . The story continues with aspects that left me thinking I was watching a children's programme . We see a bunch of red sticks with the word " Dynamite " written on them which is kind of like seeing a cannonball with a burning fuse , and we're treated ( RTD's words not mine ) to umpteen ridiculous examples plot contrivance like " perception filters " , what a load of nonsense

There are good aspects too such as John Simms take on a Tony Blair type of character and the use of The Rogue Traders rave track Voodoo Child which shows Nu-Who in a radical light . Imagine away back in 1973 we had Roger Delgado's Master as a prime minister who was in to sailing and conducting orchestras battling against Jon Pertwee against a Slade soundtrack . You'd never be able to conceive that would you ? All this helps The Sound Of Drums but it's far from being a classic episode

"The Sound of Drums" isn't entirely without merit, but it's pretty close.

I just can't fathom the popularity of the new Doctor Who. I found this episode noisy, unoriginal, childish, and cheap-looking, and yet apparently it's being widely praised on the Internet. Either I'm a cranky moron, or Doctor Who fans are so in love with their favorite show that they've lost the ability to see its very obvious flaws.

Firstly, this is a highly repetitive and derivative episode. We already had a politics-oriented story in the first season, so the goofy Downing Street material here is much the same as what we already saw in "World War III." Also, this is the third consecutive season finale to involve flying robots attacking Earth, not to mention the eighth (or ninth, or perhaps thirtieth) story to prominently feature cellular phones as part of the plot. Oh, and the rubbish sphere aliens look exactly like the interrogation robot from "Star Wars" - so this dross is original in what respect, exactly? I feel like I've seen it all before, done better.

This episode is also hampered by some incredibly hammy performances. Martha and Captain Jack are superfluous and annoying; they seem to exist only to look worried and act as sounding boards for David Tennant's nerdy, technobabble-spewing Doctor. John Simm's Master is...OK, I guess, but his loony moments are embarrassingly over-the-top and, to me, they only serve to undermine his aura of menace.

So why can't they play the villains with genuine conviction on the new Doctor Who? Why does it all have to be tongue-in-cheek? Why all the tedious self-mocking humor? Roger Delgado used to play the Master with a wry little smile, but he could be serious too, whereas Simm just seems to be treating the role like comedy larks. I know this sort of goof-ball, insincere approach is popular in genre fiction now, but if sincerity ever becomes trendy again, this deliberately "funny" material will look horribly dated.

Yeah, I'm just mystified at this point. To me, the new Doctor Who is just a mess of tedious soap opera drama, smugness, primitive computer effects, condescending social commentary, and teeny-bopper angst. And yet, its no-talent production team is practically worshiped by Doctor Who fans. In fact, the praise for this bizarre series goes so over-the-top that I end up overcompensating by criticizing it too harshly. But somebody's got to be critical, right? Otherwise we all might end up mistaking this clichéd silliness for some kind of modern sci-fi masterpiece.

"Oh, look! It's the freak & the girly, though I'm not sure which one's which." - Russell T Davies made John Simm's Master SO iconic & quotable.

To be quite honest, "The Sound of Drums" somehow feels like a trial run for Torchwood: Children of Earth; a political thriller with a dark sci-fi twist.

Not exactly subtle either but momentous fun all the same.

The second part has are gang travelling back to Earth. Where they see the unfortunate sound of Drums hence the episodes title, and the Master as the Prime Minister. This episode is not better then the creative and compelling excellence of Utopia by any means. But it does serve as a good first entry to the Master. Who is hammy and a little too cheesy. But the Toglaphane or something like that, I mean they do make the Master a real threat, and it does have some political allegory here. As well as Martha's family in danger, and I like how Martha becomes independent, we really see her being able to cope with and without the Doctor, and him being in danger does create the all important stakes that we need for a Finale. I feel as though Captain Jack is slightly under developed here, but they wouldn't be on Planet Earth if it wasn't for his gadget getting them to Earth I suppose. So It does more or less show his importance to the group, but besides that he doesn't have a whole lot going for him, onto the next part. Part 3.

Here we go then. The true arrival of John Simm playing the Master, the first incarnation of the show in the rebooted series (with all due respect to the few minutes that Derek Jacobi had last week).

Having arrived back on Earth using Captain Jack Harkness' (John Barrowman) time portal, The Doctor (David Tennant) and Martha (Freema Agyeman) soon discover that they've missed the election and that Harold Saxon is the new Prime Minister of Great Britain. Unfortunately, Saxon is really The Master (John Simm) and has been here for 18 months, preparing a devious scheme to take control of the Earth.

John Simm is a great addition to the cast. His grinning, manic, gurning Master is fun, but occasionally, such as moments of the call between himself and The Doctor there are moment of true contact between them. There is some backstory provided for anyone totally new to the character and I think this rebooted series first look at Galifreyan clothing and life. (More on that to come, I remember). The story is solid, and sets up The Master as a cunning rival to The Doctor, every bit as smart and capable.

Truth be told, there are a couple of elements of this show that were the worst excesses of Russell T Davies' time. Celebrity cameos though they make sense in the context always take me out of the episode and Sharon Osbourne, Ann Widdecombe and McFly now date the episode terribly. I have been wincing for a while in anticipation of the use of the "Voodoo Child" track, for the arrival of the Toclafane - which canonically appears to be playing in the episode, rather than as part of the soundtrack. Having scene some solid CGI across this run, the Toclafane, though really just a ball with some knives sticking out of them, never convince.

As I say on any multiple part episode, it's hard to judge properly until you've seen the whole story but I enjoyed most of the set up on this one.

Remember the Mad Max-esque bad guys from the last episode? Well, they get quickly dispatched as we move onto this, this 3rd series finale.

And it's a mixed bag really. Because for all that is good - John Simm as The Master, having Captain Jack back etc, there's also some worrying signs of things to come.

Anything to do with Martha's cardboard cutout family, an over complicated plot, too much back story, the companion suddenly being the only one who can save the world.

The less said about David Tennant's Doctor being randomly aged hundreds of years for reasons beyond me the better.

Can we ditch all Dr Who scripts with Immortal Adversaries/Lethal Foes in them, before they are even written ? They are stupid. I like David Tenant. I like John Simm. But pitting all-powerful beings against one another is so stupid. And there so many Dr Who episodes whose plots do exactly that. Consider how overpowered Dr Who is. Dr Who travels through time and space. In a police box. And erases entire civilisations with a screw driver. How interesting can a lethal foe possibly get ? It's insane enough that Dr Who scripts manage to create any tension, with all those overpowered premises. What's next ? Buddy up with other Doctors ? I think it's clear what I mean. Ditch lethal foes in Dr Who.

The Sound of Drums isn't a bad episode of Doctor Who, but it's just really disappointing after Utopia, which is arguably one of the best episodes the show has put out so far. The direction isn't very good, the visual effects are not good at all, (and that's saying a lot for RTD era Doctor Who) and the performances are way too hammy for my taste. It's a noticeable step down in quality when compared to the Human Nature two parter, Blink, and Utopia, which have all been consistently great episodes. 6 out of 10

I did not like this episode. Over the top performances, cheesy direction, bad effefcts. Utopia was much better.

It's not a 1/10 (more like a 6 or 7), but I am rating it low because an 8.8 is way too high.