Who is Maestro in Doctor Who? Jinkx Monsoon character explained

Ncuti Gatwa reprises his role as the Fifteenth Doctor alongside newcomer Millie Gibson, who plays his new companion, Ruby Sunday – a character first seen in the Christmas special last December.

The season kicks off with a double-bill premiere, during which viewers will meet a significant new character played by Jinkx Monsoon, star of RuPaul's Drag Race.

But the question remains: who exactly is Maestro?

Who is Maestro in Doctor Who? Jinkx Monsoon character explained

Maestro is the chief antagonist of Doctor Who season 14 episode 2, The Devil's Chord.

Speaking about the character to the BBC, Jinkx said: "Maestro is exceptionally powerful. When human rules don't apply to you, you get to do whatever you want. You don't have to worry about whether your emotions make sense to people because you don't have to answer to them. And that's really freeing when you’re playing a character.

"The thing I love about a villain is that they can't think they're doing something wrong, or if they do think they're doing something wrong, it's justified because it's for something greater that they've planned.

"What I love about Maestro is that, while objectively evil, they are an artist, they have a mission statement. And that was really lovely to play."

Referred to by showrunner Russell T Davies as "the Doctor's most powerful enemy yet", the character bears no connection to the Master.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com at the London premiere for Gatwa's first full season, Davies said: "No, it’s nothing to do with the Master... it’s completely different, a pantheon of gods that we’ve introduced.

"I did think when I named them Maestro that there was a chance that that might overlap. It causes speculation, which is fun, but the Master is kind of parked for the moment. There’s been a lot of the Master recently, so it’s time to start again and have a fresh start to the show."

In fact, The Devil's Chord reveals that Maestro is an offspring of the Doctor's old nemesis The Toymaker – where their father's stock-in-trade is games, Maestro is the personification of music.

Both characters are part of a pantheon of gods, which the Doctor Who production team has termed "the Gods of Chaos".

"Maestro is actually the child of the Toymaker," Russell T Davies explained on companion show Doctor Who Unleashed. "The Toymaker seems to be the supreme being of this pantheon [but] he’s not. There’s plenty of discoveries to come with that."

Could this "supreme being" be The One Who Waits?

What else has Jinkx Monsoon starred in?

Jinkx Monsoon, legal name Hera Hoffer, is best known for appearing as the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 5 and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 7.

She has also appeared in The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special with Drag Race co-star BenDeLaCreme and the sketch series Sketchy Queens.

Monsoon made her Broadway debut in 2023 as Mama Morton in Chicago for an eight-week run and a current off-Broadway run of Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey.

An actor and comedian, Monsoon is also a singer and has released two studio albums, The Inevitable Album and The Ginger Snapped.

Read More

• Meet the cast of Doctor Who season 14 led by Ncuti Gatwa
• Doctor Who boss teases a nativity-themed Christmas special
• Doctor Who boss reveals Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor will ‘open up’ about long-lost family
• Doctor Who confirms Hannibal star and another Susan Twist role for Boom
• David Tennant has “retired” from Doctor Who role, says Russell T Davies
• Doctor Who star Golda Rosheuvel on “crazy” Space Babies monster: ‘There’s a history to it’
• Who is Susan Twist’s character in Doctor Who? All the theories

Doctor Who continues on Saturday 18th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.