Sacha Dhawan on his Doctor Who dance sequence: “Yeah, I went for it!”
"I said to myself, 'Don't have too much fun!'"
Doctor Who's centenary special, The Power of the Doctor, has it all – the Daleks, the Cybermen (and Cyber-Masters!), returning companions, a departing Doctor... and even a dance sequence.
Having captured the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), the Master (Sacha Dhawan) – who'd been posing as the Russian mystic Rasputin – decided to taunt his nemesis by busting some of his best dance moves. His backing track of choice? Boney M's 1978 disco hit Rasputin, what else?
(Fans with long memories will recall this isn't even the first time that the Master has mocked the Doctor by dancing to a jaunty pop tune – see 2007 episode Last of the Time Lords for another memorable example.)
Speaking to RadioTimes.com about the Master's moves, Dhawan said: "With that particular scene, I read it in the script, and I just went, 'Ah, this is gonna be fun!' – but I said to myself, 'Don't have too much fun!' because I didn't want it to be silly.
"I listened to the song quite a bit as well, just because I love it. It’s such a sexy song, it’s just so cool."
Besides the Master cutting a rug, the sequence in question has a lot else going on – the Daleks and Cybermen are also in attendance (and even sharing a weary look in reaction to the Master's antics), while the Master has the Doctor trapped in a complex device designed to force a regeneration.
"It's a big scene and we didn't have that long to shoot it," Dhawan revealed. "With Doctor Who, there's a lot of big epic scenes to do and we’ve got a short amount of time to do that...
"With that particular scene, it was like, 'We've only got one or two takes' so your adrenaline’s going already and I just thought to myself, ‘I don't think I'll ever be in this position again, where I am dressed as Rasputin, doing something like this, so the camera’s rolling, just go for it, see what happens.’ And yeah, I went for it! It was just so cool."
Though The Power of the Doctor is expected to mark Dhawan's final appearance as the Master, the actor also told RadioTimes.com that he'd be open to reprising the role to face off against Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor.
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Read more about Doctor Who:
- Jodie Whittaker says "rage" over Doctor Who casting was "terrifying"
- Doctor Who "would not exist" outside of the BBC, says Chris Chibnall
- Billie Piper: 'I'll treasure my time on Doctor Who for rest of my life'
- Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker says Ncuti Gatwa will be "extraordinary"
- Doctor Who showrunner promises "very different" regeneration scene
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
