Will the Master return to Doctor Who after series 12?

"Obviously I'd love to come back and do it," he told RadioTimes.com. "If they ask me, that is. It all depends on how episode 10 goes down.

“So far the fans like it, but the character's so unpredictable, it's whether or not they'll enjoy this facet of the character. Fingers crossed.”

There is also the matter of the Master’s apparent death in series 12 finale The Timeless Children, which saw Ko Sharmus (Ian McElhinney) unleash the Cyberman Death Particle on Gallifrey, apparently ending all organic life on the planet including the Master and his new army of Time Lord Cybermen.

But of course, the Master rarely stays dead – and if you listen closely during the episode, there’s a clue as to how he might have escaped this time.

"All of you, through here, now!" you hear him shout just before the Death Particle weapon goes off, hinting that the Master (and his Cyber-Army) might have managed to flee in one of the handy TARDISes located around the Citadel.

“He always makes a surprise appearance,” Dhawan previously told RadioTimes.com of the character’s many surprise resurrections over the years.

“And I think the character will always do that in some form or other.”

Certain of Dhawan's predecessors have ended up playing the Master for a number of years, with Michelle Gomez starring as “Missy” (a female version of the character) for 15 episodes over three years and other former Masters (including Delgado and Anthony Ainley’s versions) racking up even longer tenures no matter how many times the character appeared to have been killed or finally defeated.

In other words, based on the character’s legacy it seems more than likely that we’ll see Dhawan in action for a while longer – and given how popular this version of the Master has been, it could be that he’s in it for the long haul.

“The reaction has been a lot bigger than I expected,” Dhawan told us. “I mean people did say to me, 'It has a huge impact on your life' – but you never know what's going to happen.

“My biggest concern was the fans. They've got strong opinions, so I was like, 'I hope they like it.'

“But they've been so, so supportive. And just the huge stream of support and artwork that's come through has been really special.”

Doctor Who series 12 can be streamed on BBC iPlayer