5Z3 - Castrovalva 3

As disguises for The Master go, the Portreeve really must be considered one of the most successful. With Anthony Ainley just barely managing to conceal his normal dulcet tones, and a convincing makeup and costume job, coupled with the wise decision of limiting Ainley's closeups, it's not too much of a stretch, upon first viewing, to believe that this mysterious head of the village is what he appears to be.

It's also, as we will see during the course of the 1980s, just about the only time that a disguise for The Master is actually justified by the story. The world that The Master has created, too, is worthy of praise. The sets and costumes for Castrovalva have a lovely, Renaissance feel about them, and the use of many staircases leading down into the square is not only important to the plot, but it also gives the sets a feeling of grandeur. Fiona Cumming, making her directorial debut on Doctor Who, also uses a crane camera to its best advantage during some of these scenes.

Now, just what the deal is with the silly hat party that the four lead males of Castrovalva are attending, I'm not too sure...