The RuPaul’s Drag Race icon stars as the new antagonist.
There are a host of new faces for us to be introduced to in the new season of Doctor Who.
The BBC One sci-fi show is back for its 14th season since it was rebooted in 2005 with the same showrunner who resurrected it for our screens, Russell T Davies.
Ncuti Gatwa is back as the Fifteenth Doctor with Millie Gibson as the new companion Ruby Sunday, having been introduced in the much-loved Christmas special back in December.
With a double-bill premiere for the new episodes, the second episode will introduce us to a major new character portrayed by RuPaul’s Drag Race legend Jinkx Monsoon.
However, just who 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.”
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
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Doctor Who will return on Saturday 11th May on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here.
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.