It was the production team of Barry Letts and Terrence Dicks who originally came up with the idea of the character of the Master. They felt that the Doctor’s relationship with the Brigadier had begun to resemble that of Holmes and Watson, it was therefore a logical step to find the Doctor his Moriarty. When the idea for the character had formed, Letts immediately suggested Delgado for the role, having worked with him previously. It would prove to be an inspired piece of casting as Delgado made the role his own and made the Master one of the most popular figures in the show’s history.
Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was born in Whitechapel in 1918. His diverse background, his mother was Belgian and his father Spanish, meant that in his early acting career he was often cast in foreign parts or perhaps reflecting the culture of the time, the role of the villain. During the sixties he appeared in a host of successful British TV shows such as, The Champions, The Avengers, Danger Man, The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) alongside his regular stage work.
His role in Doctor Who began with the broadcast of Terror of the Autons in 1971, a genuinely scary story in which Delgado made a remarkable instant impact in the show. Within the story he showed an amazing ability to switch from charming and charismatic to darkly terrifying, a skill that would remain throughout Delgado’s time on the show. He is instantly a captivating presence on screen and the success of the character is based largely around the fact that Delgado makes the villain so easily likable. After his debut performance the Master would go on to appear in all four of the remaining serials in season eight a decision that Dicks and Letts would later regret for making the reveal of the villain too predictable. Nonetheless, what the shows lost in mystery they more than made up for as Delgado’s skill as an actor and popularity with the rest of the cast shining through as he developed a terrific rapport with the other members of the regular acting team.
Delgado went on to make three further appearances as the Master, twice in season nine in The Sea Devils and The Time Monster and once more the following year in Frontier in Space. However, despite the characters appearances in the show becoming less frequent, Delgado found that he wasn’t being offered parts due to people believing he was still tied up by Doctor Who. He therefore asked Dicks and Letts if they could kill the character off and plans were made to do just that in Jon Pertwee’s final serial. Sadly, whilst filming Bell of Tibet in Turkey the car Delgado was travelling in crashed into a ravine and he was killed at the tragically young age of 55.
Delgado’s skill as an actor and his wonderful characterisation of the Master ensured that the character remained incredibly popular and of course he would live on in the series in various guises. Actors of the calibre of Anthony Ainley, Derek Jacobi and John Simm have all brought their own interpretations of the role, but for many, myself included, Delgado’s Master has never been bettered and will remain definitive. He was a hugely popular member of a particularly close Doctor Who ensemble and remains much missed, though never forgotten. He would have been 95 today.
sportswhofan 
Roger Delgado had another Doctor Who-related connection during his impressive career. He co-starred in The Slide, a seven part science fiction radio drama broadcast weekly by the BBC from February 1 to March 27, 1966. The Slide was written by Victor Pemberton, who shortly after went on to briefly serve as a script editor on Doctor Who before penning the six part story Fury From the Deep. The Slide was released on CD a few years ago. It’s an amazingly creepy, atmospheric piece of drama. It also featured one of Delgado’s rare turns playing a heroic figure. Definitely it offers a good example of his versitility. As you say, it was a real tragedy that Delgado died at such a young age.
Sounds really interesting. Thanks for the tip as it isn’t a piece I was aware of, but I will now try look it up. Delgado was a really charismatic figure and I’m sure he comes across really well on radio, his voice must suit it.