Cult Spy: The Masterful John Simm

John Simm is currently sending shivers down the spines of children and adults alike with his menacing portrayal of The Master in Doctor Who. The 36 year old actor is no stranger to the realms of cult television however, thanks to his leading roles in Life On Mars and The Lakes.Born in Leeds, Simm originally seemed destined for a musical career as a child, with his father teaching him to play the guitar and various gigs following. At the age of 16 the acting bug took hold and he soon became embroiled in the theatrical world, learning Stanislavski’s celebrated ‘Method’ style of performance. How exactly this would help him prepare for his latest role as a several hundred year old Time Lord intent on universal domination is anyone’s guess.From his mid twenties, Simm reaped much praise for his ability to accurately exude the disaffection and alienation of angry, but good-hearted young males in Britain. His appearance as a disturbed teenager in the 1995 episode of Cracker entitled ‘Best Boys’ brought his face into millions of homes across the country. Soon, cinema screens were lit up by his outstanding performance in Human Traffic, with his character symptomatic of an entire generation who turned to narcotic substances to escape their mundane existences. In between, Simm took the lead role of Danny in two seasons of Jimmy McGovern’s sublime The Lakes on BBC One. A brave, surreal and controversial show, perhaps the closest Britain has come to reaching the brilliance of Twin Peaks, The Lakes quickly picked up a loyal cult following. The core of the appeal lies in us rooting for Danny despite his general tendencies to gamble away his young family’s money and chase after rat, Simm conjured up a certain sympathy from viewers for his character, trying to make a new life for himself and find a sense of belonging.Roles in the brilliant political drama State of Play and Channel 4‘s harrowing Sex Traffic, as a journalist and a researcher respectively, further enhanced his status as one of the nation’s favourite leading actors. But the inspired Life On Mars took him to a new level last year. Playing contemporary copper Sam Tyler, flung back to the 70s after an accident, Simm again exuded disillusionment and alienation in his performance, with touches of humour keeping the viewers smiling whilst nibbling their fingernails.So onto The Master. The skill of the revived Doctor Who has been reinventing the old core values and essence of the classic series without losing them. As the malevolent Time Lord, Simm epitomises this. The goatee may be gone, but the sinister air of the character remains intact. With some witty dialogue delivered with pure relish, along with various acts of evil, Simm superbly managed to steer clear of any pantomime or ‘ham’ elements in his performance. We feel pathos for his sick situation, like The Doctor does, but can also boo and hiss whenever he strides into shot. In the words of the ninth Doctor - fantastic!