Trivia

He took the part of the Master in Doctor Who (2005) because his kids were very big fans of the series.

Sang the acoustic version of New Order's "Blue Monday" in 24 Hour Party People (2002) during the split-screen scene.

Voted Best Guest Actor by readers of Doctor Who Magazine for his roles as Harold Saxon and the Master in the 2007 Season of Doctor Who (2005).

After Roger Delgado, Peter Pratt, Geoffrey Beevers, Anthony Ainley, Gordon Tipple, Eric Roberts, and Sir Derek Jacobi, he is the eighth actor to play the Master, the Doctor's childhood friend and one of the major recurring villains in the series. He played the role in Utopia (2007), The Sound of Drums (2007), Last of the Time Lords (2007), The End of Time: Part One (2009), and The End of Time: Part Two (2010). Michelle Gomez, the first female incarnation of the Master, has succeeded him in the role.

Philip Glenister and John Simm have co-starred in four series together - Clocking Off (2000), State of Play (2003) Life on Mars (2006) and Mad Dogs (2011) and one film, Tu£sday (2008). They both starred in the series Prey (2014) (TV Mini-Series), but in separate seasons.

Trained at Drama Centre, London. He was one of the younger members of Group 28, training between 1989 and 1992.

Supports Manchester United Football Club and sometimes has a reference to this inserted into the characters he plays (particularly Sam Tyler in Life on Mars (2006) and Cal McCaffrey in State of Play (2003)).