The Lazarus Experiment was the sixth episode of the third series of Doctor Who. It saw regular writer Mark Gatiss take on an acting role and marked the Doctor's acceptance of Martha as his regular companion. It included a large number of "Harold Saxon" references and saw Francine Jones' first involvement with his aides.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Plot 3 Cast 4 Crew 5 References 6 Story notes 6.1 Ratings 6.2 Filming locations 6.3 Production errors 7 Continuity 8 Timeline 9 Home video releases 10 See also 11 External links

Synopsis Edit

Martha returns home and Richard Lazarus changes "what it means to be human."

Plot Edit

The TARDIS materialises in Martha's flat. The Doctor tells her that they had agreed - one trip and home. It is about twelve hours after they left. Martha's phone rings, but she does not pick it up; it is her mother Francine, saying that her sister Tish is on the news. Martha turns the television on and, alongside Tish, an elderly man, Professor Richard Lazarus, announces that tonight he "will change what it means to be human." The Doctor says goodbye to Martha and, oblivious to her upset, steps into the TARDIS. It dematerialises, but quickly rematerialises. The Doctor reemerges, saying, "No, I'm sorry, did he say he was going to change what it meant to be human?"

At Lazarus Laboratories, Professor Lazarus and Lady Thaw discuss the need for the experiment to work, with Thaw mentioning that Mr Saxon is funding their research. Tish comes in and Lazarus attempts to flirt with her.

The Doctor and Martha attend Professor Lazarus' reception that evening, as do Martha's mother and her brother Leo. Martha introduces the Doctor to her family; Francine is suspicious of him. Lazarus announces he is to perform a "miracle", and steps into the manipulator's capsule. As technicians operate the machine, the Doctor notices that the system is overloaded and jumps in to avert disaster.

Lazarus emerges, looking decades younger. Despite the momentary crisis, his experiment appears to have been a success - but the Doctor is certain there are dangers the professor has overlooked. Lazarus scoffs at the Doctor's warnings, so the Doctor and Martha sneak off to conduct their own tests, taking a DNA sample from Martha's hand, which Lazarus has just kissed. They see that his sonically "hacked" DNA is unstable: Lazarus is changing.

Meanwhile, Lazarus speaks with Lady Thaw. She wants to be the next to be rejuvenated, and to continue their partnership both personally and professionally. He rejects her. As she threatens to complain to Mr. Saxon, Lazarus' financial backer, he transforms into a large, scorpion-like monster with Lazarus' face, and kills her.

Downstairs, Francine asks Tish and Leo whether Martha has ever mentioned the Doctor to them before. She worries there is "something going on". Lazarus returns to the reception, apparently human and wearing a different suit, and invites Tish upstairs with him.

The Doctor and Martha find Lady Thaw's body; the Doctor says she had all the life energy drained to supply energy to the processes caused by Lazarus' fluctuating DNA. Worried he will kill again, they go back downstairs, only to learn that he has gone off with Tish. They rush off, the Doctor accidentally spilling a drink on Francine. Another man replaces her drink, and darkly warns that Martha should be more careful in choosing her friends.

Lazarus takes Tish to the roof, where he talks about nearby Southwark Cathedral and quotes T.S. Eliot, a quote the Doctor completes. As they argue, Martha gets Tish away from Lazarus before he transforms again into a monster. The Doctor comments that what Lazarus has transformed into is an accidentally-unlocked evolutionary dead-end lying dormant in human genes. They run away, tripping a security lockdown. The Doctor gives Martha the sonic screwdriver to unlock the doors, and warns everyone at the reception to get out, but Lazarus kills one woman and Leo suffers a concussion. The Doctor draws Lazarus away from Francine. Lazarus chases the Doctor down a corridor.

Martha examines Leo, gets everyone out of the building, and goes back inside to help the Doctor despite Francine's protests. Tish guesses that "maybe she loves him". The man who replaced Francine's drink earlier calls the Doctor "dangerous", and whispers in Francine's ear the things he says she "should know" about him.

The Doctor turns on the gas in a lab and leaps away from the resulting fireball, but the Lazarus monster survives. Martha hears the explosion and finds the Doctor as she runs toward its source. She returns the sonic screwdriver to the Doctor. They flee together, and end up hiding in the capsule of Lazarus' machine, on the Doctor's hunch that Lazarus is unlikely to destroy his own creation. Instead, Lazarus turns it on. The Doctor "reverses the polarity" so that it affects the outside of the capsule instead of the inside, transforming Lazarus back to human in appearance - and killing him.

Outside, as the ambulance carrying Lazarus' body pulls away, Francine slaps the Doctor, and tells him to keep away from Martha. The Doctor hears the ambulance crash and rushes toward it, followed by Martha and Tish. They find two more of Lazarus' victims in it; Lazarus has come back to life. They find him in human form inside Southwark Cathedral, where as a child he took refuge during the London Blitz. The Doctor says he was present during the Blitz, but Lazarus says that he is not old enough to have been there. They argue again about the benefits and curse of longevity. Martha (accompanied by Tish) then lures Lazarus away to the top of the bell tower; the Doctor told her earlier that Lazarus could be defeated if he could just get him up there.

As the Lazarus monster chases the Jones sisters at the top of the cathedral, the Doctor pulls out all the stops on the pipe organ, inserts the sonic screwdriver, and plays it at maximum volume, setting up a resonance in the bell above Lazarus that interferes with his sonic-based experiment. Lazarus falls to the cathedral floor below, transforming one last time - back into the elderly man he once was.

Back in Martha's flat, the Doctor offers Martha one more trip, but Martha refuses to go with him on that basis, as a mere passenger being given a treat. The Doctor says, "Okay, then, if that's what you want." She thinks he means to leave her again, but he indicates with a nod that she is welcome to rejoin him on her terms, and admits she was "never really just a passenger". They leave together in the TARDIS. As it disappears, Martha's phone rings; it is Francine. She warns Martha about "who this Doctor really is", saying, "This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe!"

Cast Edit

• The Doctor — David Tennant
• Martha Jones — Freema Agyeman
• Tish Jones - Gugu Mbatha-Raw
• Leo Jones - Reggie Yates
• Francine Jones - Adjoa Andoh
• Professor Lazarus — Mark Gatiss
• Lady Thaw - Thelma Barlow
• Party Guest - Lucy O'Connell
• Mysterious Man - Bertie Carvel

Crew Edit

References Edit

• The Doctor references "something bad happening" whenever he wears a tuxedo. (DW:Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel)
• Martha states the Doctor is her "Plus One." The Doctor said Rose Tyler was his "Plus One" in The End of the World.
• Jackie Tyler was the last mother to slap the Doctor. (DW: Aliens of London)
• The Doctor states that he has to turn the sound "to eleven", a reference to the mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap".
• The Tenth Doctor, after getting out of the chamber, remarks, "Reversing the polarity shouldn't take that long... I must be getting rusty" - the Third Doctor was known to "reverse the polarity" on devices regularly.
• The Doctor claims to have been taught how to play the pipe organ by Beethoven.

Story notes Edit

• This is the second time in the revived series when the Doctor jumps from an explosion, first seen in The Unquiet Dead.
• Gatiss's appearance makes him one of a select few to have both written for and acted in the show, and the first of the revived series to do so. Gatiss' involvement with the Doctor Who franchise dates back to writing for the Virgin New Adventures novel series in the early 1990s, as well as appearing in and writing several independent spin-off video productions. Gatiss also appears in Victory of the Daleks, an episode he also wrote.
• The name 'Lazarus' is a reference to the Biblical man who was resurrected from the dead, similar to being given youth back. The comparison is made explicit when he escapes the ambulance and the Doctor says, "Lazarus, back from the dead."
• The capsule of Lazarus's Genetic Manipulation Device is actually the redecorated descent capsule from The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit.
• Dr Lazarus (Mark Gatiss) says he once lived above a butcher's shop as a child. In his role as Hilary Briss in the BBC series The League of Gentlemen, Gatiss is well known for playing a butcher.

Ratings Edit

• 7.19 million viewers - BARB Final Rating
• 6.7 million viewers - Overnight
• 0.98 million viewers - BBC3 Repeat

Filming locations Edit

• The National Museum of Wales was used for the exterior and several interiors of Lazarus Laboratories.
• For the exteriors of Southwark Cathedral, the real cathedral was used. But the interiors are from Wells Cathedral in Wells, Somerset. (Coincidentally, Wells is also the location of the Wookey Hole Caves, where Revenge of the Cybermen was partly filmed.)

Production errors Edit

Continuity Edit

• The Ninth Doctor saw the Blitz first hand in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, then again in his eleventh incarnation in Victory of the Daleks.
• At the beginning of the episode Harold Saxon is mentioned by Dr. Lazarus and his wife, and again at the end by Francine.
• Lazarus' project insignia, a circular pattern of circles seen many times within the laboratory, is the same pattern seen on the Master's ring at the end of Last of the Time Lords.

Timeline Edit

• This story occurs after DW: Evolution of the Daleks.
• This story occurs before DWM: The Woman Who Sold the World.

Home video releases Edit

• This episode was released with Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the Daleks and 42 on the Series 3 Volume 2 DVD.
• It is also part of the series 3 DVD box set.
• A deleted scene establishes that the Doctor once helped Thomas Jefferson draft the US Declaration of Independence, and he specifically takes credit for the reference to "the pursuit of happiness". The Doctor finds the first draft of the document in his tuxedo pocket.

See also Edit

• DW: Mawdryn Undead
• DW: The Five Doctors

External links Edit

• Official BBC Website The Lazarus Experiment
• Detailed synopsis of The Lazarus Experiment at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• The Lazarus Experiment at The Locations Guide

v • e Doctor Who television stories   Seasons 1-4: First Doctor Season 1 1963 1964 An Unearthly Child  • The Daleks  • The Edge of Destruction  • Marco Polo  • The Keys of Marinus  • The Aztecs  • The Sensorites  • The Reign of Terror Season 2 1964 1965 Planet of the Giants  • The Daleks Invasion of Earth  • The Rescue  • The Romans  • The Web Planet  • The Crusade  • The Space Museum  • The Chase  • The Time Meddler Season 3 1965 1966 Galaxy 4  • Mission to the Unknown  • The Myth Makers  • The Daleks' Master Plan  • The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve  • The Ark  • The Celestial Toymaker  • The Gunfighters  • The Savages  • The War Machines Season 4 1966 The Smugglers  • The Tenth Planet   Seasons 4-6: Second Doctor Season 4 1966 1967 The Power of the Daleks  • The Highlanders  • The Underwater Menace  • The Moonbase  • The Macra Terror  • The Faceless Ones  • The Evil of the Daleks Season 5 1967 1968 The Tomb of the Cybermen  • The Abominable Snowmen  • The Ice Warriors  • The Enemy of the World  • The Web of Fear  • Fury from the Deep  • The Wheel in Space Season 6 1968 1969 The Dominators  • The Mind Robbers  • The Invasion  • The Krotons  • The Seeds of Death  • The Space Pirates  • The War Games   Seasons 7-11: Third Doctor Season 7 1970 Spearhead from Space  • Doctor Who and the Silurians  • The Ambassadors of Death  • Inferno Season 8 1971 Terror of the Autons  • The Mind of Evil  • The Claws of Axos  • Colony in Space  • The Dæmons Season 9 1972 Day of the Daleks  • The Curse of Peladon  • The Sea Devils  • The Mutants  • The Time Monster Season 10 1972 1973 The Three Doctors  • Carnival of Monsters  • Frontier in Space  • Planet of the Daleks  • The Green Death Season 11 1973 1974 The Time Warrior  • Invasion of the Dinosaurs  • Death to the Daleks  • The Monster of Peladon  • Planet of the Spiders   Seasons 12-18: Fourth Doctor Season 12 1974 1975 Robot  • The Ark in Space  • The Sontaran Experiment  • Genesis of the Daleks  • Revenge of the Cybermen Season 13 1975 1976 Terror of the Zygons  • Planet of Evil  • Pyramids of Mars  • The Android Invasion  • The Brain of Morbius  • The Seeds of Doom Season 14 1976 1977 The Masque of Mandragora  • The Hand of Fear  • The Deadly Assassin  • The Face of Evil  • The Robots of Death  • The Talons of Weng-Chiang Season 15 1977 1978 Horror of Fang Rock  • The Invisible Enemy  • Image of the Fendahl  • The Sun Makers  • Underworld  • The Invasion of Time Season 16 1978 1979 The Key to Time: The Ribos Operation  • The Pirate Planet  • The Stones of Blood  • The Androids of Tara  • The Power of Kroll  • The Armageddon Factor Season 17 1979 1980 Destiny of the Daleks  • City of Death  • The Creature from the Pit  • Nightmare of Eden  • The Horns of Nimon  •Shada (unbroadcast) Season 18 1980 1981 The Leisure Hive  • Meglos  • Full Circle  • State of Decay  • Warriors' Gate  • The Keeper of Traken  • Logopolis   Seasons 19-21: Fifth Doctor Season 19 1982 Castrovalva  • Four to Doomsday  • Kinda  • The Visitation  • Black Orchid  • Earthshock  • Time-Flight Season 20 1983 Arc of Infinity  • Snakedance  • Mawdryn Undead  • Terminus  • Enlightenment  • The King's Demons Children in Need 1983 The Five Doctors Season 21 1984 Warriors of the Deep  • The Awakening  • Frontios  • Resurrection of the Daleks  • Planet of Fire  • The Caves of Androzani   Seasons 21-23: Sixth Doctor Season 21 1984 The Twin Dilemma Season 22 1985 Attack of the Cybermen  • Vengeance of Varos  • The Mark of the Rani  • The Two Doctors  • Timelash  • Revelation of the Daleks Season 23 1986 The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet  • Mindwarp  • Terror of the Vervoids  • The Ultimate Foe   Seasons 24-26: Seventh Doctor Season 24 1987 Time and the Rani  • Paradise Towers  • Delta and the Bannermen  • Dragonfire Season 25 1988 1989 Remembrance of the Daleks  • The Happiness Patrol  • Silver Nemesis  • The Greatest Show in the Galaxy Season 26 1989 Battlefield  • Ghost Light  • The Curse of Fenric  • Survival   1996: Eighth Doctor 1996 Doctor Who   Series 1: Ninth Doctor Series 1 2005 Rose  • The End of the World  • The Unquiet Dead  • Aliens of London / World War Three  • Dalek  • The Long Game  • Father's Day  • The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances  • Boom Town  • Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways   Series 2-4: Tenth Doctor Series 2 2005 2006 Mini-episode Children in Need Special Christmas special The Christmas Invasion Regular episodes New Earth  • Tooth and Claw  • School Reunion  • The Girl in the Fireplace  • Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel  • The Idiot's Lantern  • The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit  • Love & Monsters  • Fear Her  • Army of Ghosts / Doomsday Series 3 2006 2007 Christmas special The Runaway Bride Regular episodes Smith and Jones  • The Shakespeare Code  • Gridlock  • Daleks in Manhatten / Evolution of the Daleks  • The Lazarus Experiment  • 42  • Human Nature / The Family of Blood  • Blink  • Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords Animation The Infinite Quest Series 4 2007 2008 2009 2010 Mini episode Time Crash Christmas episode Voyage of the Damned Regular episodes Partners in Crime  • The Fires of Pompeii  • Planet of the Ood  • The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky  • The Doctor's Daughter  • The Unicorn and the Wasp  • Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead  • Midnight  • Turn Left  • The Stolen Earth / Journey's End Mini episode Music of the Spheres The Specials The Next Doctor  • Planet of the Dead  • The Waters of Mars  • The End of Time Animation Dreamland For the purposes of this list, "series 4" is considered to be the production series 4, which ran all the way from Time Crash to The End of Time.   Series 5-present: Eleventh Doctor Series 5 2010 Regular episodes The Eleventh Hour  • The Beast Below  • Victory of the Daleks  • The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone  • The Vampires of Venice  • Amy's Choice  • The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood  • Vincent and the Doctor  • The Lodger  • The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang Mini episodes Meanwhile in the TARDIS Series 6 2010 2011 Christmas special A Christmas Carol Mini episodes Space / Time Regular episodes The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon  • The Curse of the Black Spot  • The Doctor's Wife  • The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People  • A Good Man Goes to War  • Let's Kill Hitler  • Night Terrors  • The Girl Who Waited  • The God Complex  • Closing Time  • The Wedding of River Song Mini episodes Death Is the Only Answer  • Night and the Doctor Series 7 2011 Christmas special The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe Despite marketing language by the BBC, The Adventure Games are not televised episodes, and therefore are not included on this list. Deliberately unincluded on this list are BBC licensed episodes which this wiki considers to be non-canonical — such as the so-called "Pilot Episode", Dimensions in Time, A Fix with Sontarans, Search Out Space, The Curse of Fatal Death and the National Television Awards Sketch 2011.