BBC Doctor Who - The Stories BBC
QuickNav to a Season: 
QuickNav to a Story: 
 
The Previous Story
The Lazarus Experiment
 The Previous Story
The Previous Story
(Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks)
 The Next Story
(42)
Season
Details
SynopsisGeneral
Information
The
Episodes
Audience
Appreciation
ArchivesNotesFirst and LastThe PlotQuote of
the Story
Release
Information
In PrintPhoto
Gallery
 

David Tennant
The Lazarus Experiment
Tenth Doctor Logo


Synopsis


Genetic Manipulation Device
Genetic Manipulation Device
 Martha returns home, but has to save her family from the schemes of the monstrous Professor Lazarus.

Source: BBC DVD


General Information

Season: Twenty Nine (New Series 3)
Production Code: 3-6
Story Number: 183 (New Series: 27)
Episode Number:730 (New Series: 34)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Working Titles:"The Madness of Professor Lazarus"
Production Dates: October - November 2006
Broadcast Date: 05 May 2007
Colour Status: Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: Welsh Parliment Building (Cardiff), Cardiff National Museum, Cardiff University's Biomedical Science Building and Wells Cathedral (Somerset).
Writer:Stephen Greenhorn
Director:Richard Clark
Producer:Phil Collinson
Executive Producers:Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies
Script Editor:Simon Winstone
Editor:John Richards
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Tracie Simpson
Production Designer:Edward Thomas
Director of Photography:Rory Taylor
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Costume Designer:Louise Page
Make-Up Designer:Barbara Southcott
Cameraman:Penny Shipton (Assistant)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Any Effects
Prosthetics:Millennium FX
Stunt Co-ordinator:Tom Lucy
Stunt Performer:Charles Jarman
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Julian Howarth
Sound Supervisor:Paul McFadden
Sound Editor:Doug Sinclair
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: David Tennant (The Tenth Doctor)
Number of Companions: 1The Companion: Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) Guest Cast: Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones), Mark Gatiss (Lazarus), Additional Cast: Gugu Mbatha Raw (Tish Jones), Reggie Yates (Leo Jones), Thelma Barlow (Lady Thaw), Lucy O'Connell (Olive Woman), Bertie Carvel (Mysterious Man)Setting: London (2008) Villain:Lazarus

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
730The Lazarus Experiment05 May 200743'26"7.2Yes

Total Duration 43 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 7.2
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2007)67.93%  (Position = 9 out of 10)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2009)61.82% Lower (Position = 150 out of 200)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)59.54% Lower (Position = 200 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 35 out of 36


Archives


 This story exists and is held in the BBC's Film and Videotape Library.



Return to the top of this page
 


Notes


Mark Gatiss, who plays Lazarus, wrote "The Unquiet Dead" and "The Idiot's Lantern", as well as a number of other Doctor Who books and audio adventures. He even appeared as The Doctor himself, in a sketch for BBC2's Doctor Who Night (broadcast 13th September 1999).

To date, only two other people have both acted in and written for Doctor Who (cameo roles excluded): Glyn Jones, who wrote "The Space Museum" and appeared in "The Sontaran Experiment" and Victor Pemberton, who wrote "Fury From the Deep" and appeared in "The Moonbase".

Arrangements were made to film parts of this story at St Paul's Cathedral in London. However, these fell through shortly before recording was due to commence. Consequently, Stephen Greenhorn was forced to hastily alter several elements of the script, relocating the action to London's Southwark Cathedral instead.

Southwark Cathedral was the first gothic church to be constructed in England, with the main structure being built between 1220 and 1420. Wells Cathedral in Somerset doubled for the interior of the cathedral. It's the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells.

Those that have achieved immortality in Doctor Who have invariably live to regret it. Examples include Mawdryn and his followers in the 1983 Fifth Doctor story "Mawdryn Undead" and The Doctor's old teacher, Borusa in the 1983 Twentieth Anniversary Special "The Five Doctors".

In this story, we learn that Mr Saxon's first name is Harold and that he has a degree of antipathy towards The Doctor. Quite why, we don't know. Yet.

David Tennant's fancy fingerwork at the organ was provided by keyboard wizard David Bednall.

Modified sound waves were also used to defeat the Robot Santa’s in "The Runaway Bride" and the deadly weed creature in "Fury From the Deep".

The end of this story contains a trailer for the next story "42".

Following on immediately after this story, on BBC3, was the sixth chapter of the third series of Doctor Who Confidential, "Monsters Inc." presented by Anthony Head.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first Doctor Who story to be written by Stephen Greenhorn.


Return to the top of this page
 


The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
The Reception
The Reception

As promised The Doctor returns Martha Jones home – in fact the TARDIS materialises in her living room 12 hours after she left with The Doctor.

While they are saying their good-byes Martha’s phone rings and when the answer phone picks up the call it turns out to be her mother announcing 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".

This statement interests The Doctor and so he and Martha become involved in another adventure together when they both attend Professor Lazarus' reception that has been arranged that evening. There The Doctor gets to meet Martha's mother Francine, and her brother Leo and Tish. Francine, concerned for her daughter, is immediately suspicious of The Doctor but before she can talk to him Professor Lazarus arrives and announces they are about to witness a "miracle" – before entering a capsule that is in fact a Genetic Manipulation Device.

Meeting the Jones Family
Meeting the Jones Family

But the system soon overloads and The Doctor has to quickly disable the machine to avert disaster. As the machine comes to a stop, Lazarus exits from the capsule, as a much younger man. It seems that his experiment has been a success. But has it?

The Doctor is highly concerned of the unknown side effects of this manipulation of Lazarus’ DNA to make him younger. The Doctor is certain there are dangers the professor has overlooked and of course he is proved correct.

Professor Lazarus - Before
Professor Lazarus - Before

After obtaining a sample of Lazarus' new DNA and, with Martha's help, The Doctor discovers that his DNA is highly unstable. Lazarus is changing and when his partner, Lady Thaw, threatens to have their funding removed, if he does not agree to allow her to undergo the process so they can be young together, he mutates into a large, scorpion-like monster and kills her by draining her life energy, leaving her as a zombie-like corpse, before returning to his human form.

When The Doctor and Martha find Lady Thaw's body The Doctor deduces that Lazarus must need to drain life energy to keep his DNA stable. The Doctor realises that Lazarus has accidentally-unlocked an evolutionary throwback, that has been locked away in dormant human genes, and that if he is not stopped they could all pay the price of his so-called scientific progress. The Doctor realises that they are all in great danger and they have to get all those in the reception to safety – including Martha’s family…

The Doctor lures Lazarus, who has transformed again, away as Martha and Tish use his sonic screwdriver to override the building's security lockdown so saving the remaining guests. Martha then rejoins The Doctor and the two are forced to take shelter in Lazarus' device, The Doctor believing he will not harm his own invention. Unfortunately, Lazarus activates the device, but The Doctor is able to reverse the polarity, causing the field to affect only Lazarus outside of the capsule. When they emerge from the machine they are relieved to find Lazarus in his human form and apparently dead.

Professor Lazarus - After
Professor Lazarus - After

As the police and medics arrive to take care of the wounded, Lazarus' body is taken away by an ambulance. However, when The Doctor hears a nearby crash, he, Martha, and Tish race to discover the ambulance has crashed, its drivers drained of life. They find that Lazarus is alive again and taking shelter in a nearby Cathedral.

The Doctor tries to reason with Lazarus but is unable to stop him transforming again. Martha and Tish, under The Doctor's orders, lure the creature to the top of the Cathedral's bell tower, while The Doctor manipulates the church's pipe organ to produce the maximum volume it can. The vibrations caused by the organ interfere with Lazarus' manipulated DNA, and he falls to his death to the floor below, transforming one last time to his human form.

 
Genetic Manipulation Device
Genetic Manipulation Device
Tish and Lazarus
Tish and Lazarus
Martha in Danger
Martha in Danger
Mutating Lazarus
Mutating Lazarus
 
The Doctor
The Doctor
Tish Jones
Tish Jones
Safe Outside
Safe Outside
Martha
Martha




Quote of the Story


 'There's no such thing as an ordinary human.'

The Doctor



Return to the top of this page
 


Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
Daleks in Manhattan - Evolution of the Daleks - The Lazarus Experiment - 42June 2007BBCDVD 2382Photo-montage
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (Standard Version)November 2007BBCDVD 2579Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (Amazon Version)November 2007BBCDVD 2579Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (Woolworths Version)November 2007BBCDVD 2579Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 3November 2007SILCD1250Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold
Video
DVD
Series 1 - 4 Box SetOctober 2009BBCDVD 3058Boxed set containing all 43 stories on 23 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Series 1-7 Box Set (Limited Edition)December 2013BBCBD 0242Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all Series 1-7 stories at full 1080p high definition
Video
DVD
The Complete Third Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3967Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 11 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete David Tennant Years Box SetNovember 2014BBCDVD 4000Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 37 stories on 26 Discs
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Third Series Box SetAugust 2015BBCBD 0263Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Third Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)May 2018BBCBD 0436Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 11 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray CollectionNovember 2023BBCBD 0582Photo-montageBoxed set containing all Ninth and Tenth Doctor stories upscaled to high definition


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 382 (Released: May 2007)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArticleIssue 383 (Released: June 2007)
Doctor Who Magazine - After ImageIssue 384 (Released: July 2007)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 461 (Released: July 2013)
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of FictionIssue 519 (Released: Winter 2017/2018)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 17 (Released: August 2009)

Return to the top of this page
 


Photo Gallery


The Doctor and Companion

 
David Tennant
The Tenth Doctor

   

 
Freema Agyeman
Martha Jones
 
   




On Release

DVD Cover
DVD Cover

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Box Set<BR>(Standard Version)
DVD Box Set
(Standard Version)

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Box Set<BR>(Amazon Version)
DVD Box Set
(Amazon Version)

BBC
VIDEO
DVD Box Set<BR>(Woolworths Version)
DVD Box Set
(Woolworths Version)

BBC
VIDEO
   
Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

BBC
AUDIO
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set
Series 1-4 DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series 1-7 Ltd Edition Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series DVD Box Set<BR>(2014 Re-release)
Complete Series DVD Box Set
(2014 Re-release)

BBC
VIDEO
   
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set
Complete David Tennant Years DVD Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set
Complete Series Blu-Ray Limited Edition Steelbook Box Set

BBC
VIDEO
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover
Series 1 - 4 & Specials Blu-Ray Collection Cover

BBC
VIDEO
   



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 382
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 382

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 383
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 383

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 384
Doctor Who Magazine - After Image: Issue 384

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 461
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 461

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 519
Doctor Who Magazine - The Fact of Fiction: Issue 519

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 17
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 17

GE Fabbri
   

Return to the top of this page
 
 
Who's Who
KJ Software
Who Me
Episodes of the
Tenth Doctor


Season 29 (New Series 3) Press to go back to the previous visited page References
 
 
Doctor Who is the copyright of the British Broadcasting Corporation. No infringements intended. This site is not endorsed by the BBC or any representatives thereof.