Doctor Who (2005)

The Lazarus Experiment

Season 3, Episode 6, Aired 5/5/07

Episode Summary

Location: London
Date: 2008
Enemy: Professor Lazarus
Back in modern-day London, Martha returns to her family, one day after having left them. Tish, Martha's sister, works for a Professor Lazarus, who claims he "...will change what it means to be human". The family, plus the Doctor, visit his presentation, in which he uses a manipulator to become younger. But soon, defects appear, and younger isn't the only thing he's becoming...moreless

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Cast & Crew

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David Tennant

The Tenth Doctor
Freema Agyeman

Martha Jones
Adjoa Andoh

Francine Jones

Fan Episode Reviews (24)

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The lazarus Experiment is, above all, a filler episode.

6.0

"Fair"

By cameronrules36, Nov 06, 2010 Report Abuse

Not the best episode ever, even with the Doctor as the star and a great story, the Lazarus experiment does not really work as well s others. The graphical effects are kind of disapointing compared to other monsters. It is a worthwile episode to watch, but it isn't a golden one. I like the whole "Make yourself a little tiny bit younger" story, but that has been done in many sci fi series before it, so nothing special. A few funny bits and a few scary bits(and a few heroic bits) make the Lazarus Experiment worthwile to watch once, but that's it.moreless

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Sorry, but I miss Rose ...

7.5

"Good"

By DBizTV, Nov 06, 2010 Report Abuse

Sorry, but I miss Rose (Billie Piper). I know, get over it, right? But Martha (Freema Agyeman) seems like such a lightweight, more a groupie than a collaborator - and that family (especially the mother)! Piper had more gravitas as an actress, sprinkled with a pinch of darkness. And her mum, Jackie (Camille Coduri), had more strength and down home charm than that upper-crust iceberg Martha is stuck with. The Doctor, as usual, had great verve and energy, but he was very second fiddle to the Jones family storyline. Add to that - the (CGI?) monster was a bit soft an blurry as well. So there you have it : compared to the best of Doctor Who, this one was, well, soft and blurry.moreless

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10 0
Very good storyline.

8.2

"Great"

By ben-the-hen, Aug 12, 2008 Report Abuse

Great episode. It had adventure, action, drama, comedy and death. It isn't the best episode there has been but it is certainly not the worst.

Mark Gatiss performs well as Proffessor Lazarus and the idea were beautiful. You could see the writing was great, it was just some of the acting that let it down.

The special effects were great and the Lazarus Monster was the best CGI monster ever created.

It was fun to see Martha's family again and Tish being in danger when they were in the Cathedral.

All in all a good episode but was let down a bit by the acting.moreless

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Phew...that was some ride! I am beginning to think I should hav docked the preceeding Dalek episode a point as 10 days on I feel less positive about it. But Lazarus didn't disappoint in any way.moreless

8.5

"Great"

By vbkzlfie, Jul 23, 2008 Report Abuse

It was great to see Mark Gatiss on screen, and he gave Doctor Lazarus a wholly believable aspect (though my wife thought the "old man" makeup was poor). I was expecting a kindly old gentleman but what we got was a creepy, smarmy, dirty old man - right from the get go you realise Lazarus isn't nice even if he obviously is not evil. That often makes for the best of villians, they are more believable if you can see they're not just bent on destruction. Lazarus has a motivation for what he is doing, and in the same circumstances many sane people might do the same.

We also got to see Martha's family for the first time since "Smith & Jones", but isntead of the soap scenes with Jackie Tyler we are treated to an altogether more satisfactory situation where they are attending Lazarus's great unveilling of his life's work.

And what of his invention? Something akin to a regeneration chamber funded by Mr Saxon...if the rumours are true Saxon might well have good reasons for funding Lazarus's reserach! It is worth pointing out at this juncture that I have been pleasantly surprised that Saxon has not been mentioned every other sentence this year, I felt there were far too many Torchwood references last year.

As we all know, Laz's experiment goes wrong and his DNA becomes unstable forcing him to change into a hideous monster...and back into the young Lazarus. I felt the monster was good, but not necessary. Some of the dialogue between the Doctor and young Lazarus was truly excellent, a treat in an era of modern soundbites and something we wouldn't have had from a Davies-penned script (though his humour in Gridolck was fantastic).

The twist, where we think Lazarus is dead with 15 minutes to go was well handled. I really felt we were going to go off on some other tangent, and hoped it wasn't a prolonged family scene chez Jones. When it became Lazarus wasn't dead after all that was a nice surprise.

Also wonderfully written and acter was the scene where the Doctor tries to leave Martha behind. I really found myself wondering if he was going to leave her! Given how well Martha's character is working out I was very glad he didn't.

The final scenes in the cathedral made for a thrilling climax, with the Doctor's organ playing quite an appropriate way to do away with the monster in a non-violent fashion.

Overall this was very strong, if not perhaps a classic. Stephen Greenhorn's script is among the very best in terms of dialogue and the pacing of the direction was superb.

8.5/10moreless

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Brilliant, Age Old Quest, Action Packed

10

"Perfect"

By SweetPeaSurry, Aug 12, 2007 Report Abuse

Dr Who ~ The Lazarus Experiment: There are times that I just can't believe how bloody brilliant this show is. It keeps getting better and better. David Tennant is absolutely sensational in this role (not to mention hot!!!). Not that Eccleston did a bad job of it either. I am adoring Martha. I love the fact that she's curious as well as stubborn. (again ... not knocking Rose out there). This episode was singularly special in the fact that it's an age old quest to find the 'fountain of youth'. I suspect that at some point Lazarus' experiment will be taken back up and refined and thus ... everyone will live forever, but hopefully that will be in the long time future. I thought the dialogue was really well executed, the action was believable and the suspense fulfilling. These just keep getting better and better. I was taken aback by the end of the episode and the plea in Martha's mother's voice about how dangerous the doctor is, it'll be interesting to see this storyline play out.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- Larazus' technology would later be used in The Sound of Drums by the Master to render the Doctor almost completely vulnerable. Edit
- When The Doctor is walking to the Gala he remarks that the dinner jacket he is wearing always causes trouble. The last time he wore it on screen was in Rise Of The Cybermen/The Age Of Steel for the party at the alternate Tylers. Edit
- Mark Gatiss is the third person in the history of Doctor Who to both write and act for the series: the other two were Glyn Jones (writer of The Space Museum (1965) who appeared in The Sontaran Experiment (1975) as Krans) and Victor Pemberton (who wrote Fury From The Deep (1968) and played the role of a scientist in The Moonbase (1967)). Gatiss is, of course, the first person to do so since the show was revived in 2005. Edit
Notes
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- The Doctor revealed that he was at the drafting and signing of the declaration of independence by taking the first draft out of his dinner jacket pocket. Edit
- According to Neill Gorton, Mark Gatiss' old Professor Lazarus make-up took three hours to apply, with a fresh prosthetic needed for each day of filming. Edit
- International Air Dates: Australia: 4 August 2007 Canada: 22 July 2007 New Zealand: 30 September 2007 United States: 10 August 2007 Turkey: 5 December 2010 Edit
Quotes
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- Martha: You mean you don't have a plan. The Doctor: Yes, the plan was to get inside here. Well, then I'd come up with another plan. Martha: In your own time, then. Edit
- Martha: It's impossible. The Doctor: And that's two impossible things we've seen so far tonight. Don't you love it when that happens? Edit
- Tish: There's nowhere else to go, we're trapped! Martha: This is where he (the Doctor) said to bring him (Lazarus). Tish: Then we're not trapped, we're bait! Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Martha: Like Pandora's Box. In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create her as part of the punishment of mankind for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire, and all the gods joined in offering her gifts. In modern times, Pandora's Box has become a metaphor for the unanticipated consequences of technical and scientific development. Edit
- Martha: I think you look like James Bond. Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is an agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service. Created in 1952 by British journalist Ian Fleming, Bond is a handsome well known jet-setting ladies-man, and a dapper dresser. Edit
- The Doctor: Hang around Beethoven long enough and you pick a few things up. Martha: Like how to play loud. The Doctor: (cupping his ear) What? Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer. He is generally regarded as one of the great composers in the history of music, and was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music. Most notably he began to go deaf in his early twenties and yet still composed masterpieces throught his life, even when the deafness had become total. Edit