Professor Richard Lazarus invented a machine that had the ability to make people younger. It could revert people to their youth and therefore potentially make them immortal. However, after Lazarus publicly tested the machine on himself, the device accidentally unlocked dormant genes in Lazarus’s DNA, mutating him into a terrifying monster. The Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones were invited to the event by Martha’s sister Tish. Together, the trio were able to defeat the Lazarus monster. The Lazarus genetic manipulation device would later appear again in Doctor Who as part of the Master’s laser screwdriver in The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords.

The Lazarus Experiment

★★★☆☆

TX: 05/05/2007

Written by Stephen Greenhorn      Directed by Richard Clark

The Tenth Doctor returns Martha Jones home where she is invited to an event organised by her sister Tish. Tish is the PA to Professor Richard Lazarus who is about to launch his new device which makes people younger. At the event, Martha introduces the Doctor to her sister Tish, her mother Francine and her brother Leo. Lazarus publicly tests the rejuvenation machine on himself, but it accidentally unlocks dormant genes in Lazarus’s DNA, which mutates him into a terrifying monster. “Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person.” The Lazarus monster kills several people, including Lady Thaw, draining them of their life essences. The Doctor and Martha hide inside the Lazarus machine and reverse the energy flow so that it reflects energy rather than receiving it and this blasts Lazarus. However, Lazarus is not dead and he escapes to the nearby Southwark Cathedral. The Doctor explains to Lazarus that eternal life is overrated and flawed. Lazarus disagrees and he chases Martha and Tish throughout the Cathedral. The Doctor uses the Cathedral’s organ’s resonance to knock Lazarus from the top of the Cathedral, causing him to fall to his death. Later, the Doctor asks Martha if she would like to become his full-time companion, which she accepts. However, Martha misses a voicemail from her disapproving mother Francine, who warns her that, according to politician Harold Saxon himself, she is not safe travelling with the Doctor!