Doctor Who: Vincent and the Doctor – series 31, episode 10

“I’ve see many things my friend, but you’re right, nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see” Does the fact that this week’s Doctor Who was written by the guy who wrote Blackadder outweigh the fact that it was also written by the guy who wrote The Boat That Rocked? Eyebrows were raised at the prospect, but Richard Curtis’s guest spot is, at the very least, a tribute to the show’s reputation. The main problem with Vincent and the Doctor – other than the title of course – is that it doesn’t feel much like a Doctor Who story. Curtis has talked at length about how he wanted to correct the tragedy that the most beloved painter in history was ignored and impoverished in his own lifetime. This Curtis does splendidly, with lashings of weapons-grade sentimentality, but the episode would surely hang together better if the middle section with the monster had been stripped out. The Graface feels like an afterthought, and it probably was: there’s no tangible threat to the Earth, and its invisiblity didn’t rack up the tension – it just made me care less. The script also kept throwing up possibilities that weren’t followed up: the reason for Van Gogh being so tormented was that he was plagued by literal monsters; an extra-terrestrial element to Vincent’s gift. Could the monster not have taken his ear off or something? That would have made it more fun, right? Certainly that’s how it felt watching Vincent and the Doctor the first time. But then I went to the BFI, watched it with a roomful of gasping kids and felt like a massive spoilsport – after all, complaining about sentimentality in a Curtis script is like moaning about current affairs on the news. And while this might have been the most loosely plotted episode of Doctor Who ever, the final scene in the Musée d’Orsay, when Vincent learns how he’ll be remembered, had me on the floor – as did them looking at the sky as it turned into Starry Night. Unutterably beautiful. Damn you, Curtis, but you got me. “We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do so well” A great performance from Tony Curran should ensure that he is now known for more than that scene with Ferdy in the toilets at the end of This Life. The job of bringing life to a character everybody knows but nobody’s met is a tricky one, but he makes a compelling fist of it. The decision to keep Curran’s Scottish accent was a smart move too, with the sly nod to Amy: “Are you from Holland as well?” Far from shying away from Vincent’s depression, Curtis makes it the crux of the story, and the motor behind his gift for painting. His “episode” in the bedroom is pretty brutal: “When you leave, as everyone always does, I will be left with an empty heart and no hope.” Worst of all, to Amy’s dismay, the intervention of the Doctor doesn’t prevent Vincent’s suicide. Although I fancy there’ll be some consequence to their meddling in the finale… “I hear the song of your sadness. You’ve lost someone, I think” Poor Rory, gone and mostly forgotten, leaving the Doctor trying to make up for a transgression Amy doesn’t even remember (“Why are you being so nice to me?”). Is it significant that Vincent can sense something’s wrong, or is that another piece of Curtis’ sweeping poetic license? In any case, it was nice to step away from the soapiness and go back to the Time Lord and his best friend going round fixing bad stuff. “Bow ties are cool” If things weren’t already overwhelmingly Richard Curtis, up pops Bill Nighy as the art expert. Nighy was mooted as a possible Doctor back when the show was revived . Which wouldn’t have worked at all. Timey trivia Once again, Croatia is in chameleon mode, this time with the town of Trogir doubling up as Provence, 1890. Unfortunately, rumours that the working title for this was Lend Me Your Ear turned out to be unfounded. Next week! Don’t all run away at once! James Corden is your guest star in The Lodger, in which the Doctor has to pass himself off as human for a week, with a script by a Who veteran, Gareth Roberts. 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