WRITER: Richard Curtis[SPOILERS] The distinguished Richard Curtis makes his long-anticipated debut with one of Doctor Who's "historical celebrity" episodes, which merge a traditional Who adventure with a real person or event from the past. "Vincent And The Doctor" started with The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) perusing a gallery of Van Gogh artwork, before noticing a "monster" in one of his paintings and deciding to investigate why the famous Dutchman would have included something like that. Travelling back in time to Provence, circa 1890, it soon became clear that an invisible monster is stalking the countryside's cornfields; a beast that only struggling artist Vincent (Tony Curran) can see with the naked eye...
DIRECTOR: Jonny Campbell
GUEST CAST: Tony Curran, Nik Howden, Chrissie Cotterill, Sarah Counsell, Morgan Overton & Andrew Byrne
The problem I had with this episode was simple: at its heart (stripping away the effective nods to Vincent's art, life, and reputation), this was another hunt-the-monster episode. And while it started out imaginative and intriguing (loved that chest-mounted rear-view mirror gadget to reflect the invisible creature), it didn't take us anywhere interesting with Vincent as a character -- at least not until the very end. It would have been better if there'd been a stronger link between Vincent's suicide and the alien, or why not have it so only Vincent could see the beast and there was doubt about the situation because of his fragile mental health? Maybe Curtis found it hard to tell a story that took full advantage of Van Gogh's psychology and tragic demise, because of the limitations of a family-friendly show. Even in this dilluted form, the BBC thought the episode tackled depression potently enough to warrant a helpline number at the end. But did it?
The feelings Vincent had for Amy was a fantastic idea, but poorly developed in the episode itself, meaning the pay-off at the end with Vincent dedicating a painting "to Amy" didn't have the intended impact. A stronger Amy/Vincent romance could have been very interesting to see (certainly something we haven't seen happen with a companion), but for whatever reason it wasn't something Curtis chose to spend time on. We know from his films that he's good at romantic entanglements, but here it felt like Amy and Vincent bonded over nothing but their redheadedness, despite the intention being that both have experienced depression. I wish this episode had been a more focused love-story between those two, but maybe it's just as well it wasn't because I have my doubts Gillan would have rose to the challenge. The Amy/Vincent chemistry made Amy/Rory look like Mark Anthony and Cleopatra.
Overall, "Vincent And The Doctor" was spry and entertaining work from Curtis, who sprinkled the story with visuals from Van Gogh's oeuvre very neatly. The way the denouement at the Musée d'Orsay reminded us that the episode itself's been a "tour" through Van Gogh's collection (his bedroom, a local church, a village cafe, a piece called "Starry Night", sunflowers, etc.) also worked surprisingly well. It was just a shame the resolution of the story was so stretched and saccharine that the impact of Van Gogh being shown the extent of his fame in the future crumpled under all the mawkishness.
Asides
- Writer Richard Curtis is the creator of many British sitcoms like Blackadder and The Vicar Of Dibley, who became famous around the world thanks to writing/directing movies such as Four Weddings & A Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones' Diary, and Love, Actually.
- A fun cameo from Bill Nighy as a curator called Doctor Black, poking fun at the fact he was rumoured to succeed David Tennant because his character shared a fondness for bow ties.
- Could nobody even attempt a French accent?
- Does Amy really have a passion for Van Gogh? Really? I would never have put her down as an art gallery lover
- Filming of this episode actually took place in Croatia, alongside "The Vampires Of Venice".
- The First Doctor (William Hartnell) and Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) appear on the view-screen of The Doctor's mirror gadget, identifying him as "The Doctor".
- The TARDIS apparently gets very hot on the exterior when it travels through time, as evidenced when posters stuck to it in Provence became smouldering embers after a trip into the future.
- Curtis became involved with Doctor Who because his family were watching the Christmas Special "The Next Doctor" when Curtis' son noted that their neighbour, actor David Morrissey, had a prominent role and wanted his father to do something on the show.
- The ballad playing at the end was "Chances" by Athlete.
Next time...
