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Vincent and The Doctor
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Synopsis


Vincent Van Goch
Vincent Van Goch
 Terror lurks in the cornfields of Provence, but only a sad and lonely painter can see it.

 Amy Pond finds herself shoulder to shoulder with Vincent van Gogh, in a battle with a deadly alien - saving the world has never been so ginger! But can even The Doctor save Vincent?

Source: Radio Times


General Information

Season: Thirty One (New Series 5)
Production Code: 5-10
Story Number: 210 (New Series: 54)
Episode Number:766 (New Series: 70)
Number of Episodes: 1
Percentage of Episodes Held:100%
Production Dates: December 2009 - Early 2010 (Block 5)
Broadcast Date: 05 June 2010
Colour Status: HD Colour
Studio: BBC Wales (Upper Boat, Pontypridd)
Location: Trogir (Croatia), National Museum of Wales (Cardiff) and Roald Dahl Plass (Cardiff Bay).
Writer:Richard Curtis
Director:Jonny Campbell
Producers:Patrick Schweitzer and Tracie Simpson
Executive Producers:Beth Willis, Piers Wenger and Steven Moffat
Script Editors:Brian Minchin and Emma Freud
Editor:Jamie Pearson
Production Executive:Julie Scott
Production Manager:Holly Pullinger
Production Designer:Edward Thomas
Director of Photography:Tony Slater Ling
Casting Director:Andy Pryor CDG
Line Producer:Patrick Schweitzer
Costume Designer:Ray Holman
Make-Up Designer:Barbara Southcott
Cameramen:Jon Vidgen (Assistant), Tom Hartley (Assistant) and Ian Adrian (Operator)
Visual Effects:The Mill
Special Effects:Real SFX
Stunt Co-ordinator:Crispin Layfield
Incidental Music:Murray Gold
Special Sounds (SFX Editor):Paul Jefferies
Sound Recordist:Bryn Thomas
Sound Supervisor:Paul McFadden
Music Performed By:The BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Title Sequence:Frame Store
Title Music:Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Arranged by Murray Gold
Number of Doctors: 1
The Doctor: Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor)
Number of Companions: 1The Companion: Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) Guest Cast: Bill Nighly (Dr. Black) (Uncredited) Additional Cast: Tony Curran (Vincent), Nik Howden (Maurice), Chrissie Cotterill (Mother), Sarah Counsell (Waitress), Morgan Overton and Andrew Byrne (School Children)Setting: Provence, France (1-3 June 1890), Musée d’Orsay, Paris (2010) Villain:Krafayis

The Episodes

No. Episodes Broadcast
(UK)
Duration Viewers
(Millions)
In Archive
766Vincent and The Doctor05 June 201046'36"BBC One: 6.3
BBC HD: 0.5
Total: 6.8
Yes

Total Duration 47 Minutes


Audience Appreciation

Average Viewers (Millions) 6.8 (BBC One: 6.3   BBC HD: 0.5)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2010)84.80%  (Position = 3 out of 10)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2014)83.98% Lower (Position = 27 out of 241)
Doctor Who Magazine Poll (2023) Position = 2 out of 39


Archives


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



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Notes


This story was written by Richard Curtis who is more famous for writing classics like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love, Actually. His television credits include Mr Bean, The Vicar of Dibley and the Blackadder series. This is his first full Doctor Who story. However, this is not his first involvement with the show. In 1999 he was the Executive Producer of the Comic Relief Doctor Who special "The Curse of Fatal Death" which ironically was written by Steven Moffat – who is Executive Producer and lead writer of this season.

"Vincent and The Doctor" has The Doctor and his travelling companion, Amy Pond, going back in time to meet Vincent Van Gogh - the famous Dutch artist. Vincent Van Gogh only ever sold one of his paintings in his entire life. However, after he died his works became appreciated and he is now recognised as one of the world's greatest ever artists.

Most of Richard Curtis's ideas for "Vincent and The Doctor" made it into the final version, but one element was dropped. In his original script it is made clear that certain people with remarkable perception can see monsters that are invisible to others. The idea was that great artists such as Picasso and Vincent himself are gifted with this ability and that monsters are more common than we may think...

This marks the fourth story this season which opens on a nature shot. "The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone", "Amy's Choice", "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood" and this story all open on beautiful, wide-open fields on bright, sunny days.

Unlike most stories in this season, this story focuses much more on characters than plot, and has hints and references to Vincent Van Gogh's depression and suicide. The part of Vincent Van Gogh, in this story, was played by Tony Curran.

The part of Doctor Black is played by Bill Nighy - a BAFTA winner and star of films including The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Bill Nighy was not credited for his role in this story.

Doctor Black is heard to state that the painting that grabs The Doctor's attention in the museum was painted on 2 June, 1890. Interestingly "Vincent and The Doctor" received its premier at the BFI Southbank, exactly 120 years later, on 2 June, 2010.

The painting that alarms The Doctor in the museum is a version of The Church at Auvers which Vincent Van Gogh painted in the last year of his life. The painting is an oil on canvas work and resides in the Musee d'Orsay, Paris. The version seen onscreen was painted by John Whalley and took about a day and a half to create.

Other Vincent Van Gogh paintings featured in the episode include Wheatfield with Crows, Sunflowers, The Starry Night, Cafe Terrace at Night, Prisoners' Round, Bedroom in Arles, Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, Berceuse and Portrait of Dr. Gachet.

At one point Vincent is heard to mention his brother. Theo Van Gogh was Vincent's younger sibling, an art dealer whose financial assistance enabled Vincent to devote so much of his life to art. Tragically, Theo died aged 33, only a few months after Vincent had passed away.

Much of this story was filmed in Trogir, Croatia. The first Doctor Who story that included an overseas shoot was the 1979 Fourth Doctor story, "City of Death". Like "Vincent and The Doctor", that story also revolved around artwork, with The Doctor travelling to Paris and becoming embroiled in a plot involving the Mona Lisa. "Vincent and The Doctor" was filmed alongside "The Vampires of Venice" which was also directed by Jonny Campbell and shot in Croatia (where Trogir stood in for 16th century Venice).

Amy is heard commenting on the places The Doctor has taken her to see recently, including Arcadia. This planet featured in Virgin Book’s The New Adventures story "Deceit", written by Peter Darvill-Evans, and the ‘fall of Arcadia’ was mentioned as one of the events of the Time War in the 2006 Tenth Doctor story "Army of Ghosts/Doomsday".

The Doctor and Doctor Black are heard complimenting each other’s bow ties, The Doctor exclaiming again that ‘bow ties are cool’ as he has done previously in "The Eleventh Hour" and "Amy's Choice".

Look out for the scene where The Doctor is inside the TARDIS. Images of the First Doctor and the Second Doctor are displayed on a screen and printed then printed off.

The Doctor is heard to mention Rory saying something about his intended marriage to Amy. Amy though asks ‘who’ Amy also says that The Doctor is being extra kind to her – another reference to events that occurred at the end of the previous story, "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood", where he fiancée was killed and then consumed by the crack in the universe that erased his existence from the timeline.

It had been rumoured that Vincent would propose to Amy. This did not happen but he did show a large interest in Amy and he is even heard telling Amy that he loves her.

The song played while The Doctor and Amy show Vincent his paintings in the museum is ‘Chances’, by the British band Athlete from their album ‘Tourist’.

Look out for the continuity error during the church scenes. For most of the story, Amy is wearing tights. However, when Vincent Van Gogh starts painting the church, she is no longer wearing them. Then later on when the group are hiding from the monster, she is wearing them again.

This is the first story in Season Thirty One (New Series 5) not to include any mention or elements of the seasons’ story arc, (e.g. no cracks, silence, cliff-hangers etc.). However, it has been revealed that some of the paintings seen in this story do have a connection to the finale.

Following on immediately after this story, on BBC3, was the tenth chapter of the fifth series of Doctor Who Confidential. Titled "A Brush With Genius" which looked into the making of this story and Vincent Van Gogh. It was presented by Alex Price.



First and Last

The Firsts:

 The first story in this season not to include any mention or elements of the seasons’ story arc,

 The first Doctor Who story to be written by Richard Curtis.

 Emma Freud's first involvement in the show as Script Editor.


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The Plot

WARNING: May Contain SpoilersHide Text
Vincent and the Doctor

In the Musée d’Orsay
In the Musée d’Orsay

The Doctor has taken his travelling companion Amy Pond to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where they admire the work of the post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh. But one particular picture, The Church at Auvers catches The Doctor's eye, and he points out to Amy a malevolent, shadowed face that appears in one of the windows. Disturbed, The Doctor decides they must travel back in time so they can discover what it is by speaking to Vincent Van Gogh himself.

Using the TARDIS they arrive in 1890 Arles, France, where they manage to track down Vincent Van Gogh at a local cafe' and discover that the artist is so impoverished he has earned a bad reputation and is unable to pay for his drinks. The Doctor attempts to break the ice, but the distrustful artist rebuffs him angrily. Amy, however, ingratiates herself to him very quickly by offering to share a bottle of wine with him.

The Doctor tries to broach the subject of the church painting, but they are interrupted when a woman appears wailing for help. They rush into a nearby alleyway to find a young girl dead, ravaged by some sort of beast. Seeing Vincent Van Gogh the anguished mother blames his madness for her daughter's fate. Pelted with stones, they run from the small crowd, and Vincent tells The Doctor that a similar murder occurred a week prior.

Having a Drink with Vincent Van Goch
Having a Drink with Vincent Van Goch

The Doctor manages to persuade Vincent to allow them to stay the night. Inside his small home they discover it cluttered with his paintings that the artist sadly considers worthless to anyone but himself. Seeing so many paintings, that one day will become worth a fortune, Amy can not contain her delight. She then finds even more paintings outside. But while admiring them she is attacked by a creature that it seems only Vincent Van Gogh can see. The Doctor attempts to help, but is knocked about by the invisible creature. Vincent, however, drives it off and saves them both. Back inside, Vincent sketches the creature for The Doctor, and The Doctor goes back to the TARDIS to fetch a device that will allow him to identify the creature. But the quick sketch Vincent made is not good enough for an identity to be made.

However, on the way back to Vincent’s house, while in a narrow alleyway, The Doctor becomes aware that the invisible creature is hunting him. Using his device The Doctor is then able to identify the creature as a Krafayis, a vicious pack-predator that he deduces has been abandoned on Earth. With this knowledge, and knowing that this is the shadowy face that Vincent included in his The Church at Auvers painting, he persuades Vincent to come with him to the local church so that they can lay in wait for the creature to arrive.

Searching for the Monster
Searching for the Monster

On the way to the church they meet a funeral procession for the dead village girl moving down the road, and the trio stop to pay their respects. As the casket passes by Vincent spots that atop the casket are some sunflowers. A flower that Vincent had stated earlier is not his favourite when Amy hinted to him that he should include them in a future painting.

When they reach the church, Vincent begins to paint the building, stopping occasionally to quiet The Doctor who is bored by the long wait. Hours later, as night starts to fall, Vincent spots the Krafayis inside, lurking behind one of the windows. While Vincent and Amy remain outside, with explicit instructions not to follow him, The Doctor enters the church with the plan to stun the creature with his sonic screwdriver.

Inside, however, The Doctor finds it difficult to carry out his plan, and from outside Vincent, spots the creature stalking The Doctor instead. Despite The Doctor’s instructions Amy dashes inside, and the pair are forced to hide inside a confessional booth as the invisible creature tries to locate them. This it eventually does due to Amy’s heavy breathing. They are saved by Vincent who arrives and fends off the creature with his chair, allowing the three of them to retreat and hide. The Doctor attempts to reason with the creature, but he fails.

The Krafayis
The Krafayis

When Vincent observes that the Krafayis is feeling its way around the room The Doctor realises that the Krafayis is blind, and that is why it was left behind. Using its heightened hearing the enraged Krafayis eventually locates where The Doctor, Amy and Vincent are and charges at them. Vincent is forced to repel the creature with his easel, but the Krafayis impales itself on it, something that the artist had not intended to do. As the Krafayis lays dying, The Doctor makes out that the creature is afraid, and he strokes and comforts it as best he can as it breathes its last. Vincent sadly observes that the frightened, lonely creature had been lashing out in fear and frustration, the way that humans do when they are afraid and the way the villagers sometimes lash out at him because of his strange behaviour.

The following morning, The Doctor and Amy say their goodbyes and Amy tells Vincent to be kind to himself. He embraces Amy and The Doctor and thanks them both. But before they leave, The Doctor decides to show Vincent the TARDIS and to take him on a journey to the Musée d'Orsay in 2010. There, The Doctor shows Vincent how his art has come to be regarded and how respected his contribution, to the art world, has become. This reduces Vincent to tears of joy. They then return Vincent back to Arles in his own time, where Vincent tells The Doctor and Amy that he will walk out with his easel the very next day a changed man.

They leave a smiling Vincent and return once more to the Musée d'Orsay, where Amy, after their involvement, expects to see that Vincent's history had changed, and that he had lived a long life and painted many new paintings. However, she is hugely disappointed to find that nothing has changed and that Vincent still committed suicide in the same year that they had met him.

But when they look further, at the paintings in the museum, they realise that subtly changes have occurred. The Church at Auvers no longer shows a beast in the window, and his Sunflowers painting now bears the dedication: ‘For Amy’.

 
Sunflowers
Sunflowers
Amy and The Doctor
Amy and The Doctor
Amy with Vincent
Amy with Vincent
Painting the Church
Painting the Church
 
The Doctor on a Mission
The Doctor on a Mission
Hiding from the Krafayis
Hiding from the Krafayis
Vincent Van Goch
Vincent Van Goch
Killing the Krafayis
Killing the Krafayis




Quote of the Story


 'It seems to me that there’s so much more to the world than the average eye is allowed to see. I believe, if you look hard, there are more wonders in this universe than you could ever have dreamed of.'

Vincent Van Gogh



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Release Information

FormatTitleRelease Date (UK)Code NumberCover ArtRemarks
Video
DVD
Amy's Choice - The Hungry Earth - Cold Blood - Vincent and the DoctorAugust 2010BBCDVD 3215Photo-montage
Video
Blu-Ray
Amy's Choice - The Hungry Earth - Cold Blood - Vincent and the DoctorAugust 2010BBCBD 0084Photo-montage
Video
DVD
The Complete Fifth Series Box SetNovember 2010BBCDVD 3285Photo-montageDVD boxed set containing all 10 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fifth Series Box SetNovember 2010BBCBD 0115Photo-montageBlu-Ray boxed set containing all 10 stories
Video
DVD
The Complete Fifth Series Box Set (Limited Edition)November 2010BBCDVD 3344Photo-montageLimited Edition DVD boxed set containing all 10 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fifth Series Box Set (Limited Edition)November 2010BBCBD 0130Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray boxed set containing all 10 stories
Audio
CD
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 5November 2010Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold
Audio
CD
The Essential CompanionNovember 2010Photo-montageDocumentary
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 Fifth Series (2014 Re-release)August 2014BBCDVD 3969Photo-montageBoxed set containing all 10 stories
Video
Blu-Ray
The Complete Fifth Series Box Set (Limited Edition Steelbook)February 2020BBCBD 0487Photo-montageLimited Edition Blu-Ray Steelbook boxed set containing 10 stories
Audio
LP
Original Television Soundtrack - Series 5July 2023Photo-montageMusic by Murray Gold


In Print

No Book Release
Doctor Who Magazine - PreviewIssue 422 (Released: June 2010)
Doctor Who Magazine - ReviewIssue 423 (Released: July 2010)
Doctor Who Magazine - Time TeamIssue 504 (Released: November 2016)
Doctor Who Magazine - ArticleIssue 549 (Released: April 2020)
Doctor Who DVD FilesVolume 78 (Released: December 2011)

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Ltd Edition DVD Box Set
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Original Television Soundtrack Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Cover

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The Essential Companion Cover
The Essential Companion Cover

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

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Original Television Soundtrack Vinyl Cover
Original Television Soundtrack Vinyl Cover

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AUDIO
   



Magazines

Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 422
Doctor Who Magazine - Preview: Issue 422

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 423
Doctor Who Magazine - Review: Issue 423

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 504
Doctor Who Magazine - Time Team: Issue 504

Marvel Comics
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 549
Doctor Who Magazine - Article: Issue 549

Marvel Comics
   
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 78
Doctor Who DVD Files: Volume 78

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