Vincent and the Doctor (TV story)

Vincent and the Doctor is the tenth episode of Series 5.

Synopsis
During a visit to an art gallery with Amy, the Doctor's interest is caught by the painting The Church at Auvers by Vincent van Gogh: there's a face in the window of the church – a curious, shadowed creepy face with nasty eyes. The Doctor is worried; he's sure he has seen the face somewhere before, but how? There is only one thing for it: a trip in the TARDIS back to 1888, so the Doctor can find out from the artist himself.

Plot


to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan Doctor-Who-Vincent-and-the-Doctor-1-170x125.jpg
 * Vincent van Gogh - Tony Curran
 * Dr Black - Bill Nighy (uncredited)
 * Mother - Chrissie Cotterill
 * Student 1 - Morgan Overton
 * Student 2 - Andrew Byrne
 * Maurice - Nik Howden
 * Waitress - Sarah Counsell

Crew
to be added

Story notes

 * The episode was incorrectly entitled, Lend Me Your Ear.
 * Unlike most stories in this series, this story focuses much more on characters than plot, and has hints and references to van Gogh's depression and suicide, something the series has not explored very much before. In fact, a message and phone number for the 'BBC Action Line' was broadcast following the 'Next Time' trail, for those wanting more information on 'issues raised in this program.'
 * Pictures of the First and Second Doctors are printed on the TARDIS's typewriter.
 * Richard Curtis had said the monster was yellow but from the trailer it appears to be a different colour. This could have been a change by the production team or Curtis himself. Or there are two monsters in the story. There is only one monster in this story and its actual colour is yellow-white.
 * At one point Vincent mentions 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. Theo died aged 33, only a few months after his big brother had passed away.
 * This is possibly the first one parter or single episode in the series not to have any conclusions about the series' story arc, for e.g no cracks, silence, cliff-hangers, foreshadowings etc. However, some of the paintings in the episode do have a connection to the finale. Except the Doctor's mention of Rory and Amy saying something about marriage.
 * Bill Nighy was not credited for his role.

Ratings
to be added

Filming locations

 * National Museum of Wales
 * Trogir, Croatia
 * Roald Dahl Plass, which is supposed to double for the Musee D'Orsay in Paris

Rumours

 * It was rumoured that either the Timoreen, the Ha'rik or the Skarkish will appear. The monster was a Krafayis.
 * It was rumoured that Vincent van Gogh will stab a yellow monster. He stabbed the Krafayis, the monster is pale yellow.


 * Howard Lee plays a character called "Dr. Gachet" . Dr. Gachet was van Gogh's real doctor, who nursed him during his final years. He was mentioned but he was not actually in the episode.
 * Nighy plays a van Gogh expert, with similar fashion tastes to the Doctor himself. This turned out also true. He also wore a bowtie.
 * Steven Moffat stated in a recent interview that the controversial topic of the regeneration limit for Time Lords will be "addressed in a very, very cheeky way by an old friend of mine" at some point in Series 5. As the "old friend" could very well be Richard Curtis, the issue might be addressed in this episode. This turned out to be false for this episode, but it could happen in later episodes with Alex Kingston's character of River Song addressing the subject, as Steven Moffatt created her character.
 * As a Vincent van Gogh painting will feature in the events of "The Pandorica Opens", it is likely that this story will bring more developments to the main story arc of the series.
 * It is rumoured that Vincent will propose to Amy or ask the Doctor to travel with them because in the preview clips, he shows a large interest in Amy and the Doctor and even tells Amy that he loves her. This turned out true.

Production errors

 * During the main title sequence, the lightening bolt that almost strikes the TARDIS first and misses has no sound whereas the others do. This error has only occurred during this episode's title sequence.
 * When running through the streets with his mirror, the Doctor screams "Ahh", but his mouth is not synced with his screaming.
 * For most of the episode, Amy is wearing tights. During the church scene, when van Gogh starts painting the Church, they've gone. Later on when the group are hiding from the monster, she's wearing them again.

Continuity

 * The Doctor and Dr. Black compliment each other's bow ties, the Doctor exclaiming again that "bow ties are cool". (DW: The Eleventh Hour, Amy's Choice)
 * The Doctor mentions that he had a godmother with two heads. Before his ninth regeneration, he declared that he might have ended up with two heads. (DW: The Parting of the Ways) Although it seemed like a joke at the time, this statement suggests that a regeneration actually could result in the creation of an extra head. It may also be a reference to the Aplans. (DW: The Time of Angels)
 * The first and second Doctors are pictured.
 * The Doctor finds his scanner-mirror device by rifling through a chest in the TARDIS' alcoves; this plot device for providing artefacts and tools was utilised in several of the previous incarnations' series (e.g. DW: The Abominable Snowmen, where the Second Doctor finds a holy Tibetan bell and Jamie a set of bagpipes). It had been abandoned during the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's series, likely due to the layout of their TARDIS interior lacking the space for large chests.
 * The Doctor realizes that he is getting old. (DW: The End of Time)
 * Amy mentions that the Doctor took her to Arcadia. The planet was featured in NA: Deceit, and the "fall of Arcadia" was mentioned as one of the events of the Time War in DW: Doomsday.
 * The Doctor mentions Rory, to which Amy asks "who?" Amy also says that the Doctor is being extra kind to her, feeling guilty about Rory's erasure. Van Gogh also sees that Amy is crying, although she doesn't know why; he theorises that she has lost someone. After receiving a half-joking marriage proposal from Vincent, Amy tells him that she's "not the marrying kind". (DW: Cold Blood).
 * This marks the fourth episode this season which opens on a nature shot. DW: The Time of Angels, DW: Amy's Choice, DW: The Hungry Earth and this episode all open on beautiful, wide-open fields on bright, sunny days.

Home video releases
BBC Video - Doctor Who Series Five - Volume Three will feature Amy's Choice, The Hungry Earth, Cold Blood and Vincent and the Doctor. It will be released on Monday 2nd August 2010 (UK Only) on DVD and Blu-ray.