Doctor Who: 10 Best Episodes Of The Last 10 Years
6. Vincent And The Doctor (2010)
When Matt Smith took over as the Doctor in 2010, he hit the ground running in The Eleventh Hour and never looked back, but he took a break from his mad dash around the universe in Vincent and the Doctor. The Doctor and Amy were visiting an exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's painting at an art gallery when they noticed the face of a mysterious creature in a window in one of his paintings. Never one to pass over a good mystery, the Doctor decided to take a little trip and visit van Gogh to discover more about the creature he and Amy saw in the painting. In the course of their investigation, though, they become better acquainted with the painter and come to realise just how truly extraordinary he was.
The fascinating part of Vincent and the Doctor was that it wasn't necessarily about fighting aliens with a famous historical character. It was about becoming better acquainted with the famous historical character and the alien-hunting plot was really a secondary storyline. By focusing on the hopes, dreams and sufferings of van Gogh, the episode brought him to life and reminded the audience that he was more than just a famous painter. He was a flesh-and-blood human who endured all the same things we endure today. And there was something beautiful about how that was portrayed.