Doctor Who: Every 11th Doctor Episode Ranked Worse To Best

While this episode could have been a standard ‘the Doctor meets a famous historical figure’ episode, Vincent and the Doctor was so much more. Having seen the Doctor interact with Churchill, Shakespeare and Dickens, seeing him meet one of the world’s most famous artists was a natural progression.

However, Richard Curtis went further than Van Gough and the Doctor battle a monster together, instead they battle the demons in his head. Mental health is an aspect of Van Gough that could have been very easily ignored in this 45-minute episode but Curtis boldly dives into the agony of this tortured artist. One minute the artist is weeping in his bed unable to function and the next he is cheerfully talking to Amy. While the Doctor and Amy attempt to understand this complex man and his struggles this is one fight the Doctor acknowledges that they cannot win.

What the Doctor can do is show the artist, who was never recognised as a genius in his lifetime, the joy he gave to so many. Thanks to longtime Richard Curtis contributor, the wonderful Bill Nighy, we get a beautiful speech about the man to which Tony Curran’s Van Gough appears bewildered and moved by.

In a rare move, the creature of the episode gets moved to the background and we are allowed to witness the Doctor, Van Gough and Amy look up at the stars as it slowly morphs into Van Gough’s ‘Starry Night’. A beautiful episode from one of Britain’s finest writers.

Which is your favourite Matt Smith episode? Let us know down in the comments.