10 Doctor Who Characters More Important Than You Realised

On paper, Richard Curtis' Vincent and the Doctor is just another celebrity historical in the RTD mould. The Doctor and Amy travel back in time to solve a mystery, and meet a famous historical figure who helps them save the day.

But Vincent and the Doctor is so much more than that – it's the most explicit, profound treatment of mental health in Doctor Who to date.

Van Gogh's depression and lack of recognition in his lifetime are heartbreaking, and the fact that seeing a future exhibition of his work isn't enough to magically banish his demons is a brave move. It was also the right move to have the desired impact on the episode's viewers.

Curtis wrote his one and only Doctor Who story as a means to pay tribute to his sister Bindy, who tragically took her own life a few years earlier. The fact that Vincent's own suicide is something that not even a great hero like the Doctor can solve was a powerful statement about how not everything can be fixed, but that life's good experiences nonetheless count for something.

Vincent and the Doctor is an episode that has continued to provide a source of comfort for a great many Doctor Who fans in similar positions. Actor Tony Curran has previously revealed that fans have reached out to him to say that the episode has given them hope while they've experienced depression.

It speaks to the power of this episode, and to Doctor Who as a whole.