Art attack...

The results of the poll for 'Vincent and the Doctor' showed that the average star rating was 4.6 stars, meaning that this episode was thought of as 'Excellent'.

The Blink Review: Vincent and the Doctor

Before the fifth series of Doctor Who had even started, this episode was the one that I was most looking forward to, with a brand new writer making his first television breakthrough (think his name was Richard Curtis, ever heard of him?), and the spectacular Bill Nighy (famous for being the tentacle guy from Pirates of the Caribbean).

The first time I watched the episode, I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. Although it was the most daring and emotional that Doctor Who had ever attempted to be, these factors seemed to dominate the rest of the story, and took away from the fun and energy that is usually associated with the show.

Then I decided to watch the episode again, knowing what to expect from the story, and it was spectacular. Bill Nighy was utterly hilarious in his role of Dr Black (not related to the character that dies in Cluedo), and the scenes both at the beginning and end of the episode between him and Matt Smith are some of the funniest ever performed in Doctor Who, exchanging quirky remarks about each other’s cracking bow ties.

However, it was Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh who stole the show, performing great emotion in his scenes of depression, and excelling in the heartbreaking final moments in the Musée d’ Orsay, realising that he was not a failure and that his work would one day be loved. I was on the verge of tears at that point, literally.

The main negative of the episode was the computer effects, making the dinosaur-like monster look incredibly fake and of no particular threat, particularly in the brightly lit daylight scenes. It seems that The Mill can do settings and planets really well, but fail when it comes to creating believable monsters.

My other small negative was the music playing when Vincent van Gogh visited the future, which didn’t seem to match the style of the rest of the episode, and wasn’t very good to be honest. Perhaps they could have used the man on Britain’s Got Talent who made up his own song? (Yes, I did watch the final yesterday! What are you gonna do about it?)

Overall though, it was an amazing episode, and my favourite of the series so far. It may have taken a second viewing for me to really appreciate it, but the story certainly left everyone with a strong message. When you next look up the sky, don’t see the blackness. See the blues, and the yellows, and the swirling whites of the wind. See the magnificence of Vincent van Gogh.

Rating: 5/5 stars

You can also give your rating in the new poll, ‘Art attack…’

Overnight Viewing Figures

Overnight viewing figures for ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ show that the programme was watched by 5.0 million viewers, the third poor result in a row.

Despite this low score, it was the highest viewed programme of the day on BBC One, with 29.4% of the total audience. The final of Britain's Got Talent was the highest viewed programme of the day, with 12.3 million viewers.

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Art attack...

A new poll is now available on 'Blink', where you can give your star ratings for 'Vincent and the Doctor'.

Monster Watch: Vincent and the Doctor

These pictures of the monster from ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ show that the creature will be a large foe, with what appears to be a giant hairy tail which swipes the Doctor into the air, and long brown legs with thick toes and pointed toenails.

The second photo also shows Vincent Van Gogh stamping on the beast’s foot, before slamming the door shut on it. The monster may show some resemblance to the Werewolf from ‘Tooth and Claw’, although there is not much known about it.

Fact File: Vincent and the Doctor

The exclusive 'Fact Files' page on this blog has now been updated, with a fact file for the upcoming episode 'Vincent and the Doctor'.

A new fact file for every episode will be uploaded weekly, after the transmission of the previous episode.

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BBC Press Office: Vincent and the Doctor

The BBC have confirmed that episode 10 of the new series, 'Vincent and the Doctor', will air on 5th June 2010, although the time is subject to change.

“Terror lurks in the cornfields of Provence, but only a sad and lonely painter can see it, as the time-travelling drama continues with an episode written by Richard Curtis.

Amy Pond finds herself shoulder to shoulder with Vincent Van Gogh, in a battle with a deadly alien.”

Are you excited yet?

The Story Never Ends: Vincent and the Doctor

PREDICTED BROADCAST: 12/06/2010

The tenth episode of the upcoming series was written by Richard Curtis, famous for his romantic comedy films such as ‘Love Actually’, and directed by Johnny Campbell, who had also directed the sixth episode of this series, ‘Vampires in Venice’. This was the seventh episode of the series to be filmed, and formed the second of two stories which made up Block 4.

The filming crew travelled to Croatia for two weeks in December to film the exterior shots, as the historic landscape could double for both nineteenth century France for this episode, and Venice for episode six. This episode is rumoured to be called ‘Vincent and the Doctor’, although this has not been confirmed by any official reports.

The title was suggested after it was discovered that Tony Curran will be playing famous artist Vincent van Gogh, whose influential work contained vivid colours and emotional impact. This episode will also feature famous Hollywood star Bill Nighy, who plays an expert on Vincent van Gogh, with similar fashion tastes to the Doctor.

This episode is said to contain a very emotional story, which suggests that it may include the theme of an unappreciated man, suffering from mental illness, who would die at the young age of 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Guest actor Howard Lee plays a character called Dr. Gachet, Vincent van Gogh's real doctor, who nursed him during his final years.

Things to look out for:

• Vincent van Gogh stabbing a yellow monster.
• The TARDIS in the snow in the modern day.
• A poster burning off the side of the TARDIS.
• The Musee D'Orsay museum of French art in Paris.
• The Doctor sent flying through the air after being hit by an invisible monster.

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