Vincent and the Doctor. Was it a starry, starry night?

Let's find out.............

John Howe: Vincent and the Doctor was another superb episode from what is turning out to be a very impressive series of Doctor Who. The story was simple, the best ones always are but it's real power lay in the relationship between the Doctor and Amy, and Tony Curran's magnificent portrayal of Vincent Van Gogh.

The script was witty, had some sharp punchy dialogue and some moments of sheer beauty which Smith, Gillan and Curran grabbed with both hands. It was full to the brim of all those elements that you would come to expect from a Richard Curtis penned script. There was tragedy and pathos inter-twined with love and hope for the future. This was an episode where you even felt sorry for the poor abandoned and blind monster of the week the Grafayis. The last 10 or so minutes was real lump in throat television. The trip in the TARDIS for Van Gogh to discover that he had become remembered as one of the worlds greatest artists was tear jerking stuff and the summing up of the mans life and work from Bill Nighy's superb Art Gallery Curator was beautiful.

Then, just when you think you can relax it all happens again. The second trip to the gallery in which Amy believes will show their time with Van Gogh had changed his life for the better proves not to be the case. He still takes his own life. Double Pathos.This really was a classic piece of bittersweet of television from the Master of that style. A superb and superior slice of television for sure.

Oh, and hats off to whoever had the idea to pop in the print out pictures of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton for us crusty old-school fans. As the 1st Doctor would have put it, "Sheer poetry!"

Mark Carroll: I haven't sent any comments for a while but was moved to do so for this story. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The handling of Van Gogh's mental illness was sensitively done and Tony Curran was superbly cast. Matt and Karen continue to excel and a cool but sympathetic monster! What's not to love?