One of the guest stars from Doctor Who's best episodes is expressing interest in a return, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. As we prepare for Season 14 and gather all we know about the Disney+ series, this comes as a fairly interesting development. It's actor Tony Curran who's down to return as Vincent Van Gogh. On the surface, that may sound cool, but is that something fans should be excited about?
Tony Curran made it clear he's "definitely interested" in returning as the famous artist Van Gogh first seen in the iconic episode "Vincent and the Doctor" while speaking to Radio Times. The actor added that the series' producers haven't extended an offer, but it's hard not to imagine how tempted showrunner Russell T. Davies would be bring back the beloved character. As a fan who has used my Max subscription to rewatch the episode a few times, I have thoughts on this, and they're complicated, to say the least.
Why I'm Against Seeing Tony Curran Reprise His Role In Doctor Who
While I love a good callback and/or cameo, something feels sacred about Tony Curran's portrayal of Vincent Van Gogh. Undoubtedly, the real tragedy of "Vincent and the Doctor" is that both the titular charcter and Amy attempt to show Van Gogh just how influential his work became for future generations in order to show him that life is worth living. The scene itself is remarkably touching and, today, it has 26 million views on YouTube:
After showing him the reach of his influence, The Doctor and Amy Pond return Vincent Van Gogh to his time, only to learn that it ultimately did nothing to prevent him from committing suicide. It's a real one-two gut punch that makes the episode as memorable. It also marks one of the more famous cameos by actors on Doctor Who and conveys a powerful message about depression.
While we know The Doctor can travel through time, would bringing Tony Curran back as Vincent Van Gogh lessen the emotional gut punch of the original episode? I think, at the very least, a return would never live up to fans' expectations. So there's a large part of me that thinks it's not worth doing if the creative team is even considering it. With that said, I'm all for Tony Curran returning, but maybe not as that character.
Why I'd Be OK with Seeing Tony Curran Return To Doctor Who As Van Gogh
On the other hand, one detail that has me playing devil's advocate to my own stance is that Russell T. Davies is in charge Doctor Who again. While he wasn't steering the ship when the iconic episode aired, he's shown time and time again that he's not afraid to take big swings with storytelling. (The wild reveal that every Doctor who ever lived is potentially still alive is a prime example of that.) Retconning the death of Vincent Van Gogh would be challenging, considering we know how actual history played out, but there are ways of remedying it for the show.
To use a term from the franchise, pop culture is in a very "timey wimey" place. Mainstream audiences are latching onto the idea of the multiverse, and that concept suggests that parallel universes could exist. It wouldn't be hard to create a reality where Van Gogh is still alive, and is maybe even some secret time agent? Perhaps he and Maisie Williams' Ashildr are buddies? Williams also wants to return to Doctor Who, so I'd co-sign on this idea.
Whether The BBC and the series' bigwigs ever bring back Vincent Van Gogh is another story. Personally, I think we're more likely to see the Fourteenth Doctor return sooner, and David Tennant's already been brutally honest about having no plans of doing that. We'll just have to wait and see if more lies ahead for Van Gogh within this franchise.
Doctor Who returns with Season 14 on Disney+ in May as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Get hyped for The Doctor's return by revisiting the 60th Anniversary specials on the aforementioned streamer or by checking out even older episodes on Max.
