Curtis avoids van Gogh jokes in 'Who'

Richard Curtis has revealed that he avoided poking fun at the character of Vincent van Gogh in his Doctor Who episode.

Speaking to Radio Times, the director admitted that he refused to write any jokes relating to van Gogh's ears in 'Vincent And The Doctor', after the 19th century artist famously cut off one of his own in a fit of madness.

He explained: "I tried to do well by van Gogh, to be truthful rather than cruel."

The former Blackadder writer also compared the treatment of historical characters in that series to their portrayal in Doctor Who.

"When we did Blackadder, our duty was to undermine the reputation of these historical characters," Curtis added. "So the Scarlet Pimpernel was a hideous show-off and Sir Walter Raleigh a spectacular bore."

'Vincent And The Doctor' airs this Saturday at 6.40pm on BBC One.