I have been a fan of Doctor Who since the 1970s, practically from the beginning. Just like Star Trek, it is stunning how much more sophisticated the production values became over the years. They say that your first doctor is always your favorite. Not quite in my case. My favorite was Tom Baker. My first doctor was John Pertwee. He himself was a much better doctor than the production values he had to work with. His son Sean Pertwee became a great actor. I strongly recommend you look up “Cadfael” with him as the Sheriff and with the great Derek Jacobi as the detective monk!!

When Matt Smith became the doctor I really did not like him. He eventually grew on me. There was one episode that was so emotionally touching I periodically revisit and rewatch the clip I am sharing here.

Like so many people in the world, Vincent van Gogh is my favorite artist. In my case it was further reinforced by my father. He had an oil painting set. He would take small parts of a van Gogh painting and he would paint them on small canvases himself.

This clip takes place in the Musée de Orsay in Paris. I make a point of getting to cities when I travel on business at least a day early to give myself time to go to the museums and cultural institutions. I went to that museum in 2013 when I traveled around Europe during the trip to Croatia when my daughter was married in Dubrovnik.

I think it is the most beautiful art museum I have ever been in. If you’re going to Paris skip the Louvre. It is an overcrowded urban clot that it’s not worth fighting your way through. And the Mona Lisa was unimpressive. Just go straight to the Musée d’Orsay.

The Musée d’Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musée d’Orsay

The Doctor Who series is not just science fiction. It is one of the most humanistic wonderful bits of cinema I’ve ever experienced in my life. And the actor in the museum in the clip, Bill Nighy, is one of my favorite actors of all time.