Dorian Gray is real, and inspired the Oscar Wilde novel. He does have a portrait in his attic, and is forever young.

This is the premise behind Big Finish’s Dorian Gray range, and here Alexander Vlahos (Merlin) returns once more to play the (at times) amoral hedonist. These stories are very much aimed at adults and contain adult content.

This latest collection consists of four CDs, each of two stories, part narration and part small cast drama. Given Dorian’s supernatural nature, most of these have a supernatural element of some sort, be it a legendary monster in a Scandinavian wasteland or a more supernatural killer haunting the streets of London.

Each story gives us an insight into an aspect of Dorian’s nature, and all are worth a listen. This is in no small part down to Scott Handcock’s direction. Scott is also producer of this series and the affection he and Alexander have clearly shines through.

The stories are scattered not only by location but also across history, in no particular order. Where the previous series was a sequence of connected adventures, this is a far more random collection, and works well.

The stories are bookmarked by two more prosaic tales, even without the supernatural element, Dorian is still a compelling character. The set opens with Roy Gill’s ‘Enigma’ and has Anthony Howell playing one of Dorian’s many past lovers, Adam Notting.

The setting is Salford 1968, and Notting has called for Dorian who spends time with a computer intelligence BEAUTY. As the story unwinds it asks some deep questions about Dorian’s nature and much credit to Gill for a clever story with a great title. About half-way through the listener gets the story and from that point on its strength becomes clear.

The final tale is Matt Fitton’s ‘The Living Image’. At no point does Dorian’s curse have any relevance to the tale. Instead Matt weaves a story of a married couple in the later 1940s whose husband wants the chance to live the bachelor life he imagines he wants.

His wife, Scarlet Moore (the sublime Deirdre Mullins) has become mother and housewife, and yearns for adventure and independence of her own. Dorian gets drawn into their existence and for a time gets to understand how ordinary people live their lives.

There are no weak stories in this set and fans old and new will discover new favourites. This is an astonishingly good value investment.

Extras: A fifth discs full of interviews and a free short story, Dorian Gray: Trick or Treat.

Released on Tuesday 24 November 2015 by Big Finish.

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