Dorian Gray: Isolation is a free 18 minute download from Big Finish. Created in its entirety in four days whilst the team were in quarantine, it’s a reflective take on the impact of Covid 19. We last met Dorian in The Lost Confessions, those were apocryphal, this is a tale for our times. Cue Dorian…

Alone on a train

It’s London 2020. Dorian is on a train home, reflecting on the world around him. He may be immortal, but he still has feelings. He also has fears, and an overwhelming sense of panic. As the 21:17 from Paddington winds its way westward, Dorian makes a call to the one person he cares most about – Dorian Gray. The story takes advantage of actor Alexander Vlahos recording on a phone by telling the story through a set of answerphone messages. Dorian reflects on life, death, immortality. Even he feels threatened and overwhelmed by a need to stay indoors. In a few short sentences it paints a stark picture of how an everyday trip by train can be transformed by events beyond our control. It’s an analogy for life as a whole and it works.

Dorian Gray: Isolation is a grim listen, with the usual measure of profanity and horror but that’s not to say it’s unsuited to the current situation. The message is simple: Stay indoors. Stay safe.

Do listen to the behind the scenes interview giving a broad sense of just how a short drama can be fully created in just a few days. Despite lockdown, the quality is there, Robert Harvey’s music and sound design are good and there’s even a cover designed by writer / producer Scott Handcock himself.

Dorian Gray: Isolation is available now, for free, from the Big Finish website. It isn’t recommended for younger listeners.