- You may be looking for the fictional character.
Dorian Gray, similar to the character in Oscar Wilde's notorious novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was immortal, remaining eternally youthful, while his portrait experienced his injuries and aged instead of him.
Gray himself implied that this was the result of a deal with a malevolent entity called the Collector. (AUDIO: The Adventure of the Bloomsbury Bomber, The Feast of Magog)
Biography[]
In 1927, Gray prevented Alexander Korvo from causing an invasion of the Gomagog. He was an old friend of Evan Morgan with whom he went to Cambridge, and attended one of his parties where he watched his friend Pamela St John-Edwards be possessed by the Gomagog. After the incident, he met Sherlock Holmes, who had prevented Korvo's previous plan in 1911. (AUDIO: The Adventure of the Bloomsbury Bomber, The Feast of Magog)
Memories of Gray were accessed by Bernice Summerfield, Ruth and Jack from a portrait they found in Triptic House on Legion.
In one memory, occurring in the late 19th century, he was in a relationship with a man called Spencer Price, whom he found interesting. Spencer began being plagued by dreams of Dorian attacking him, influenced by the Collector, who fed off people's emotions and weaknesses. The Collector wanted revenge on Gray for "double crossing him over a deal". However, Dorian was forced to kill Spencer when he became possessed by the Collector.
In another memory, set around the 22nd or 23rd century, Gray became interested in a tapestry that changed over time. He wanted it in order to stop people's souls from being absorbed into it. In an attempt to acquire it, he met its owner, Jennifer, who imprisoned him and stole his portrait on behalf of the Collector. After he escaped, Gray discovered his portrait was missing and that Jennifer had become trapped in the tapestry.
In another memory, during the 27th century, he was an expert on psychosis. He had a long experience on these matters, but wasn't a doctor. He was hired to investigate an asylum, where a mysterious patient, Caitlin, had made Amelia Blythe kill herself. Gray told Dr Warrilow and Dr Hawke that Caitlin was the imaginary friend of Blythe's. He advised that she be left alone to avoid her killing anyone else, and promptly left himself. However, soon after he left, Dr Warrilow and Dr Hawke were killed by Caitlin, with the assistance of the Collector, who promised to come after Gray.
Still searching for his portrait after centuries, he anonymously hired Benny, Ruth and Jack to find it. After they succeeded in this task, Gray arrived to collect it, revealing his true identity. At this point, Benny, Ruth and Jack promptly left, leaving Gray with his prized portrait. (AUDIO: Shades of Gray)
Behind the scenes[]
- Shades of Gray, the Bernice Summerfield story that featured Dorian Gray, served as a backdoor pilot for Big Finish's The Confessions of Dorian Gray audio series. In the 2015 boxset The Worlds of Big Finish, the character again crossed over with Bernice Summerfield, as well as Iris Wildthyme, Vienna Salvatori, and Abby and Zara.
