Confessions of Dorian Gray... THIS would make a great television series.

Sadly, this is an audio series that I admit I have not listened to. But I really like the concept. Big Finish Productions in England has been producing a range of Doctor Who audio plays since 1999. All of which feature the original actors who portrayed the Doctor on television who are still alive. All of which were very well written and well acted stories.

Big Finish had also developed stories based on Dark Shadows (long before the Tim Burton film), Sherlock Holmes and most recently some audio plays based on lost television stories from early on in the hit series THE AVENGERS.

But their most recent series THE CONFESSION OF DORIAN GRAY is the one I find most interesting. Like I mentioned, I haven't heard the series, but I think the premise of the series is great.

One that I would love to see developed into a television series.

The premise is that Oscar Wilde based Dorian Gray on a real person and everything in THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY was true. However, the resolution at the end of the story didn't necessarily happen that way.

The series stars Alexander Vlahos as the ageless Dorian Gray and follows his adventures throughout the 20th Century starting with visiting his old friend Oscar Wilde on his deathbed.

If I were a television exec at CBS, I would be in contact with Nicholas Briggs and the boys and girls at Big Finish about developing this into a television series rather than capitalizing on an already successful show the way they did with "basing" Elementary on the far superior Sherlock.

I mean, Fox seems to be having a certain amount of success with Sleepy Hollow and ABC has had success with their series Once Upon A Time.

But I suppose it's easier to ride on the coat-tails of another series's success rather than being original and taking a risk.

Still, I think Big Finish has created a really great concept. I would love to see it as a television series.

Dark Shadows: The Night Whispers

The Night Whispers is an audio play written by Stuart Manning for Big Finish Productions Dark Shadows audio range. The play itself marks the final appearance of Jonathan Frid in the role of Barnabas Collins before his death in 2012.

Frid had been reluctant for many years to reprise the role he first made famous in 1966. Many of his fellow cast mates had appeared in Big Finish's audio adaptation of the television series. Frid finally came back to the role in 2010 alongside John Karlen as Willie Loomis for Manning's play THE NIGHT WHISPERS.

Frid's voice had aged a great deal when he took on the role again, but it sounded absolutely perfect for the story. You got the impression of an older graver Barnabas Collins. Long since freed from the vampire curse and living the remainder of his unnaturally long life in the Old House.

Stuart gave me permission to adapt a few of his marvelous play into comic book pages. You can see a few of the finished pages above.

Although, I didn't make Barnabas appear "older" because the opening dialogue mentioned him being "unchanged".

Doctor Who: Love and War

Back in those "wilderness years" of Doctor Who in the 1990's when it looked as though our beloved program was to never appear on our television sets again, there was really only two ways, if you a fan of the program, to get your fix.

1.) You could get your hands on a video camera and film your own adventure. Which many fans did. And actually did very well. Or...

2.) Read the continuing adventures of the Doctor in a series titled New Adventures being published by Virgin Books and later BBC Books.

Which many of us young fans did. The Doctor, in his Seventh incarnation as portrayed by Sylvester McCoy, continued his adventures throughout time and space in a ship which had been stuck in the shape of a 1960's London police box since the series began in 1963. These adventures had the luxury (for the most part) of not being restricted by the budget and censorship which the television endured. And the writers could tell stories that were a tad more mature than what was had been seen on the BBC and readers began to see a much darker and Machiavellian version of the Seventh Doctor. Which was a direction the character seemed to be heading in before the series ended.

There were many writers who had written episodes for the television series had written stories for these "New" Adventures. Many of the young writers of that series such as Russell T. Davies, Gareth Roberts, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss would go on to write episodes for the series. And in the case of Davies and Moffat would go onto be the series showrunners and call the shots.

One of these young and budding writers was Paul Cornell. Who would become a fan favorite in the run of Doctor Who "New" Adventures and much like the writers mentioned above would go on to write for the current television series. Even one of his novels from the New Adventures "Human Nature" would be adapted into an episode. However, one of his earliest novels after Timewyrm: Revelation was "Love And War". Which would introduce a new companion for the Doctor in the series named Bernice Surprise Summerfield.  Bernice, or Benny as her friends would call her, would go on to star in her own series of novels as well as a series of audio plays. These plays actually were what gave Big Finish Productions the final go ahead from the BBC to do a series of Doctor Who audio adventures in 1999.

Since then, not only has Paul gone onto write some memorable episodes for the current Doctor Who, but he has also gone on to write for comics. In particular for Young Avengers and Action Comics.

Most recently to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the first appearance of Benny Summerfield, Big Finish has adapted Paul's novel Love and War into an audio play. Unlike his story Human Nature, this adaptation actually features the Doctor it was intended for with Sylvester McCoy providing the voice for the Seventh Doctor.

Reading many of the Doctor Who novels, I always felt the best stories I've felt are the ones that make me think "That would have made a smashing television episode". Although, this has not been adapted into a television episode, Jacqueline Rayner has done a smashing job adapting Paul's book into an audio.

 Listening to it, this story would have made an excellent television episode for Sylvester McCoy's Doctor if the series were to have continued into a 27th Season. I've always felt both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy were sorely underrated during their respective times in the roles. Colin got sacked by the BBC and Sylvester got the series yanked out from under them.

Big Finish has done a great job in presenting this story. In this modern age we live in, audio is a difficult medium for people to get into. We have become very visual society. Especially in the United States where we really don't have much in terms of radio dramas the way they still do in in the UK.

Which is kind of sad. There is something warm and comfortable about sitting back and imagining what characters and scenes might look like.

Big Finish had already dabbled in the waters of the Virgin New Adventures with two previous Seventh Doctor and Benny audio dramas. One of which, Shadow of the Scourge, was written by Paul Cornell back in 2000.

However, it has left me wanting more. I would love to hear more adventures between the Seventh Doctor and Benny. Either adaptations from other stories or new tales. I think it's an avenue that needs to be explored more.

I highly recommend you go on Big Finish's website and order a copy or if you live in Worcester Massachusetts, stop on by Annie's Book Stop of Worcester and pick one up. You'll be glad you did!!

Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch by Lara Parker

As Syd and I prepare to go see Tim Burton's big screen treatment of the cult classic Dark Shadows, I am currently in the process of reading The Salem Branch. An original novel based on the series written by Angélique herself Lara Parker.

Who is going to be making a cameo in the upcoming film in a party sequence along with several of her Dark Shadows co-stars including the late Jonathan Frid.

I'm finding her continuation of the series to be really enjoyable. And I always appreciate the fact when someone who has been a part of a long running series cares about the show so much that their involvement with the series continues long after the series ends. What I enjoy about this story in particular is the connection with the Salem Witch Hunt. Which she has the Collins Family somehow connected with that horrible period of history.

Given the show's time-travel aspect in later episodes, I could almost imagine Jonathan Frid and other members of the cast as the Salem branch of the Collins Family.

In the present we find Barnabas Collins, cured of his vampire curse and set to marry Dr. Julia Hoffman. The woman who cured him. But life is less  than tranquil in Collinwood when a flower child by the name of Antoinette, who bears a shocking resemblance to the witch Angélique, has rebuilt the Old House. Which (as in real life) was destroyed in a fire.

All the Collins family are present and you can almost hear their voices as you read the books.

A British company Big Finish that specializes in creating audio plays actually did a dramatic reading of Lara Parker's previous Dark Shadows book Angélique's Descent that is worth checking out.

They had also produced one called The Night Whispers which featured Jonathan Frid reprising the role of Barnabas Collins for the very last time. Also worth giving a listen to.

But I would definitely give The Salem Branch a definite look as well.

Just to see how the Collins family are keeping nowadays.