The Picture Of Dorian Gray
For BBC Four’s The Read, Luke Thompson delivers an enthralling performance of The Picture Of Dorian Gray.
Client: Rural Studios / BBC Arts
Sector: Narrative (59 Mins)
Services: Sound Design & Mix
SYNOPSIS
Oscar Wilde’s only novel explores themes of vanity and narcissim, an excess of which can lead to psychological collapse.
Dorian Gray is a wealthy young man in Victorian London who gets his portrait painted by a friend. Realising that his beauty will degrade over time, he sells his soul and asks for the portrait to age instead of him.
He pursues immoral the life of a libertine, seemingly without consequence as he remains youthful and blemish-free. Stored away in his attic, however, the figure in the painting ages and withers, bearing the mark of all his sins on its loathsome visage.
SOUND DESIGN
The production design progresses from opulent to a darker, oppressive space mirroring the decadence of Dorian Gray’s soul.
The sound design similarly starts out lighter in the earlier stages, with elements such as birdsong in the atmos. We gradually introduce elements such as an eerie wind subtly moving through the room.
The city begins to feel like a more sinister presence, with threatening voices and dog barks.
Similarly, the cutaways develop from being subtly unsettling to utilising overt horror sound design towards the conclusion.
CREDITS
Starring - Luke Thompson
Director - Rachel Lambert
Series Producer - Julie Colman
Producer - Natasha Williams
Production Company - Rural Studios
Director of Photography - Luke Collins
Location Sound - Jake McKenzie-Hayes
Production Design - Prop-It Creative
Editor - Dave Jones
Colourist - Vic Parker
Stills Photography - Dan Ollerhead
Composer - Tic Ashfield
Sound Design & Mix - Brian Lane
Post Production Manager - Rich Hankins
Commissioning Editor - Stephen James-Yeoman
Executive Producer - Grant Black
BROADCAST
Originally broadcast on BBC Four at 9pm, Sunday 22nd March 2026.
Now available on BBC iPlayer.