A sparkling collection of the major works of the ever-adored Oscar Wilde, with incredible casts including Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, Michael Sheen, Miriam Margolyes, Ian McDiarmid, Joely Richardson, Penelope Keith, Martin Jarvis, Diana Rigg, Simon Russell Beale, Sheila Hancock, Ian McKellen and Stephen Fry.
This collection includes:
The Picture of Dorian Gray: a dramatisation of Wilde’s sole novel, about the unsettling youth of Dorian Gray and the ravaged picture in his attic. Starring Jamie Glover, Ian McDiarmid, Steven Pacey.
Lady Windermere’s Fan: a comic play about a woman who suspects her husband is having an affair. Starring Joely Richardson and Penelope Keith.
A Woman of No Importance: a devastating drawing room comedy about the rakish Lord Illingworth, notorious for his skill as a seducer while his female conquests must hide their shame in seclusion. Starring Martin Jarvis, Diana Rigg and Annette Crosby.
The Importance of Being Earnest: a dazzling comedy about mistaken identities and secret engagements. Starring Judi Dench, Martin Clunes, Michael Sheen and Miriam Margolyes.
An Ideal Husband: a play about the plight of a politician desperate to hide a secret about his past. Starring Noel Johnson, Ronald Lewis and Jane Wenham.
Plus bonus programmes featuring Wilde’s letters and poetry:
De Profundis: Simon Russell Beale reads correspondence from Oscar Wilde to his lover Lord Alfred Douglas, while in Reading Gaol in 1897.
The Ballad of Reading Gaol: a live benefit performance of Oscar Wilde’s celebrated poem, read by Ian McKellen, Neil Tennant, Stephen Fry, Bette Bourne, Tom Wakefield and Malcolm Sinclair.
In Extremis by Neil Bartlett: a play that reimagines Wilde’s hastily arranged sitting with a society palm reader, a week before the trial that was to cost him so much. Starring Corin Redgrave and Sheila Hancock.
