The Confessions of Dorian Gray: Series 5

The final ‘season' in the horror series consists of four hour-long stories, the first three of which are told from the perspective of characters seen in episodes from earlier seasons. Each story has a different tone and they are unconnected beyond the fact that here, it's somebody else, not Gray, who is making the ‘confession'.

• One Must Not Look at Mirrors – We begin with a story told from the perspective of Oscar Wilde, recounting how he first met Gray and his memories of the year Jack the Ripper stalked Whitechapel. The story portrays the then-young Gray as particularly amoral and includes some grisly imagery as well as explicit sexual references, but for the most part it's about Wilde's conflicted feelings. I found it rather rambling, a tableau of graphic scenes that don't really go anywhere, but it's undeniably atmospheric and well-acted. 3.5 stars.

• Angel of War – This time we seen Gray from the perspective of a former lover, previously seen in the episode The Prime of Deacon Brodie. Like that episode, it's largely set in World War I and gives a relatively positive view of Gray, although, as the title indicates, he's no angel. In many ways, it's a love story, as well as a journey of self-discovery for the narrator, with the supernatural elements only here for window-dressing. The horror elements instead come from the personal experience of trench warfare and what it does to people. 5 stars.

• The Valley of Nightmares – The third story is set in Hollywood in the 1940s, and is told from the perspective of Dorothy Parker, who we last met in Murder on 81st Street. That was a monster story, but this time we're on the trail of a possible murderer amidst the shallow glitz and greed of the movie industry. The supernatural elements, while hinted at earlier on, only turn up right at the end in a story that's largely investigative, with the force of Parker's personality coming to the fore as much as Gray's. 4 stars.

• Ever After – Here we are at the final episode, which, unlike the first three, lacks a narrator. It follows on from the end of the previous season, being set in the present day. Here we see Gray tormented by memories of his past, the return of his conscience driving him towards insanity as he apparently encounters numerous characters from previous seasons that he has wronged in some way. How much of this is real, and how much delusion is a question left open, but it's an emotional and thought-provoking way to end the series and one of its better episodes. 5 stars.