Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was a 19th century Irish poet and playwright. He was a good friend of the Paternoster Gang. (PROSE: The Importance of Being Strax)

Biography
Born in the mid-19th century, Oscar Wilde was still only a young boy in 1865, according to the Sixth Doctor. (AUDIO: Assassin in the Limelight) During his days at the University of Oxford, an alien infected Oscar with a disease that turned him into a vampire. Returning home to Dublin, he passed the disease to Florence Balcombe. (COMIC: Bat Attack!)

In 1882 in the town of Deadwood, Wilde crossed paths with the Eleventh Doctor and Clara Oswald. At one point, while aboard the Doctor's TARDIS, he found the Eighth Doctor's old Wild Bill Hickok outfit and tried it on, finding it a perfect fit. (COMIC: Dead Man's Hand)

In 1893, Wilde stayed at the Diogenes Club. (AUDIO: The Adventure of the Diogenes Damsel) He lived in London with his wife Constance and their two children during the early 1890s. By this time, he had written a widely read novel entitled The Picture of Dorian Gray in addition to being a successful playwright. (AUDIO: Beautiful Things)

Following the appearance of metal spheres from the future in London in the 1890s, the Metropolitan Police Service issued the cover story that they were a stunt by a group by Bohemian artists. When Professor George Litefoot raised the possibility that this may, in fact, be the case, Sergeant Quick told him that the police had interviewed Wilde to that end and were confident that he had nothing to do with it. (AUDIO: Chronoclasm)

Having been supplied with tickets by Professor Claudius Dark, Henry Gordon Jago, Leela and Ellie Higson attended the premiere of his latest play A Woman of No Importance at the Haymarket Theatre. Wilde was accompanied to the premiere by his close friend Lord Alfred Douglas. Warren Gadd, who observed him in Douglas' company, threatened to tell Constance that Wilde had a terrible secret which he was keeping from her if he did not cooperate. (AUDIO: Beautiful Things)

In 1895, he invited Vastra, Jenny and Strax to the opening performance of The Importance of Being Earnest at St James's Theatre. The actress playing Lady Bracknell was actually an alien from the planet Proscenia. She paralysed the audience with laughter, Oscar was the able to resist her laughter ray because of his superior intellect. "Lady Bracknell" was defeated when she was punched by Strax. The play continued with one difference; Lady Bracknell was played by Strax. (PROSE: The Importance of Being Strax) The Sixth Doctor was also present at this performance. (AUDIO: Assassin in the Limelight)

Bernice Summerfield noted that Oscar Wilde's era had been less than enlightened in respect to his bisexuality. (PROSE: All-Consuming Fire)

In 1897, he was imprisoned in Reading Gaol, where the prison doctor experimented on him. After the Tenth Doctor cured Wilde of his vampirism and he was released from prison, Wilde left for Paris. (COMIC: Bat Attack!) Iris Wildthyme and one of the Doctor's first seven incarnations met Wilde at some point after his arrival in Paris. (PROSE: The Scarlet Empress)

Legacy
A widely renowned author and playwright during his life, Oscar Wilde's works endured in popularity far beyond his own time. Into the 21st century, Wilde's writings had many admirers, including Clara Oswald. (COMIC: Dead Man's Hand) Performances of his plays continued into the 22nd century, such as a production of The Importance of Being Earnest done in Prague in the year 2181. (PROSE: Suspension and Disbelief)

In addition, Wilde continued to be recognized for his personal life for centuries after his passing. Clara Oswald, born over a century after Wilde, was aware of his sexuality and relationships with other men and the 26th century archaeologist Bernice Summerfield knew through her research that Wilde's era was not enlightened or accepting of him in this regard. (COMIC: Dead Man's Hand, PROSE: All-Consuming Fire)

Behind the scenes

 * According to The Brilliant Book 2012, a book that contains non-narrative based information, in River Song's World Wilde was available on social-networking sites and was friends with Charles Dickens.
 * He was portrayed by Peter Egan in the 1978 TV series, Stephen Fry in the 1997 film and Steffan Rhodri in the Big Finish audio series The Confessions of Dorian Gray.