Penny Black VR official Penny Black VR official The VR official was one of three postage stamps introduced by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in May 1840 for the pre-payment of postage. While the Penny Black and the Two Pence Blue were for use by the general public, as were the Mulready envelopes and letter sheets, the VR official was for use on official mail. In appearance the VR Official was the same as the issued Penny Black except that the Maltese crosses in the top corners were removed and replaced by the letters V and R, hence its common name.
Penny Dreadful (TV series) creator John Logan announced that "Penny Dreadful" had ended as the main story had reached its conclusion. The title refers to the penny dreadfuls, a type of 19th-century British fiction publication with lurid and sensational subject matter. The series draws upon many public domain characters from 19th-century British and Irish Gothic fiction, including Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray"; Mina Harker, Abraham Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, Renfield, and Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's "Dracula"; Victor Frankenstein and his monster from Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"; and Dr. Henry Jekyll from Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll