Tales of the Unexpected 

Dramatizations of many Roald Dahl short stories.

Stars:

Roald Dahl, Andrew Ray, Forbes Collins

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Roald Dahl	...	Self - Introduced by / ... 33 episodes, 1979-1985

Storyline

A British anthology series featuring tales of horror, mystery and suspense. Most episodes featured a twist ending, and many of them were based on short stories by well-known writer Roald Dahl, who also served as the show's host during its first two seasons.

---

Plot Keywords:

horror host | 1970s | 1980s | 1970s tv | 1980s tv | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

A few scenes in the shows were filmed in Norwich.

---

Connections

Referenced in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003)

User Reviews

So many great memories and just as fresh when repeated!

Tales of the Unexpected is an iconic series which lasted around 10 years starting in the late 1970s to the late 1980s. As you'd expect with any TV series, there are fantastic, classic episodes and some that aren't so great. Thankfully the great episodes outnumber the not so great quite significantly.

Originally, the series was meant to showcase the stories from Roald Dahl's books "Tales of the Unexpected" and "More Tales of the Unexpected". Each of these episodes were introduced by Dahl himself in a mock sitting room in front of a roaring fireplace. A short description of where the idea came from regarding the upcoming story then led to 25 minutes of television magic. Each story was meant to end with a twist. Although many did, some had a twist of not actually having a twist but a natural conclusion which you think could never go all the way but it does.

After Dahl's stories ran out, other similarly themed stories were used by well known authors such as Henry Slesar, Bert Salzman, Jeffrey Archer and many others. They didn't have the Dahl introduction and the name "Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected" was thus shortened to the familiar "Tales of the Unexpected".

Many big names have appeared in the show from Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Cole, Toyah Wilcox, John Mills, Telly Savalas and many, many more. Some early in their careers, others in their prime and some in the twilight.

So if you like a story with a twist ending, you can do far worse than check out this gem. When you hear Ron Grainer's fantastic theme tune starting up and the silhouetted lady dancing in the flames, you'll be gripped for 25 minutes. After that you'll hunger for your next fix of 'The Tales'.

My top 10?

1. The Eavesdropper 2. Would you Believe it? 3. Taste 4. The Tribute 5. The Flypaper 6. Shatterproof 7. The Way To Do It 8. Kindly Dig Your Grave 9. Never Speak Ill of the Dead 10. Down Among the Sheltering Palms

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1979 (UK)

Also Known As:

Tales of the Unexpected

Filming Locations:

Holt, Norfolk, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anglia Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1