Tales of the Unexpected

TV Series
1979–1988
TV-14
25m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,318

Comedy Drama Horror Mystery Thriller

Short dramas each with a twist of some kind; across the first four seasons most of these are from short stories by Roald Dahl.Short dramas each with a twist of some kind; across the first four seasons most of these are from short stories by Roald Dahl.Short dramas each with a twist of some kind; across the first four seasons most of these are from short stories by Roald Dahl.

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,318

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 2 wins & 1 nomination total

Episodes112

Browse episodes

TopTop-rated9 seasons9 years

Trivia
The dancer in the opening titles was Karen Standley, a secretary and housewife from Berkshire. Her boyfriend worked on Top of the Pops (1964) and was contracted to produce the Tales of the Unexpected titles, so he used her as the dancer, dressed in a white body stocking and tights, and with arms, legs and face painted with white greasepaint. She was briefed to look "as sexy as I could".

Connections
Featured in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003)

User reviews30

Review

Featured review

9/10

Wonderful Kitsch from The 70's

Regardless of what some viewers may think, I had a great time watching this series as a young adult late in the evenings and before the station screening it closed for the night.

It was brilliantly written by the fabulous Mr Roald Dahl and the theme soundtrack was worth the wait for 'the Unexpected Tale' with a usually camp and fascinating end to unfold.

The series starred many budding and now household names from the British Theatre world and yes, the costumes, sets and furnishings were glam and stylish for the period when the world was a more innocent and romantic place to be.

I wish it could be screened again in Australia for older and even newer audiences to enjoy again; especially now that the 70's are hip and back!