Tales of the Unexpected

Tales of the Unexpected

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

Genre: ComedyDramaHorror

Cast:Roald DahlAndrew RayForbes CollinsRichard JohnsonJoan CollinsSheila GishJohn MillsLucy GutteridgeCyril LuckhamMark LewisDouglas LambertJean KitsonGiles PhibbsRichard FoxtonPat LewisRoy MarsdenAnthony ValentineColin Blakely


1Season 3

S3.E1 ∙ The Flypaper

Sat, Aug 9, 1980

The police are dragging the marshes for a missing school-girl and a sinister man is approaching other young girls. Young Sylvia is on a bus on the way home from school when a friendly old man begins to talk to her.

2Season 3

S3.E2 ∙ A Picture of a Place

Sat, Aug 16, 1980

A con artist travels the countryside, telling unsuspecting elderly people their valuable art treasure's worthless. He meets Hazel, whose son's struggling to keep on their run-down old farm, he thinks he can get her to part with an Old Master for nothing.

3Season 3

S3.E3 ∙ Proof of Guilt

Sat, Aug 23, 1980

A man is found shot dead in his office with only his nonchalant client present, but where's the gun?

4Season 3

S3.E4 ∙ Vengeance Is Mine Inc.

Sat, Aug 30, 1980

Two down on their luck lads come up with a clever get-rich scheme. But who is the cleverest?

5Season 3

S3.E5 ∙ A Girl Can't Always Have Everything

Sun, Nov 9, 1980

Suzy and Pat are struggling actresses in a touring company. Herbert's a wealthy, middle-aged widower, who puts money into the production and falls for Suzy, who snaps up the expensive gifts he gives her. They get married but she is only using him and is having affairs with other men, leading Herbert to request a divorce.

6Season 3

S3.E6 ∙ Parson's Pleasure

Sun, Nov 30, 1980

Crooked antique expert Cyril Boggis dresses as a vicar and calls on Suffolk farmsteads offering to take old furniture off the occupants' hands for a fee. Of course, he knows when the furniture is valuable and none more so than the dresser he sees at Farmer Rummins' run-down place. So as not to create suspicion he tells Rummins that he is only interested in the legs. This is a bad plan on his part because Rummins and his lads have difficulty getting the object of Cyril's greed through the door and decide on drastic action.

7Season 3

S3.E7 ∙ The Stinker

Sun, Dec 7, 1980

Meek accountant Harold Tinker, despised by his ambitious, younger wife Phyl, meets Jack Cutler, an old school contemporary. Cutler used to call Harold 'Stinker Tinker' and generally made his life a misery. Now, with little recollection of the past, Cutler offers Harold a well-paid job, which he takes, chiefly for Phyl's sake. But Cutler still calls him 'Stinker' and, at a dinner party with the two men and their wives, Harold is convinced by her behaviour that Phyl is having an affair with his boss. It is time for the worm to turn, with fatal results.

8Season 3

S3.E8 ∙ I'll Be Seeing You

Sun, Dec 14, 1980

Roland Trent is in love with Anna, who is gradually losing her sight but could have an operation to save it. Unfortunately it is not cheap. Roland is married to Vivienne but she is no more in love with him than he is with her. Furthermore she controls the purse-strings and is initially not keen to help the Other Woman, though eventually she agrees to finance the operation, but only if Roland never sees Anna again. Roland, however, has other ideas to get the best of both worlds.

9Season 3

S3.E9 ∙ The Party

Fri, Dec 19, 1980

Henry Knox, manager of Peckham's toys, is concerned the staff Christmas party will not be the hottest night out.