Tales Of The Unexpected Episode Guide
The Tales of the Unexpected is an Anglia Television anthology series which first aired in the UK on March 24 1979. Each episode was approximately 25 minutes in length. The series ran for 112 episodes, the final episode airing on May 13 1988. The anthology series has been sold to over 70 countries and was the most popular drama Anglia had produced when it was first shown.
It is best remembered for its iconic title sequence and haunting theme tune, composed by Ron Grainer. Everyone who watched television in the 1980's will remember the dancer who performed in the opening titles. Karen Standley, then 27, was the only person to appear in all 112 episodes.
The idea to produce a collection of twist-in-the-tail stories originated with a chance meeting between Roald Dahl and Sir John Woolf, Anglia's drama producer, in 1976. Dahl asked Woolf if he would like to make a television series from his stories. In all, 25 of his stories were adapted for television from two of the writer's collections.
It was originally intended to have Peter Ustinov introducing each story, but instead the writer himself did the introduction sitting in front of a blazing fire in his drawing room, or more accurately a studio set at Anglia House.
The first of Dahl's stories to be filmed was A Dip in the Pool starring the American actor Jack Weston. Even though it was the first episode to be filmed, it was the eighth in the series to be aired. The Man from the South was the first episode to be aired and was shot on location in Jamaica. It starred Jose Ferrer, a major international actor.
The Man from the South set the standard for the series. It was a lavish, expensive production. Jose Ferrer plays a mysterious stranger who goads a sailor into taking a scary bet to win a cadillac. The stake is the sailor's little finger.
Sir John Woolf had his sights set on selling the show to the American market. This was the reason for using many well-known stars for the parts in the series. The first batch of episodes was sold to the U.S. networks for £1 million.
Many stars of the screen played parts in The Tales of the Unexpected. Joan Collins and John Gielgud teamed up in Neck. Susan George and Timothy West appeared in Royal Jelly. Another pairing saw Joseph Cotton team up with Dame Wendy Hiller in Edward the Conqueror.
The final episode was Mr Know-all, and it aired on 13 May 1988. It stars Chaim Topol.
Classic tv series of the 1980's Hammer-House-of-Horror-Episodes.com
Classic tv series of the 1960's Twilight-Zone-Episodes.com
Classic tv series of the 1960's Outer-Limits-Episodes.com
Classic tv series of the 1960's Star-Trek-Episodes.com
