Tales of the Unexpected

^{Review by Sunday Simmons}

Darkly humorous with a sinister twist…

…that pretty much sums up Tales of the Unexpected. First airing on British TV in March 1979, and running through to 1988, this dramatized and adapted anthology of short stories written by the eternally brilliant Roald Dahl, was a weekend staple in many households – including mine.

From the first notes of the macabre theme tune – written by Ron Grainer (Doctor Who, Steptoe and Son), to the twist in the tale, this popular little series captured the imagination for the entire 25 minutes run time. On the topic of macabre theme tunes, the 80’s was littered with them. A core memory is unlocked of Sunday evenings dreading school the following day, with the theme of World at War and The South Bank Show playing like a doomsday soundtrack to the death of the weekend. Tales of the Unexpected had just such a theme tune, but much, much creepier!

And so to this dark little forgotten gem of Roald Dahl’s cautionary tales brought to life. Arguably one of the most prominently successful children’s writers, and far better known for the likes of Willy Wonka, Matilda, and The Witches, Dahl also dabbled in short horror fiction. However, by season 3, the source material had begun to wane and other writers provided many of the episodes, but Dahl continued to be connected with the show, and still presented a foreword in his own inimitable way.

There are far too many outstanding episodes in this sinister series to namecheck all of them, but if I were to cherry pick a couple it would be Lamb to the Slaughter (season 1), with its awkward edginess throughout, to its satisfyingly tasty twist at the end. Notably, from season 2, Royal Jelly and Skin are also absolute must-see episodes of twisted fun.

Despite being low budget 80’s British fare, Tales of the Unexpected managed to draw in a stellar cast, with most episodes featuring a major name. Ian Holme (The Hobbit, Alien), Brian Blessed (Flash, Blackadder), Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius), and Joan Collins (Dynasty, Land of the Pharaohs) are just a few of the big names happy to take a role in the series.

There was a quintessential Britishness to the first few seasons, but as other writers came on board to take the spotlight, the world opened up and the series took a different path. Whilst still massively enjoyable, I personally feel something was lost. We Brits do unnerving very well – you only have to look at The Slaughtered Lamb scene in American Werewolf in London to know that!

All in all, Tales of the Unexpected was a glimpse into the mind of a writer who could effortlessly weave a web of comedic moments with shocking twists, and in a way only he could. Alongside The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt, this series sits as a classic forerunner to its modern day counterparts such as Black Mirror (Netflix). And if you’ve read Dahl’s short horror stories, but are unaware of this spellbinding series, it’s streaming on Now TV as we speak.