Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)
Sinister tales with unexpected twist endings.
The series was a British anthology television program that aired from 1979 to 1988, known for sinister stories with twist endings.[1] Anglia Television produced the show for ITV, and its Norwich studios were where the interior scenes were filmed.[2] Ron Grainer wrote the theme music, and Karen Standley performed as the dancer seen during the opening titles.[3]
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 25 minutes
- Presenter
- Roald Dahl
- Based on
- Short stories by Roald Dahl
- Language
- English
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Network
- ITV
- Theme music
- Ron Grainer
- First aired
- 24 March 1979
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
Roald Dahl pitched the idea for the series after an unplanned meeting with producer Sir John Woolf in 1976.[4] Dahl’s short stories were considered ideal for the 25-minute format because they all featured a twist ending.[4] The first episode aired on 24 March 1979, and the series ran for 112 episodes until 13 May 1988.[5] Budgets were tight, with money spent on guest casts that included both British character actors and international stars.[4]
The series attracted notable guest stars such as Joan Collins, John Gielgud, Janet Leigh, and Michael Gambon.[6][4] Only a few scripts were written specially for the series, such as "Blue Marigold".[5] The series was pulled in 1988 after critics suggested the format had become stale.[7]
What the cited sources add
A 2015 retrospective notes that the series quickly became one of Anglia Television’s most successful exports.[7] The BFI Screenonline account states that two dozen of Dahl’s stories were adapted for the series, including some previously used on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.[5] The We Are Cult article notes that the most well-remembered episode is "Royal Jelly" from the first series.[4] The series continues in repeats on Sky Arts, and all nine seasons are available in a boxset.[7]
In 1961, Dahl hosted a comparable American anthology series titled Way Out, which lasted for 14 episodes.[8][4]
References
- Wikipedia, "Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "BFI Screenonline: Tales of the Unexpected (1979-88)", screenonline.org.uk; "Tales of the Unexpected", TV.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Joseph, "25 Years on ITV", Independent Television Books Ltd, 1980, p. 251 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "BFI Screenonline: Grainer, Ron (1924-1981) Biography", screenonline.org.uk; Tales Of The Unexpected Episode Guide, a complete episode guide, last accessed on 14 May 2022. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Tales of the Unexpected revisited » We Are Cult", 9 September 2016. facts only, no text reused. wearecult.rocks
- "BFI Screenonline: Tales of the Unexpected (1979-88)", screenonline.org.uk. facts only, no text reused. screenonline.org.uk
- Wikipedia, "Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rewind: 'Tales of the Unexpected' revisited", 19 January 2015; "Tales of the Unexpected revisited » We Are Cult", 9 September 2016; "Rewind: 'Tales of the Unexpected' revisited", 19 January 2015; "Tales of the Unexpected revisited » We Are Cult", 9 September 2016; "Rewind: 'Tales of the Unexpected' revisited", 19 January 2015; "Tales of the Unexpected revisited » We Are Cult", 9 September 2016; "Rewind: 'Tales of the Unexpected' revisited", 19 January 2015; "Rewind: 'Tales of the Unexpected' revisited", 19 January 2 en.wikipedia.org
- "Rewind: 'Tales of the Unexpected' revisited", 19 January 2015. facts only, no text reused. cultbox.co.uk
- Wikipedia, "Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "CTVA US Anthology - "Way Out" (Talent Associates/CBS)(1961) hosted by Roald Dahl", ctva.biz; "Tales of the Unexpected revisited » We Are Cult", 9 September 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Tales of the Unexpected (TV series) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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