Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Tales of the Unexpected is a British television
series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television
for ITV
. Filming began in 1978.
The series was an anthology of different tales. Initially episodes were based on the short stories collected in the books Tales of the Unexpected
, Kiss Kiss
and Someone Like You
by Roald Dahl
.
The stories were sometimes sinister, sometimes wryly comedic, and usually had a twist ending.
The theme music for the series was written by Ron Grainer
.
, Anna Neagle
, Timothy West
, Rod Taylor, John Gielgud
, Elaine Stritch
, John Mills
, Julie Harris
, Wendy Hiller
, Ian Holm
, Joan Collins
, Joseph Cotten
, Derek Jacobi
, Janet Leigh
, Andrew Ray
, Siobhán McKenna
and Cyril Cusack
.
Dahl introduced all of his own stories himself, giving short monologues explaining what inspired him to write the story.
Although many of Dahl's stories are left open to reader's interpretation, the television series usually provided a conclusion to the story. For example, in the Dahl story "The Landlady", the character of Billy's ultimate fate is only hinted at, whereas in the TV version we are shown that the Landlady in question really has poisoned and preserved the guests of her bed and breakfast, and Billy is to suffer the same fate.
By 1988, critics felt that the quality of the series was starting to dip, and after the ninth series in 1988, the series was axed.
In the US, John Houseman
succeeded Dahl as the opening narrator.
In 2006, ITV3
began repeating the series, and in 2011, Sky Arts 2 repeated the series.
All the Series have been released on DVD.
In 1980, Peter Cook starred alongside a host of celebrities in the LWT special "Peter Cook & Co.". The show included many sketches including a Tales of the Unexpected spoof titled "Tales Of The Much As We Expected", which involved Cook as Roald Dahl explaining why he dropped the "n" in Ronald, the sketch ends with the fireplace spreading over the room.
network called Way Out in 1961, which was similar in concept and themes to Twilight Zone
for 14 episodes on Saturday nights and actually used some stories which would later be adapted for Tales of the Unexpected.
Dahl later published series for many other TV shows that became his.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. Filming began in 1978.
The series was an anthology of different tales. Initially episodes were based on the short stories collected in the books Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected (book)
Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected is a collection of sixteen short stories written by Roald Dahl and first published in 1979. All of the stories were earlier published in various magazines, and then in the collections Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss.-Contents:# "Taste"# "Lamb to the Slaughter"#...
, Kiss Kiss
Kiss Kiss (book)
Kiss Kiss is a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl, first published in 1960 by Alfred Knopf. Most of the constituent stories had been previously published elsewhere.It contains the following short stories:*"The Landlady"*"William and Mary"...
and Someone Like You
Someone Like You (collection)
Someone Like You is a collection of short stories by Roald Dahl. It was published in 1953 by Alfred Knopf.-Contents:* "Dip in the Pool"* "Galloping Foxley"* "Lamb to the Slaughter"* "Man from the South"* "Mr. Feasey"* "Mr...
by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
.
The stories were sometimes sinister, sometimes wryly comedic, and usually had a twist ending.
The theme music for the series was written by Ron Grainer
Ron Grainer
Ronald Erle “Ron” Grainer was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.- Biography :...
.
Format
The series originally adapted various stories from Roald Dahl's anthology books. Despite the low budget the series attracted guest stars of the highest calibre, such as Brian BlessedBrian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, Anna Neagle
Anna Neagle
Forming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical Goodnight Vienna , again with Jack Buchanan. With this film Neagle became an overnight favourite...
, Timothy West
Timothy West
Timothy Lancaster West, CBE is an English film, stage and television actor.-Career:West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actor rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of...
, Rod Taylor, John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
, Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
, John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Julia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
, Wendy Hiller
Wendy Hiller
Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller DBE was an Academy Award-winning English film and stage actress, who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly sixty years. The writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation Rating the Movie Stars, described her as "a no-nonsense actress who literally took...
, Ian Holm
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
, Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair...
, Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
, Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh , born Jeanette Helen Morrison, was an American actress. She was the wife of actor Tony Curtis from June 1951 to September 1962 and the mother of Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis....
, Andrew Ray
Andrew Ray
Andrew Ray was an English actor who was best known as a child star.He was born Andrew Olden , in North London, the son of the famous radio comic Ted Ray and his wife, showgirl Dorothy...
, Siobhán McKenna
Siobhán McKenna
Siobhán McKenna was an Irish stage and screen actress.-Background:Born Siobhán Giollamhuire Nic Cionnaith in Belfast, Northern Ireland into a Catholic and nationalist family, she grew up in Galway City and in County Monaghan, Ireland speaking fluent Irish...
and Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack
Cyril James Cusack was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films.-Early life:Cusack was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, the son of Alice Violet , an actress, and James Walter Cusack, a sergeant in the Natal mounted police. His parents separated when he was young and his mother took...
.
Dahl introduced all of his own stories himself, giving short monologues explaining what inspired him to write the story.
Although many of Dahl's stories are left open to reader's interpretation, the television series usually provided a conclusion to the story. For example, in the Dahl story "The Landlady", the character of Billy's ultimate fate is only hinted at, whereas in the TV version we are shown that the Landlady in question really has poisoned and preserved the guests of her bed and breakfast, and Billy is to suffer the same fate.
Later series
Midway through the second series, episodes ceased to be written by Dahl and other authors' stories were adapted for all episodes following. The title reflected this when it became Tales of the Unexpected - Introduced by Roald Dahl. From series three, Dahl no longer introduced the stories and the series continued this way until the end.By 1988, critics felt that the quality of the series was starting to dip, and after the ninth series in 1988, the series was axed.
In the US, John Houseman
John Houseman
John Houseman was a Romanian-born British-American actor and film producer who became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane...
succeeded Dahl as the opening narrator.
In 2006, ITV3
ITV3
ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
began repeating the series, and in 2011, Sky Arts 2 repeated the series.
All the Series have been released on DVD.
In 1980, Peter Cook starred alongside a host of celebrities in the LWT special "Peter Cook & Co.". The show included many sketches including a Tales of the Unexpected spoof titled "Tales Of The Much As We Expected", which involved Cook as Roald Dahl explaining why he dropped the "n" in Ronald, the sketch ends with the fireplace spreading over the room.
Way Out
Dahl had hosted a practically identical series for the American CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network called Way Out in 1961, which was similar in concept and themes to Twilight Zone
Twilight zone
-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
for 14 episodes on Saturday nights and actually used some stories which would later be adapted for Tales of the Unexpected.
Dahl later published series for many other TV shows that became his.
Trivia
Two episodes of the series featuring actors Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber are included as bonus tracks in the DVD set of the British TV series "Dempsey and Makepeace", in which Brandon and Barber played the main characters.External links
- Intro to Tales of the Unexpected
- Way Out in the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Tales of the Unexpected Episode Guide