Starting in March 1979, and running for almost ten years, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected holds a very special place in the hearts of those who saw it the first time round.
We’ve picked out eight of our favourite episodes…
‘A Dip in the Pool’
Sometimes the unexpected, as in life, is cruel and unfair simply because nobody could have seen it coming. So it is with ‘A Dip in the Pool’, a neat example of a pull back and reveal type ending. When Mr Botibol, played by Jack Weston, takes part in a bet on a cruise ship, he decides that the only way he can win is by cheating.
However, this involves throwing himself overboard, which means that he has to choose a witness who will raise the alarm quickly. This episode also features Michael Troughton, most recently seen in Doctor Who’s Christmas special, ‘Last Christmas’.
‘Taste’
Ron Moody stars as Richard, an arrogant wine snob who wagers with his friend Schofield (Anthony Carrick) that he can correctly identify any wine down to the vineyard of origin. Remarkably, the original story dates from 1945, and has dated very little.
The stakes become increasingly high – Richard offers up both of his houses in return for the hand of Schofield’s daughter in marriage. Much to the surprise and horror of the others at the dinner table, Schofield agrees to the bet.
‘The Flypaper’
One of the nastiest stories from the series, and horrifyingly, blandly believable. A local community is living in fear after several schoolgirls have gone missing, with the police no closer to catching the man responsible.
When Sylvia (Lorna Yabsley) a shy teenager, is being pestered by an old man, a kindly woman – played by Pat Keen – steps in to help. But by the time the episode ends, we learn that sometimes life really is cruel.
‘The Landlady’
The grande old dame of Tales of the Unexpected, this is one of the relatively few that are presented by Roald Dahl himself, and he takes the opportunity to teasingly challenge the audience to declare that the story is implausible.
Billy Weaver (played by Leonard Preston) is a fresh faced and somewhat gauche young man on his first day in a new town, about to start a job the following morning. He is persuaded to spend the night at a Bed & Breakfast by the landlady of the title (Siobhan McKenna), who immediately sets to work on making his stay a long and comfortable one.
> Buy the Tales Of The Unexpected complete series 19-disc boxset on Amazon.
What’s your favourite Tales of the Unexpected episode? Let us know below…