Tales Of The Unexpected series 8 DVD review

Alex Westthorp

A few hidden gems lie within the eighth series of Tales Of The Unexpected. Alex has been unearthing them...

From the classic opening titles and theme tune, Tales Of The Unexpected was always an intriguing watch. Whilst not as dark as the original Roald Dahl-fronted series, the final (8th) season (first shown on ITV in 1988) still has a few gems. The charming tale of an illiterate Verger and his wife starring Richard Briers and Patricia Routledge stands out, as does a chilling story of accidental death, "The Dead Don't Steal", starring Nicholas Ball and Glynis Barber. The best episode features an excellent central performance from a pre-Poirot David Suchet in an explosive story of blackmail.

A loveless marriage is the trigger for a racy novel in an episode featuring Pauline Collins and Joss Ackland. Second guessing the outcome was always the best thing about the series. "Wink three times" starring Peter Davison and Liza Goddard and surprisingly the Roald Dahl contribution "The Surgeon" featuring John Alderton are easily the most predictable.

This season features a host of familiar faces as well as some emerging stars. Jim Broadbent before he really hit the big time is seen in a tale of fencing and gambling. The temptation to put Pauline Collins and John Alderton or indeed Glynis Barber and Michael Brandon in the same show is resisted with mixed results, the denoument of the Brandon episode is perhaps the least convincing with some laughable prosthetics not helping its cause.

All nine episodes of series 8 are presented across two discs. Strangely split 6 episodes on one disc with only 3 episodes on the other. The second disc is crying out for a couple of extras and given this season marked the end of the show this is perhaps an missed opportunity.

9x25 minute episodes
Extras: None
Running time 225 minutes approx.

3 out of 5