Anthology shows such as Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone are riding high at the moment, so it should come as no surprise that someone has dug deep into the archives for another classic of the genre.
According to Deadline, that classic is Tales of the Unexpected, the decidedly dark cult British TV show famous for its plot twists and beguiling opening credits that first aired in the U.K. in the 1980s.
Each episode adapted one of the so-called “adult” tales by author Roald Dahl, such as “Lamb to the Slaughter,” about a woman who cooks the frozen leg of lamb she used to kill her husband, and serves it to the investigating police officers, or “Parson’s Pleasure,” about a simple farmer with a piece of antique furniture worth a fortune.
Despite its small budget, Tales of the Unexpected managed to attract big stars like Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon and Joan Collins.
It also had a profound effect on the creators of some of today’s biggest shows. Sherlock‘s Mark Gatiss is a fan, while his League of Gentleman co-star Reece Shearsmith has gone on record to say it was one of the shows to inspire his own anthology series Inside No.9, and Charlie Brooker recently acknowledged its influence on Black Mirror.
The new series will be made by The Ink Factory, the production company responsible for turning John le Carré novels The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl into slick, critically-acclaimed TV shows.
There’s no broadcaster on board yet, but it’s likely to gain considerable interest given the success of shows like Black Mirror, and the upcoming reboot of The Twilight Zone by Get Out director Jordan Peele.
Are you excited to see more Roald Dahl stories on the screen?