The BEST episodes of Tales of the Unexpected season 3

Every episode of Tales of the Unexpected season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Tales of the Unexpected season 3!

Tales Of The Unexpected is a British television series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. 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 upbeat theme music for the series was written by the prolific film and television composer Ron Grainer.

Last Updated: 9/29/2024Network: ITV1Status: Ended
The Flypaper
star
8.15
20 votes

#1 - The Flypaper

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/9/1980

A young girl is being followed by a stalker and is glad to take shelter with the elderly Miss Harrison, who lives in a caravan - but the girl is still in danger, and she disappears.... what has happened to her, and who was the stalker? At the end of the programme, an old man joins Miss Harrison in her caravan, and we see that it is near a lake...

Directors: Graham Evans
Watch Now:Amazon
The Stinker
star
7.68
19 votes

#2 - The Stinker

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/7/1980

Jack Cutler is an arrogant millionaire, and in middle age he runs into the meek Harold Tinker, a fellow he was at school with - Tinker remembers being bullied by Cutler, who called him ""Stinker Tinker"". Cutler offers Tinker a job, and, to please his beautiful wife, Tinker accepts. But his old resentment and loathing for Cutler have not gone away, and when he suspects his wife is having an affair with his new boss, something explodes...

Writer: Julian Bond
Watch Now:Amazon
Parson's Pleasure
star
7.44
18 votes

#3 - Parson's Pleasure

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/30/1980

Cyril Boggis is a rogue antique dealer who goes around posing as a clergyman and describing himself as President of the Society for the Preservation of Rare Furniture. Cyril makes a handsome living by buying valuable antiques cheap and selling them to Storker, another dealer. One day, Cyril calls on old Farmer Rummins and buys a piece of furniture from him which he knows is worth a fortune. He looks forward to making a huge profit on it - but his luck may be about to run out.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Party
star
7.33
18 votes

#4 - The Party

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/19/1980

Christmas is in sight, and for Harry Knox, the elderly manager of a toy factory, it is always an unhappy time of year. But this Christmas looks even worse when Harry hears a rumour that the factory is being taken over by foreigners. Then comes the news that young Leighton is organising an office disco the night before the staff party which Henry has been running for many years. The writing is on the wall for Henry's party and his job - he decides his bosses want to push him out, after forty years of loyal service, and he is so enraged that he sets fire to the factory. But there was more to the planned party than Harry realized...

Watch Now:Amazon
A Picture of a Place
star
7.27
22 votes

#5 - A Picture of a Place

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/16/1980

Hazel is a gullible old widow whose farm-house is full of antiques, and Merv is a charming con-man who buys a valuable picture from her for a knock-down price... but, somehow, all is not quite as it seems.

Writer: Denis Cannan
Watch Now:Amazon
Vengeance Is Mine Inc.
star
7.24
17 votes

#6 - Vengeance Is Mine Inc.

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/30/1980

Tom and George, two young college graduates who are out of work in New York, offer satisfaction to the victims of Lionel Brewster, the city's most scurrilous gossip columnist - for a price. Mrs Wilbur has a job for 'Vengeance is Mine Inc', but she gets rather more for her money than she asked for.

Watch Now:Amazon
Proof of Guilt
star
7.17
18 votes

#7 - Proof of Guilt

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/23/1980

Hard-bitten police inspector Walters has a murder on his hands that he can't crack. The prime suspect is George Stamford, who was alone in a locked room with the dead man when he was shot - but Stamford is admitting nothing, and there is no evidence against him...

Writer: Johnny Byrne
Watch Now:Amazon
I'll Be Seeing You
star
7.17
18 votes

#8 - I'll Be Seeing You

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/14/1980

Roland Trent is married to the rich, beautiful, bitchy Vivien. He prefers to be with his young mistress, Anna, who is nearly blind and needs looking after, but leaving Vivien will leave Roland penniless. Nevertheless, he makes up his mind to leave his wife to be with Anna - but Vivien plans to make his suffering more human than financial...

Writer: Julian Bond
Watch Now:Amazon
A Girl Can't Always Have Everything
star
7.06
17 votes

#9 - A Girl Can't Always Have Everything

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/9/1980

Suzy Starr and Pat Lewis are actresses in a touring theatre company, but it doesn't give them a glittering lifestyle. They can hardly pay the rent on their shared apartment. Then the theatre company finds a rich new backer, Herbert, a middle-aged widower. Suzy is selfish and takes what she wants. She smartly cottons on to Herbert and soon has a mink coat and a sports car out of him. Then Herbert wants her to marry him, but she's less thrilled - she prefers to make use of him but to have fun with other men behind his back. Suzy needs Pat's help - and Pat is under no illusions about Suzy. And Suzy isn't as clever as she thinks...

Writer: Julian Bond
Watch Now:Amazon