''Scorpion Tales'' was a British thriller television series, originally screened in 1978. Produced by

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...

, the series was transmitted on the ITV network. It lasted just one season.

Overview

The series comprised one-off hour-long plays, which featured a twist-ending. The format was similar in genre to the ''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'' series, which had run successfully during the early to mid-1970s. The series was produced by David Reid who would go on to oversee similarly-themed series such as ''

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'' and ''

Hammer House of Horror ''Hammer House of Horror'' is a British television series made in 1980. An anthology series created by Hammer Films in association with Cinema Arts International and ITC Entertainment, it consists of 13 hour-long episodes, originally broadcas ...

''. Reid also directed three of the stories, with Don Leaver, Shaun O'Riordan and John Bruce directing the others. The stories were written by experienced television scriptwriters such as

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(''

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''),

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('' The Avengers''), and Bob Baker and Dave Martin ('' Doctor Who''). The opening credits featured a title sequence by Alastair McMunro depicting two

scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always endi ...

s fighting on a black background, with a theme by

Cyril Ornadel Cyril Ornadel (2 December 192422 June 2011) was a British conductor, songwriter and composer, chiefly in musical theatre. He worked regularly with David Croft, the television writer, director and producer, as well as Norman Newell and Hal Sh ...

. Among the guest casts were noted actors

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' ...

Don Henderson Donald Francis Henderson (10 November 1931 – 22 June 1997)Ancestry/Find My Past (his birth was registered in the December 1931 quarter) was an English actor. He was known for playing both "tough guy" roles and authority figures, and is remem ...

Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Palmer may refer to: Politicians * Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet (1598–1670), English lawyer and politician * Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 3rd Baronet (1655–1732), English politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicestershire * Geoffrey ...

Susan Engel Susan Engel (born 25 March 1935) is a British actress. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Career Theatre Engel's work in theatre includes: '' Angels in America'' (1992), ''Richard III'', '' King Lear'' (1990), '' The Good Person of Sezuan'', '' ...

, Christopher Benjamin and Stephen Murray. ''Scorpion Tales'' was first screened on ITV on 29 April 1978, running each Saturday until 29 May. The final episode was delayed until 12 August. The series failed to recapture the success of ''Thriller'' and was eclipsed by ''

Armchair Thriller ''Armchair Thriller'' is a British television drama series broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980 in two seasons. Taking the form of a sequence of unconnected serials, scripts for ''Armchair Thriller'' were adaptations of published novels and storie ...

'', which ITV were screening around the same time and was not renewed for a second series. ''Scorpion Tales'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

by Network in December 2010, with a 15 certificate.Amazon - DVD release details
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Episode guide

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0398558, title=Scorpion Tales 1970s British drama television series ITV television dramas British fantasy television series 1978 British television series debuts 1978 British television series endings 1970s British anthology television series 1970s British television miniseries Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) English-language television shows