10 British Horror TV Shows You've Probably Never Seen
2. Tales Of The Unexpected
This long running series based on the stories of and fronted by Roald Dahl could range in tone from more comedic fare to some truly troubling chillers.
Tales of the Unexpected ran for nine seasons, from 1979 to 1988, generally eschewing the supernatural and science fiction stories found in other anthology series of the time, such as The Twilight Zone, preferring instead realistic settings and the trademark unexpected twists. This blend of the eponymous unexpected with the comparatively mundane allowed the show to truly get under your skin in a way few programmes could when it indulged in its more horror-centric moments.
In particular, the Season 1 episode 'The Landlady' stands out as one of the horror highlights of the show. With Siobhá McKenna in the title role, the episode sees a young man decide to stay at a guesthouse and though the landlady seems pleasant if eccentric, he is unnerved to recognise the names in the guestbook as those of missing persons. The tale is an effective chiller, building inexorably to its conclusion; you know something sinister is going to happen, just not quite what that will be. Believe us when we say that this episode will not disappoint.