Series Seven
15 Episodes. First broadcast: Saturdays and Sundays on ITV - 12 May to 21 October 1984
| Title | Episode | First aired | Writer(s) | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dirty Detail | 84 | 12 May 1984 | Henry Slesar David Scott Milton |
Leo Penn |
| Fred Pearson, a Vietnam veteran is a broken man after years of punishment from his sergeant. One day, he walks into a bar and sees the sergeant, still very much the arrogant bully he always was. | ||||
| Cast: Jenny O'Hara (Ruth Pearson), George Peppard (Sergeant Guedo), Vincent Howard (Detective), Ted Gehring (Bartender), Tom Finnegan (Barfly), Kevin Dobson (Fred Pearson) | ||||
| The Best Chess Player in the World | 85 | 19 May 1984 | Julian Symons Peter Ransley |
Graham Williams Graham Evans |
| Shaw, the owner of a newspaper is controlling and very rich. Meanwhile his wife is content with the money he provides but is having an affair. When Shaw finds out he decides to act. | ||||
| Cast: Andrew Ray (Jerry Wilde), Christopher Reich (Peter Simpson), Clifford Parrish (Frank Miller), Michael Jayston (George Bernard Shaw), Mark Jax (White), Lynette Davies (Paula Shaw), Pat Guthrie (Telephone Operator) | ||||
| Proxy | 86 | 26 May 1984 | Talmage Powell Bert Salzman |
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| Three men are being blackmailed by a woman for money. One day she is found murdered and the three worry that they will be suspected. Her chauffeur however, has a plan. | ||||
| Cast: Barbara Bolton (Mrs Sutton), Lois Smith (Sara), Tom Smothers (William), Patrick O'Neal (Sutton), Malachy McCourt (Judge), Joanne Lara (Maria), Larry Keith (Grenich) | ||||
| Have a Nice Death | 87 | 2 June 1984 | Antonia Fraser Wolf Mankowitz |
William Slater |
| Successful writer Sam Luke is being hounded by the feminist movement for his books, which speak of women being the weaker sex. Unable to deal with them, he returns to his wife, but now is getting death threats. |
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| Cast: Bill Bailey (Bob, Interviewer), Ian Tyler (Bell Hop), Sue Vanner (Zara Luke), Barbara Rosenblat (Television Interviewer), Kate Harper (Clodagh Jansen), Susannah Fellows (Joannie Luke), Simon Cadell (Sam Luke) | ||||
| Number Eight | 88 | 9 June 1984 | Jack Ritchie Ross Thomas |
Leo Penn |
| A driver picks up a hitchhiker. While in the car, they hear on the radio that a serial killer is on the loose. The driver quickly realises that the description exactly matches that of his passenger. | ||||
| Cast: Dennis Christopher (Driver), Brad Dourif (Hitch-hiker), Kathleen Doyle (Ann), Will Hare (Old Man) | ||||
| The Last of the Midnight Gardners | 89 | 16 June 1984 | Tony Wilmot Gerald Savory |
Peter Hammond |
| A magazine editor has a wife and a secret lover. For his magazine, he launches a competition for a story involving the perfect murder. His wife encourages him to enter it himself. | ||||
| Cast: Jane Asher (Jane Oats), Forbes Collins (Inspector), Celia Gregory (Edna Tewsland), Patrick Mower (Walter Oats), Jim Norton (Dr. Mellish), Panos Alexander (Steward) | ||||
| The Gift of Beauty | 90 | 30 June 1984 | Joseph Dougherty Bert Salzman |
Bert Salzman |
| Elizabeth and her lover Ray murder her husband for a life together. Elizabeth gets a face lift to try and close the age gap between her and Ray, then she hears of an anti-aging process. | ||||
| Cast: MacKenzie Allen (Ray), Carol Lynley (Elizabeth), Randall Edwards (Rebecca) | ||||
| Wet Saturday | 91 | 7 July 1984 | John Collier | Norman Lloyd |
| George Princey has a high standing in the community and when his daughter kills a man he endeavours to cover up to prevent him facing a scandal. | ||||
| Cast: Ed Begley, Jr. (George Princey), Fritz Weaver (Princey), Mary Sinclair (Mrs Princey), Charles Hallahan (Jack Lowry) | ||||
| Sauce for the Goose | 92 | 21 July 1984 | Patricia Highsmith Bert Salzman |
Bert Salzman |
| Olivia starts a relationship with a younger man on the basis that she's killed her husband and gained his fortune. Her lover however still sees himself as a free agent and has an affair with another woman. | ||||
| Cast: Gloria Grahame (Olivia), Robert Morse (Stephen Shaw), Lisa Dunsheath (Gloria) | ||||
| Bird of Prey | 93 | 4 August 1984 | John Collier Ross Thomas |
Ray Danton |
| Jack and Edna's parrot lays a large, oversized egg. The parrot dies and so they keep the egg warm. On hatching, it reveals an aggressive black-feathered bird. Jack is taken by it, but Edna is suspicious of the evil-looking creature. |
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| Cast: Sondra Locke (Edna), Frank Converse (Jack), Charles Hallahan (Charlie) | ||||
| I Like it Here in Wilmington | 94 | 11 August 1984 | Henry Slesar David Scott Milton |
John Peyser |
| Harry is a clothing manufacturer in Wilmington, Delaware. He is on the verge of bankruptcy however. Being used to the good life, he ponders the idea of murdering his wife in order to collect the insurance money. |
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| Cast: Tom Smothers (Marvin Castlemore), Susan Strasberg (Roberta Elton), Janet Leigh, Robert Loggia (Harry Elton), Wendy Austin (Cissy) | ||||
| Accidental Death | 95 | 19 August 1984 | Denis Cannan Tony Wilmot |
Peter Duffell |
| Steve and Jane are con artists who gain access to people's homes claiming to be doing research into polish. While there, they assess the valuables in the house for later theft. Coming across a scruffy old man, they hear that he is actually rich but they underestimate him. |
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| Cast: Andrew Ray (Steve Jeffries), Lynsey Baxter (Jane), Cyril Cusack (Percy Hampton), Tamara Ustinov (Beryl), Giles Phibbs (Farmer), Bryan Matheson (Husband in Bar), Yvonne Marsh (Policewoman), Ruth Kettlewell (Wife in Bar), John Hug (Arthur), Jacqueline Hill (Mrs Milvain), Ian Flintoff (Doctor), Jason Carter (Youth at Yacht Club) | ||||
| The Reconciliation | 96 | 16 September 1984 | Nicholas Monsarrat Roy Russell |
John Jacobs |
| James has walked out on his wife, who still loves him. His lawyer advises him that it may be difficult to get a divorce unless he can catch her being unfaithful. With not much hope, he hires a private detective. | ||||
| Cast: John Castle (Derek Johnstone), Keith Edwards (Juan Luis Romero), Wilfred Grove (Porter), Jim Norton (Bates), Roger Rees (James Howgill), Meg Davies (Caroline Howgill & voice of Jenny), Anna Maria Macchi (Sandra Marino) | ||||
| The Mugger | 97 | 14 October 1984 | ||
| Gerald Overton, a politician has fallen in love with a beautiful woman he met at a party. Things go wrong and his entire career and reputation are in jeopardy. Gerald decides to take the law into his own hands. | ||||
| Cast: Roy Marsden (Gerald Overton), Graham Bell (Television Interviewer), Amanda Boxer (Jenny Overton), Kate Harper (Mary Tregallas), Peter Russell (Policeman), Toby Scopes (James Overton), Zara Nutley (Ann Dibbell), Mark Lewis (Gerald's Pursuer), David Hanson (John Dibbell), Diana Goodman (Television Reporter), Evie Garratt (Mrs Cromer), Forbes Collins (Police Officer), Raymond Boyd (Manservant), Dadina Sagah (Maid), Chris Tummings (Boy on roller skates) | ||||
| The Open Window | 98 | 21 October 1984 | Christopher Lukas | |
| At a hunting lodge in Connecticut, a young man climbs through the window. However, when he emerges the other side he finds himself in a strange new world, unlike anything he's ever seen before. | ||||
| Cast: Michael Conforti (Stanley), Valerie Mahaffey (Jane), Richard Dow (Gregory), Richard Marr (Vernon), Michael Galloway (Stuart), Dina Merrill (Marjorie) | ||||
Read more about this topic: List Of Tales Of The Unexpected Episodes
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