Scorpion Tales
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''Scorpion Tales'' was a British thriller television series, originally screened in 1978. Produced by ATV, the series was transmitted on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
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'' 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 ''
Sapphire & Steel ''Sapphire & Steel'' is a British television supernatural sci-fi/fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. ...
'' 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 broadca ...
''. 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
Ian Kennedy Martin Ian Kennedy Martin (born 23 May 1936) is a British television scriptwriter who created the action drama series '' The Sweeney'' (1975–1978). Career He began his television career in the 1960s, first as a script editor on the military police ...
(''
The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Ins ...
''),
Jeremy Burnham John Richard Jeremy Burnham (28 May 1931 – 31 December 2020) was a British television actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and a screenwriter. Life and career Burnham began in the 1950s as an actor and appeared in many popular British TV series such ...
('' The Avengers''), and Bob Baker and Dave Martin (''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''). 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 end ...
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 ''T ...
,
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 Pa ...
,
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'', '' W ...
, 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 stories ...
'', 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