''Twisted Tales'' is a British

comedy-horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and spo ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

television series written by a mix of established writers and upcoming talent that aired on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

from January to April 2005. It consisted of fourteen self-contained episodes with a mysterious twist and had the same format as a previous BBC Three series of six comedy-horror stories, ''

Spine Chillers ''Spine Chillers'' was the name of two separate supernatural television series, broadcast on the BBC. 1980s series ''Spine Chillers'' was a 1980 British children's supernatural television series produced by the Jackanory team and broadcast on BBC ...

'' (2003). The cast included up-and-coming comedians, such as

Catherine Tate Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...

Nick Frost Nicholas Jonathan Frost (born 28 March 1972) is a British actor, author, comedian, painter, producer and screenwriter. He has appeared in the ''Three Flavours Cornetto'' trilogy of films, consisting of ''Shaun of the Dead'' (2004), ''Hot Fuzz ...

Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Alexander Brigstocke (born 8 May 1973) is a British comedian, actor and satirist. He has worked in stand-up comedy, television, radio and musical theatre. He has appeared on many BBC television and radio shows. Early life Brigstocke is th ...

Steve Edge Steve Edge (born 2 November 1972) is an English actor, writer and former stand-up comedian. He is most famous for his work on ''Starlings'', ''Phoenix Nights'', '' The Cup'', '' The Visit'', ''Peep Show'', '' Benidorm'' and the satirical maga ...

and more, among distinguished actors like

Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Ma ...

Paul Darrow Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby; 2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor. He became best known for playing Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series ''Blake's 7'' between 1978 and 1981. His many television rol ...

Mary Tamm Mary Tamm (22 March 1950 – 26 July 2012) was a British actress, who appeared in many British TV drama series and serials, and is best known for her role as Romana I in the BBC's science fiction on television, science fiction television s ...

Phil Cornwell Philip Cornwell (born 5 October 1957) is an English actor, comedian, impressionist and writer. He is part of the '' Dead Ringers'' television and radio series, and was the voice of Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band Gorillaz. Cornwell has co-w ...

Doon Mackichan Sarah Doon Mackichan (; born August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double Emmy award winning ''Smack the Pony''. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, ha ...

and

Annette Badland Annette Badland (born 26 August 1950) is an English actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'', Mrs. Glen ...

. The comedy duo

Mitchell and Webb Mitchell and Webb are a British comedy double act, composed of David Mitchell and Robert Webb. They are best known for starring in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Peep Show'' and their radio and TV sketch shows '' That Mitchell and Webb Sound'' and '' ...

, best known for the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

sitcom ''

Peep Show A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the ci ...

'', both wrote and starred in the ninth episode "Nothing to Fear".

Production

Directors

Andy Goddard Andy Goddard (born 1968) is a Welsh director and screenwriter, best known for writing and directing his feature debut '' Set Fire to the Stars'' (2014) and directing and co-producing his second feature '' A Kind of Murder'' (2016). Goddard has a ...

and

Crispin Whittell Crispin Whittell (born 19 December 1969 in Nairobi, Kenya) is a British director and playwright. He spent much of his early life in Africa. He was a member of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, and studied English at Cambridge Universi ...

shot four episodes of the series each, while

Susan Tully Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is an English actress, television producer, and television director. Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single mother Michelle Fowl ...

and Jonathan Gershfield directed three episodes each. Simon Lacey has composed the music for all four episodes directed by Whittell: "Charlie's Angel", "The Irredeemable Brain of Dr Heinrich Hunsecker", "Whacked" and "The Patter of Tiny Feet".

Episodes

Reception

While reviewing the first episode of the series for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', Angus Batey said, "The excellent cast seems unsure whether it's supplying chuckles or chills, but the format – essentially '' Tales of the Unexpected'' for the 21st century – has potential". Another critic from the newspaper, David Chater, noticed the same flaw in the tenth episode, stating that the tale "can't seem to make up its mind whether to play for laughs or shocks" and has a "queasy tone". He did, however, praise

's performance in the episode, saying that she "shines" as Ed's hysterical wife Sandra. The sixth episode, titled "Vacant Possession", was described in ''The Times'' as "marvellously dark", while the final one was called "risible".

References

External links

* * {{British Comedy Guide, tv, twisted_tales BBC anthology television shows 2000s British anthology television series 2000s British horror television series British horror comedy television series 2005 British television series debuts 2005 British television series endings English-language television shows