The Flypaper

Brilliant story with a great twist at the end, suspected it near the end but still a shock when it came. The reviewer who said there was never a serial couple of killers obviously never heard of Fred and Rosemary West or Myra Hindley and Ian Brady.

This story seems to have been made in the nineties or 20's, instead the early eighties. The overall material doesn't look like the rest of this series, which tales have more or less some kind of Victorian atmosphere. This drama is a bit thriller, in a pure British style, yes, but still quite different from the other plots of TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED. But the story is of course excellent, it deserves perfectly to belong to the top batch, and certainly not the bottom of the barrel. Disturbing, no comedy provider, nothing light hearted here, this story is above the rest and I am sure you will remind it long after the viewing.

The police are dragging the marshes for a missing school-girl and a sinister man is approaching other young girls. Young Sylvia is on a bus on the way home from school when a friendly old man begins to talk to her.

An absolutely creepy tale that benefits from the isolated bleak atmosphere and a rather nasty character called Herbert, who is stalking a young girl played by Lorna Yabsley. She senses that he's following her and things get worse on the bus where he starts chatting with her, and even knows she has music lessons and what her name is. Pat Keen plays the lady who comes to her rescue from the sinister man. Of course, the ending as that twist in the tale, though I did guess what it was.

Thought I'd seen all of the Tales of the Unexpected but must of missed this one.

This is a truly Horrific and thought provoking episode without actually seeing anything of course.

When you wonder that people like this actually exist and do this kind of thing .

Anyhow schoolgirls are going missing and this young girl who has been orphaned and quite Obviously hates her current life and piano lessons gets followed by a creepy old man on a bus And thinks she has her wits about her but obviously some people are much cleverer and will use that To there advantage.

Chilling episode and must be shown to children to show them the dangers .

Schoolgirls are going missing, and Police are out searching. Young Sylvia is living with her Grandmother who doesn't particularly want her living there, she's hating everything, including her awful music lessons. After the latest lesson she heads home, but is aware of a man following her. On a bus journey he strikes up an uncomfortable talk with her, but she's rescued by a sweet, well meaning woman........

I am stunned this was written by Elizabeth Taylor. An insanely nasty story, which to this day holds up well, the sheer spite and true terror has not diminished in what's now approaching forty years, still a hugely relevant warning. That twist at the end is delivered in such a bleak way, it's horrible.

Filmed in Cambridgeshire, it's a particularly picturesque location, at such odds with the bleakness of the story.

Wonderfully well acted, young Lorna Yabsley is excellent as young Sylvia, Alfred Burke is incredibly nasty as Herbert, Pat Keen gives a top notch performance, her performance in this such a contrast to the funny one she gave in Fawlty Towers (The Annivesary.)

Even now I watch this with a total feeling of unease, a lump in my throat, and a discomfort. Tough viewing, but it is just outstanding, arguably the best episode of Tales.

No other score then 10/10