Tales of the Unexpected: The Colonel's Lady starts as retired Colonel George Peregrine (Joss Ackland) learns that his wife Eve (Pauline Collins) has written a book entitled When Pyramids Decay which has been published. The book has become a huge success & has sold out everywhere so he cannot get hold of a copy to read, however he hears all sorts of things about it like the steamy sex scenes & that it's probably autobiographical which gets his imagination going. After reading the book George is convinced Eve has had an affair but is he reading too much into it? Or maybe on the other hand maybe he isn't reading enough into it at all?
This Tales of the Unexpected story was episode 2 from season 9 & originally aired here in the UK during January 1988, the second of two Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by Barry Davis (no, not the football commentator) this is yet more average fare which tells a story I suppose but is totally forgettable & bland. The story by W. Somerset Maugham had already been adapted for an anthology TV series the Somerset Maugham Hour back in 1962 before it was dramatised by Denis Cannan for this series, I suppose this is trying to say something about cheating on your partner & the fact it's OK for a bloke to do it but when a woman dares to do it it's a different story although I think attitudes have changed since the story was originally written so it's maybe a little irrelevant these days. At only 25 minutes long it won't waste too much of your time & as I said it tells it's story well enough even if it's not a particularly good one & the ending is also a disappointment as there's not much of a twist here.
This one looks pretty cheap actually, the low TV budget & the tight shooting schedules probably didn't help but this does look quite drab & has no style at all. The casts for this show always impresses me & The Colonel's Lady is no different with a fine selection of British actors here.
The Colonel's Lady is an OK time waster I suppose but it's nothing special & not as bad as some Tales of the Unexpected stories from season 9.
This Tales of the Unexpected story was episode 2 from season 9 & originally aired here in the UK during January 1988, the second of two Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by Barry Davis (no, not the football commentator) this is yet more average fare which tells a story I suppose but is totally forgettable & bland. The story by W. Somerset Maugham had already been adapted for an anthology TV series the Somerset Maugham Hour back in 1962 before it was dramatised by Denis Cannan for this series, I suppose this is trying to say something about cheating on your partner & the fact it's OK for a bloke to do it but when a woman dares to do it it's a different story although I think attitudes have changed since the story was originally written so it's maybe a little irrelevant these days. At only 25 minutes long it won't waste too much of your time & as I said it tells it's story well enough even if it's not a particularly good one & the ending is also a disappointment as there's not much of a twist here.
This one looks pretty cheap actually, the low TV budget & the tight shooting schedules probably didn't help but this does look quite drab & has no style at all. The casts for this show always impresses me & The Colonel's Lady is no different with a fine selection of British actors here.
The Colonel's Lady is an OK time waster I suppose but it's nothing special & not as bad as some Tales of the Unexpected stories from season 9.