Tales of the Unexpected (TV Series) Lamb to the Slaughter (1979) User Reviews

"Find the weapon... we find the man." A top tale of the unexpected.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 23 June 2007]

Tales of the Unexpected: Lamb to the Slaughter starts as Mary Marny (Susan George) arrives home from the corner shop & discovers her policeman husband Patrick's (Michael Byrne) dead body in the living room, obviously shocked she immediately calls the police & Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan (Brian Blessed) is on the case. The police conclude that Patrick was killed with a very heavy blunt instrument but cannot locate it & without a weapon they have no case, meanwhile Mary continues to cook the huge leg of lamb that she was going to make Patrick which she had used earlier for a rather sinister & violent purpose...

This Tales of the Unexpected story was episode 4 from season 1 & originally aired here in the UK during April 1979, directed by John Davies this is the sort of story where Tales of the Unexpected is at it's best. The story by Roald Dahl had already been adapted for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV anthology series in 1963 before it was dramatised by Robin Chapman for this show, during his introduction Dahl says that he got the idea for the story when James Bond author Ian Flemming & himself were on holiday enjoying a meal when Flemming commented that the lamb was so dry & hard it must have been in the freezer for 10 years & that's how Dahl got the idea which is a neat enough anecdote I suppose. Lamb to the Slaughter has a simple yet engaging story that ends in a terrific twist that will probably stay with you longer than the rest of this episode & if I'm honest most of the rest of the 111 episodes, I just love the ironic & clever idea that the police got rid of the murder weapon for Mary themselves by eating the lamb! This one moves along at a nice enough pace, at only 25 minutes long it doesn't outstay it's welcome & is a memorable crime drama with a cool twist. My only problem with it is that a group of police officers investigating a brutal murder wouldn't suddenly stop what their doing to enjoy a lamb roast cooked by the victims wife & served up by the senior officer! I'm sorry but it wouldn't happen, would it? Lamb to the Slaughter is still a great story with a neat central premise so I'll forgive the unlikeliness of it all!

This one hasn't dated that well but doesn't look as bad as some episodes from this series, it's reasonably well made but it ain't going to win any awards for style that's for sure. Again I am much impressed with the cast on show, did a Tales of the Unexpected ever have a bad cast? Here Susan George makes her first appearance on the show & would go to star in the equally great Royal Jelly (1980) from season 2 & of course there's the big man himself Brian Blessed who actually looks quite trim in this.

Lamb to the Slaughter is a great Tales of the Unexpected story from probably it's finest season, a must for fans of the show & Dahl & it also makes decent entertainment for anyone interested in short stories with a twist. Well worth a watch.

Over the top

[evans-15475 · 6/10 · 16 July 2019]

Didn't think I would ever see Brian blessed being over acted by anyone,Susan George certainly give it her all verses a restrained mr blessed

Perfect murder

[francespen · 7/10 · 27 January 2021]

Whenever I see any murder murder mystery series be it Columbo, Midsomer, Vera and there is no murder weapon to hand I always think of this episode. What a perfect way to dispose of the weapon than getting people to eat it. One up on using an icicle which can leave a puddle. I think today it would be blunt force trauma as cause of death. Of course they didn't haven't the forensics we do now, cops trampling all over the place, didn't seem to pin point time of death. Hubby did come across as very cold, he was going to leave his wife when she was heavily pregnant, his new lady would have been welcome to him if he'd lived. Those curtains could have driven anyone away, sign of the times with that decor. She was very convincing, getting herself a good alibi and giving the lamb a good while to thaw out. A real touch of nostalgia seeing the grocer weighing out the spuds and veg - sigh. There was indeed a time when Brian Blessed was less shouty. Always a memorable episode to me.

"You did say lamb, didn't you?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 12 August 2021]

I thought the title of this episode a clever double entendre of the story about to take place. Think about it - a lamb to slaughter. It's kind of comical if you think about it. I recall seeing Susan George as the sexy but frustrated housewife in 1971's "Straw Dogs" playing opposite Dustin Hoffman. This story doesn't get nearly as violent as that one, but still results in the death of Mary Marney's (George) cheating husband (Michael Byrne). Instinctively setting up her alibi with the local shopkeeper (George Little), Mary sets about calling the police and putting on a show for the team of detectives who arrive to investigate the murder of a fellow police officer. The only less than credible aspect to this story is the idea that all the cops would take part in Mary's dinner of roast lamb, putting rest to the idea that one of them held - 'Find the weapon, find the man'. What better way to hide the evidence than to eat it!

Meat is murder.

[BA_Harrison · 7 January 2013]

Pregnant housewife Mary Marny (Susan George) arrives home from the shops to discover her police inspector husband Patrick (Michael Byrne) dead on the living room floor, the back of his head crushed by a heavy, blunt weapon. A distraught Mary calls the police who, led by Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan (Brian Blessed), proceed to hunt for the murder weapon, but to no avail.

Lamb to the Slaughter is a fun little tale, but one can't feeling that it's just a touch ridiculous, not because of the somewhat implausible nature of the final twist, which is macabre enough to forgive, but because it is revealed in a series of flashbacks that Patrick is cheating on his wife, a caring, attentive woman who also happens to be incredibly sexy, even in a maternity smock the size of a circus tent. Patrick's bit on the side would have to be off the scale in every department to compete with Susan George, in which case she'd hardly be knocking around with an ugly git like him! This aspect of an otherwise decent tale is incredibly hard to swallow, much like that dry joint of lamb Roald Dahl shared with Ian Fleming in his opening anecdote.

Stupid

[rufusjohn · 6/10 · 7 December 2020]

Susan George (70's sex symbol, looking a bit porky here) arrives home to find her husband dead on the living room floor. Near hysterics she phones the police, The rest of the story is told in flashback and we discover that she killed him, with a frozen leg of lamb, which she then cooks and serves to the attending police. Only...why the hysterics when she finds him? She knows he's dead! So it's just lies to confuse the viewer. And the leg of lamb? How long would that take to cook? All rather paper thin.

Lamb to the Slaughter

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 26 March 2020]

According to Roald Dahl's introduction, this story was inspired by a remark by Ian Fleming.

Unfortunately the casting lets this down for all the wrong reasons. Susan George was a sex symbol back in the 1970s.

She plays pregnant housewife Mary. Her policeman husband Patrick confesses that he is going to leave her for another woman.

The story is told in flashback as a distraught Mary talks to her husband's colleague Detective Sergeant Jack Nolan (Brian Blessed.)

After a trip to the shop, Mary discovered her husband lying on the floor dead, his head bashed in. The police look for the murder weapon.

The flashbacks reveal what actually happened to the murder weapon. I think this could had been a delicious tale but it was slightly undercooked.

Worth watching for Blessed giving what is for him a quiet performance.

One of the standout episodes.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 9 February 2016]

Mary Marney learns that her husband, A Detective has been having an affair, one evening she returns home from he local shop, and discovers her husband dead, Detectives arrive, but struggle to find the murder weapon.

Worth seeing Alfred Hitchcock's earlier take on this story, slightly more serious in tone, but worth watching just to compare and contrast.

Really well acted, the gorgeous Susan George puts in a terrific performance as Mary, I could have believed in her leaving him, hard to believe that he would have left her!! Brian Blessed is also very good, putting in a rather restrained showing for him.

The Home furnishings are nearly as scary as the story itself, brown floral curtains and sofas, what were they thinking! Ha.

One of the out and out best episodes in the series, I find it a genius concept, getting the Police to eat a murder weapon, totally dark and twisted. Without any doubt at all, this is a top five episode.

10/10.

Consume-ate story

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 7/10 · 23 March 2021]

A good cast and script. A bit slow by modern standards but always worth a watch for the twist at the end.

Who fancies some roast lamb?

[jamienmartin · 10/10 · 1 February 2024]

An absolute slam dunk classic.

An unusual episode in that its has its own spoiler

Mary (played by Susan George) and Patrick are the couple, Patrick seems not happy in the marriage. It is implied Patrick is a bit of a Jack the Lad.

One day, Patrick comes home and announces he wants to leave Mary.

Mary who is preparing dinner, but in a state of shock, hits Pat on the head the frozen leg of lamb she was preparing to cook.

After this she goes into "construct" mode and starts to create an alibi for the murder.

It's really clever, there is a time shift element and Susan George definitely appeared in two of the better episodes.

If you talk to someone about TOTU chances are this is the episode they will mention.

Mary is played by Susan George, famous from Straw Dogs with Dustin Hoffman. One of the more glamorous actors of the time.