A series of six individual plays, each linked by the scorpion-like twist in its denouement, Scorpion Tales features some of Britain's most talented and renowned actors – including Trevor Howard, Geoffrey Palmer, Jack Shepherd, Don Henderson and Patrick Barr.

The impressive diversity of the plays reflects the free hand given to a team of distinguished writers that includes Ian Kennedy-Martin (The Sweeney), Jeremy Burnham (The Avengers), Bob Baker and Dave Martin (Doctor Who); the screenplays range from an engagingly devious account of a man's attempt to outwit a computer, to a tough drama about a jaded policeman who becomes the object of a homosexual vendetta, a chilling tale about a secret training course, and a supernatural story of a boy's attempt to gain his father's attention by invoking evil powers.