The series comprised one-off hour-long plays which featured a twist-ending. The format was similar in genre to the Thriller series, which had run successfully during the early to mid-1970s. The series was produced by David Reid who would go on to oversee similarly-themed series such as Sapphire and Steel and Hammer House of Horror. Reid also directed three of the stories, with Don Leaver, Shaun O'Riordan and John Bruce directing the others. The stories were written by experienced television scriptwriters such as Ian Kennedy-Martin (The Sweeney), Jeremy Burnham (The Avengers), and Bob Baker and Dave Martin (Doctor Who). The opening credits featured a title sequence by Alastair McMunro depicting two scorpions fighting on a black background, with a theme by Cyril Ornadel. Among the guest casts were noted actors Trevor Howard, Don Henderson, Geoffrey Palmer, Susan Engel, Christopher Benjamin and Stephen Murray.
Scorpion Tales was first screened on ITV on 29 April 1978, running each Saturday until 29 May. The final episode was delayed until 12 August. The series failed to recapture the success of Thriller and was eclipsed by Armchair Thriller, which ITV were screening around the same time and was not renewed for a second series. Scorpion Tales was released by Network DVD in December 2010, with a 15 certificate
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