Brimstone and Treacle is a 1976 play by Dennis Potter which is best known via adaptations as a 1976 BBC television play and a 1982 film co-starring Sting.

The play follows the fortunes of a middle-aged middle-class couple living in a North London suburb. Their life has been catastrophically affected by a hit-and-run accident which has left their beautiful undergraduate daughter in a coma, but their existence is dramatically changed by the arrival of a mysterious young stranger.

Brimstone and Treacle is a modern gothic tale about the evil that men do and the price that must be paid to make things right. The film, a remake of a 1976 teleplay that included Denholm Elliot in its original cast as Mr. Bates, the film also included an incredibly cool soundtrack of songs by artists like The Go-Go's, The Police, Squeeze and an irreverently stylish 1930's little diddy called "Spread A Little Happiness", performed by Sting by himself. Written by Gerry Kissell

Tom Bates is racked with guilt over causing his daughter, Patricia, to be an invalid (she accidentally ran into an oncoming truck after catching him and his secretary having sex), so he reluctantly invites a young man home to dinner whom he mistakenly believes is his daughter's old school friend. Mrs. Bates finds their visitor, Martin Taylor, quite charming and welcomes the change in the long and arduous work of taking care of their daughter, so she invites him to stay for a few days. Mr. Bates is quite leery of Martin, but in the interest of keeping peace with his wife and trying to keep his guilt in check, he agrees to let him stay. Martin slowly exploits the Bates' trust as he hatches an evil plot that will change all of their lives. Written by Adam Thomas