‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ The most gripping TV episodes of all time

Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)

This installment starts with the MI5 agents confined during a training exercise relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The anxiety increases as incoming communications show a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the government agents endeavor to depart, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads (1984)

The production was inexpensive but one of the most frightening programmes I have ever watched because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield shown in the series which underscored the actuality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season has to be right up there among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode literally perched nervously, straining every sinew with Dylan to hold the switches that allowed the Innies to remain active, while screaming at the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – felt like an explosion.

Industry – White Mischief (2024)

Installment five in Industry’s third series had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly due to the immense extent of the deliberate ruin I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble at work and home – up to his eyeballs in debt from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, engaging in dangerous ventures with a gamble on the pound that might cost his firm millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it worsens. Redemption seems possible by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects in the season finale. Absolutely had to relax following that!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. Yet the installment Holiday features such degrees of awkwardness that it can cause you to stand throughout the entire episode, permeated with worry. It all ramps up once Jeremy and Mark find themselves needing to deceive regarding the dog they unintentionally hit and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001

Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense compared to my initial viewing the second season finale of The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy about the president’s MS condition, coupled with verification of his aim to seek re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and realizes something is amiss. The bomb squad is alerted, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until yes, the vest is diffused.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased of natural causes, which is the least common kind of passing in this supernatural show. The episode has no background music, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The concluding moment of the last installment of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Think about the small elements.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with an additional associate working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Look at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It stops. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.

The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016

I kept late hours to see this show at 2am. It was incredibly tense following the introduction of villain Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims then not knowing who he killed (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season