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

The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The show kicks off with the intelligence unit confined while undergoing a drill about a potential terror incident, supervised by two Home Office agents. As events unfold, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads from 1984

Threads was low budget yet among the scariest shows I have viewed due to its harsh realism and bleak government data. Watched it about a month ago following the initial broadcast; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme which underscored the actuality and the glib matter-of-fact official information which was broadcast. Continuing to be utterly horrifying after three and a half decades.

Severance – The We We Are (2022)

The first season finale of Severance deserves a top spot in terms of gripping installments. I spent the entire episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to reveal their realities. The concluding高潮 – “she survives!” – resembled a outburst.

The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief

Installment five in Industry’s third series made my pulse quicken. I had to pause and get up and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble at work and home – up to his eyeballs in debt to illegal creditors because of his compulsive gambling, assuming hazardous chances with a gamble on the pound which could lose his company millions. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, does tons of drugs and drink and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Whenever you assume it can’t get any worse, it worsens. There is a chance for salvation by the episode’s conclusion yet he wastes the chance, leading to terrible outcomes during the season’s final episode. Certainly required a rest afterward!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday features such degrees of awkwardness that it will make you rise the whole episode, riddled with anxiety. The situation intensifies as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they unintentionally hit and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it turns out to be!

The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals

No other viewing has been as gripping as when I first saw the season two finale to The West Wing. The episode starts with the aftermath of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy of the president’s MS diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He observes a woman in Islamic attire going into the loo and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, enter the train, and try to persuade the woman to take off her suicide vest. Suspense rises to a practically unendurable point, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)

Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this paranormal series. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s shock of discovering 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 viewed it when it first premiered, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony gloomily informs Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks the vehicle. Strange people enter the restaurant. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Keep going. It stops. My heart dropped from my mouth around 20 minutes subsequently.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I remained awake to view this installment in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the buildup of bad guy Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (finished with an unresolved situation). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muffled sounds – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season