‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most gripping TV episodes of all time

The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The episode begins with the Spooks team locked down while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, supervised by two Home Office agents. As the situation develops, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and escalates when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to opt for either shooting them or permitting their exit and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads from 1984

Threads was low budget but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently following the initial broadcast; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub from the programme which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

Severance – The We We Are (2022)

The first season finale of Severance ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I remained for the whole show literally perched nervously, exerting with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while yelling at the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she survives!” – resembled a outburst.

Industry – White Mischief (2024)

Episode five of the third series of Industry had my heart racing. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble at work and home – up to his eyeballs in debt to illegal creditors owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances with a gamble on the pound which may result in huge losses for his employer. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, does tons of drugs and drink and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Whenever you assume the situation cannot deteriorate further, it does. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode but he misses the opening, resulting in dreadful effects in the season finale. Certainly required a rest afterward!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. Yet the installment Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up for the full show, permeated with worry. The tension escalates as Jeremy and Mark discover needing to deceive regarding the dog they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You then spend the rest of the episode wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it can be!

The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals

Nothing I have seen has been as tense than the first time I watched the second season finale of The West Wing. The episode starts with the aftermath of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s confidential aide and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to pursue re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and try to persuade the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to a practically unendurable point, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)

Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died from natural reasons, which is the most unusual type of death in this mystical program. The show features no musical score, a somber mood, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering 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 – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with an additional associate working with the government. Meadow parks. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks her car. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Don’t stop. It ceases. My heart dropped from my mouth around 20 minutes subsequently.

The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)

I stayed up to watch this episode during the night. It was incredibly tense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims and then keeping the death a mystery (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the subdued noises – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season