‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most nerve-wracking television episodes of all time
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
The episode begins with the intelligence unit restricted as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As events unfold, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as reports reveal a disaster happening externally, and escalates as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or letting them go and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. As this is Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
Threads (1984)
Threads had minimal funding but one of the most frightening programmes I have viewed because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently following the initial broadcast; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield featured in the show which underscored the actuality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that were transmitted. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there among intense episodes. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while yelling at the Innies to reveal their realities. The ultimate peak – “she’s alive!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season had my heart racing. I had to pause and get up and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations to illegal creditors due to his addictive betting, assuming hazardous chances with a gamble on the pound that might cost his firm millions. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is brutally attacked. Every time you think it can’t get any worse, it does. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode yet he wastes the chance, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. But the episode Holiday features such degrees of awkwardness that it can cause you to stand for the full show, riddled with anxiety. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover being compelled to falsify about the canine they unintentionally hit and later efforts to get rid of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it is possible!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001
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 passing (in a road incident) of the president’s confidential aide and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Unequaled.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female going into the loo and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, enter the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to remove her explosive vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until yes, the vest is diffused.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy enters her house to realize her mom has deceased of natural causes, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a gloomy atmosphere, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.
The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America
The final scene of the final episode of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, had all been defeated. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow parks. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with an additional associate collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony looks up. Don’t stop. It halts. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I kept late hours to see this show in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan finding the group, savagely teasing his prey and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
