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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003

This installment starts with the intelligence unit restricted while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As events unfold, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The suspense builds as reports reveal a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to choose between firing at them or allowing them to leave and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. As this is Spooks, his decision is predictable.

The 1984 production Threads

Threads was low budget but one of the most frightening programmes I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago after seeing the first airing; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield featured in the show which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details that aired. Remaining completely frightening decades on.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there among intense episodes. 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 yelling at the Innies to disclose their facts. The final climactic moment – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit at work and home – overwhelmed by debt to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks 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, gets beaten to a pulp. Whenever you assume things cannot decline more, it does. There’s hope of redemption by the episode’s conclusion yet he wastes the chance, leading to terrible outcomes in the concluding part of the season. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!

The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday

Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. However, the Holiday episode contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand for the full show, permeated with worry. It all ramps up when Jeremy and Mark realize needing to deceive regarding the dog they by chance collide with and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001

Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense than the first time I watched the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The show opens with the fallout of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s personal secretary and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to run for another term. Wonderful television. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one from 2018

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the protagonist 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 bomb squad is alerted, enter the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to remove her explosive vest. Anxiety builds to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001

Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise in this mystical program. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a somber mood, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.

The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America

The concluding moment of the last installment of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Strange people enter the restaurant. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow parks. 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. Continue. It stops. My heart sank roughly 20 minutes after.

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

I kept late hours to see this show at 2am. It was so intense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season