‘I truly required a break after that!’ The most nerve-wracking TV episodes ever

The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The episode begins with the intelligence unit 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 tension ratchets up as reports reveal a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, 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 potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.

The 1984 production Threads

Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I’ve ever seen owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield from the programme which emphasised the reality and the offhand factual official statements that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season has to be right up there among intense episodes. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while screaming at the Innies to reveal their realities. The ultimate peak – “she’s alive!” – resembled a outburst.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season made my pulse quicken. I was compelled to halt and rise and leave the room several times owing to the vast degree of the reckless self-harm I saw. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations to illegal creditors because of his compulsive gambling, assuming hazardous chances 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 alternates between success and failure, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe it can’t get any worse, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption at the end of the episode yet he wastes the chance, leading to terrible outcomes in the season finale. Certainly required a rest afterward!

The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday

Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. Yet the installment Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it can cause you to stand for the full show, permeated with worry. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it can be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)

No other viewing has been as gripping as when I first saw the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The episode starts with the aftermath of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure of the president’s MS diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to run for another term. Wonderful television. Never bettered.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The start of the British program Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train with his young son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female entering the restroom and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to remove her explosive vest. Anxiety builds to a nearly intolerable level, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy arrives at her residence to discover her mother has died due to natural factors, which is the least common kind of passing in this mystical program. The episode has no background music, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)

The concluding moment of the last installment of the program was incredibly anxious. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all overcome. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Remember the little things.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sadly tells Carmela difficulties are arising with an additional associate cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The door chimes, a person comes in. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony looks up. Keep going. It ceases. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I remained awake to view this installment at 2am. It was extremely gripping after the buildup of bad guy Negan discovering the characters, savagely teasing his prey then not knowing who he killed (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season