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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)

The show kicks off with the MI5 agents restricted as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The tension ratchets up as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the government agents endeavor to depart, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to choose between firing at them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

The 1984 production Threads

Threads was low budget but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched because of the stark reality and bleak government data. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme which emphasised the reality and the offhand factual official statements that were transmitted. Remaining completely frightening after three and a half decades.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The first season finale of Severance has to be right up there in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, pushing alongside Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that allowed the Innies to remain active, while screaming at the Innies to get their truths out there. The concluding高潮 – “she’s alive!” – resembled a outburst.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

Installment five in Industry’s third series had my heart racing. I had to pause and get up and exit the space repeatedly due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty 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 may result in huge losses for his employer. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, gets beaten to a pulp. Every time you think it can’t get any worse, it does. There is a chance for salvation at the end of the episode yet he wastes the chance, with horrifying consequences in the concluding part of the season. Absolutely had to relax following that!

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 can cause you to stand for the full show, permeated with worry. The tension escalates once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they by chance collide with and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it is possible!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001

Nothing I have seen has been as tense compared to my initial viewing the second season finale of The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak with a situation in Haiti, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Wonderful television. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train alongside his juvenile boy, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He spots a Muslim woman going into the loo and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and attempt to convince the woman to remove her explosive vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001

Buffy comes into her home to find her mum has passed away of natural causes, which is the most unusual type of death in this mystical program. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The final scene of the final episode 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 adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Think about the small elements.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony sadly tells Carmela difficulties are arising with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. 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 raises his gaze. Continue. It ceases. My spirit fell roughly 20 minutes after.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I remained awake to view this installment at 2am. It was so intense following the introduction of villain Negan finding the group, savagely teasing his prey then not knowing who he killed (finished with an unresolved situation). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season