🔗 Share this article

The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The show kicks off with the intelligence unit restricted during a training exercise about a potential terror incident, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical agent deployed. The anxiety increases as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, and the government agents endeavor to depart, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to decide between shooting them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads from 1984

The production was inexpensive but one of the most frightening programmes I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield shown in the series that highlighted the truth and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.

The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are

The first season finale of Severance ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I remained for the whole show literally perched nervously, pushing alongside Dylan to hold the switches that kept the Innies on overtime, while shouting to the Innies to disclose their facts. The final climactic moment – “she is living!” – resembled a outburst.

Industry – White Mischief from 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 owing to the vast degree of the deliberate ruin I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit professionally and personally – buried in financial obligations to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks on a wager involving sterling which may result in huge losses for his employer. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, uses copious drugs and alcohol and wins, loses, wins, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes yet he wastes the chance, with horrifying consequences in the concluding part of the season. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!

Peep Show – Holiday (2007)

Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday contains such levels of cringe 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 doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)

Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense compared to my initial viewing the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The installment begins with the consequences of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train alongside his juvenile boy, is personally a top tense installment. He observes a woman in Islamic attire going into the loo and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, enter the train, and attempt to convince the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to a nearly intolerable level, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)

Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the rarest form of demise in this paranormal series. The show features no musical score, a gloomy atmosphere, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America (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 foes, genuine and fictional, were all vanquished. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Remember the little things.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony raises his gaze. Keep going. It stops. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.

The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016

I kept late hours to see this show during the night. It was so intense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season