‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most nerve-wracking episodes of TV of all time

Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003

The show kicks off with the MI5 agents restricted as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, overseen by two Home Office officials. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The tension ratchets up as reports reveal a disaster happening externally, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, and the government agents endeavor to depart, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads from 1984

The production was inexpensive but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and bleak government data. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield from the programme which underscored the actuality and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while shouting to the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty professionally and personally – overwhelmed by debt to illegal creditors due to his addictive betting, engaging in dangerous ventures 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 severely assaulted. Whenever you assume things cannot decline more, it worsens. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Certainly required a rest afterward!

Peep Show – Holiday (2007)

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. But the episode Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up for the full show, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they by chance collide with and later efforts to get rid of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it turns out to be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)

Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense as when I first saw the second season finale of The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak with a crisis in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information of the president’s MS diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to run for another term. Wonderful television. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one from 2018

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train with his young son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He notices a Muslim female going into the loo and realizes something is amiss. The bomb diffuser experts are called, get on the train, and attempt to convince the woman to remove her explosive vest. Anxiety builds to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy enters her house to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The final scene of the final episode of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Remember the little things.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with yet another of his crew cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks the vehicle. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony glances upward. Keep going. It ceases. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I stayed up to watch this episode in the early morning. It was extremely gripping after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, savagely teasing his prey and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The first-person perspective of the victim and the subdued noises – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season