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The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

This installment starts with the Spooks team locked down during a training exercise concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place with a chemical weapon released. The suspense builds as reports reveal a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and intensifies when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or permitting their exit and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads (1984)

The production was inexpensive but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched due to its harsh realism and grim official statistics. Watched it about a month ago having watched the original; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series which emphasised the reality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The first season finale of Severance deserves a top spot among intense episodes. I spent the entire episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, straining every sinew with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while yelling at the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she survives!” – felt like an explosion.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

Installment five in Industry’s third series made my pulse quicken. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times owing to the vast degree of the deliberate ruin I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty professionally and personally – overwhelmed by debt to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks on a wager involving sterling that might cost his firm millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, does tons of drugs and drink and alternates between success and failure, is brutally attacked. Each instance you believe things cannot decline more, it worsens. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences in the season finale. Absolutely had to relax following that!

The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday

Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. Yet the installment Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand for the full show, riddled with anxiety. The tension escalates as Jeremy and Mark discover needing to deceive regarding the dog they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid 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 (2001)

No other viewing has been as gripping than the first time I watched the season two finale to The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s confidential aide and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Never bettered.

The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character 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 knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to remove her explosive vest. Anxiety builds to an almost unbearable degree, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy arrives at her residence to discover her mother has died from natural reasons, which is the most unusual type of death in this mystical program. The show features no musical score, a sullen tone, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)

The concluding moment of the last installment of the program was incredibly anxious. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all vanquished. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Think about the small elements.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony gloomily informs Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It halts. My spirit fell roughly 20 minutes after.

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

I stayed up to watch this episode during the night. It was incredibly tense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets and then keeping the death a mystery (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season