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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003

The show kicks off with the Spooks team confined during a training exercise relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, overseen by two Home Office officials. As the situation develops, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the government agents endeavor to depart, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads (1984)

Threads was low budget but one of the most frightening programmes I have ever watched due to its harsh realism and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield featured in the show which underscored the actuality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The season one finale of Severance ranks highly as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to hold the switches that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to get their truths out there. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – resembled a outburst.

The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief

Installment five in Industry’s third series made my pulse quicken. I was compelled to halt and rise and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders because of his compulsive gambling, 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, does tons of drugs and drink and wins, loses, wins, is brutally attacked. Every time you think it can’t get any worse, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, leading to terrible outcomes during the season’s final episode. Certainly required a rest afterward!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. But the episode Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it will make you rise the whole episode, permeated with worry. The situation intensifies once Jeremy and Mark find themselves needing to deceive regarding the dog they accidentally run over and following tries to eliminate it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it can be!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001

No other viewing has been as gripping compared to my initial viewing the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s confidential aide and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to seek re-election. Excellent TV. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train with his young son, is personally a top tense installment. He observes a woman in Islamic attire heading to the toilet and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, enter 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.

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 show features no musical score, a somber mood, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)

The concluding moment of the last installment of the program was incredibly anxious. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, had all been defeated. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Think about the small elements.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with an additional associate collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Strange people enter the restaurant. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow finds a spot. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony raises his gaze. Keep going. It halts. My heart sank about 20 minutes later.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I stayed up to watch this episode during the night. It was extremely gripping following the introduction of villain Negan finding the group, savagely teasing his prey and then keeping the death a mystery (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muffled sounds – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season