‘I truly required a break after that!’ The most nerve-wracking TV episodes of all time

The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The show kicks off with the MI5 agents restricted while undergoing a drill about a potential terror incident, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as reports reveal a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to choose between firing at them or permitting their exit and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads from 1984

Threads had minimal funding but one of the most frightening programmes I’ve ever seen owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently after seeing the first airing; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series which emphasised the reality and the offhand factual official statements that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The first season finale of Severance ranks highly among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode literally perched nervously, exerting with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that allowed the Innies to remain active, while yelling at the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she survives!” – felt like an explosion.

The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief

Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and depart the area multiple times due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit professionally and personally – buried in financial obligations to loan sharks due to his addictive betting, 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 alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. However, the Holiday episode contains such levels of cringe that it’ll have you standing up throughout the entire episode, filled with nervousness. The situation intensifies once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they unintentionally hit 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 can be!

The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals

Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense than the first time I watched the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The episode starts with the aftermath 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 about the president’s MS condition, coupled with verification of his aim to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Unequaled.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The start of the British program Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train with his young son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He spots a Muslim woman entering the restroom and realizes something is amiss. The bomb diffuser experts are called, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased of natural causes, which is the least common kind of passing in this paranormal series. The episode has no background music, 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 ultimate sequence of the series finale of the show was pants-wettingly tense. 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, had all been defeated. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Remember the little things.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony gloomily informs Carmela problems are brewing with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks the vehicle. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The bell sounds, an individual enters. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It halts. My spirit fell about 20 minutes later.

The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016

I kept late hours to see this show in the early morning. It was so intense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, savagely teasing his prey and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season