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Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)

The episode begins with the MI5 agents restricted during a training exercise relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As the situation develops, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or allowing them to leave and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads from 1984

The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I have viewed owing to its grim authenticity and bleak government data. Viewed it recently having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield from the programme that highlighted the truth and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.

The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are

The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there as a tense chapter. I was throughout the episode literally perched nervously, exerting with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while yelling at the Innies to get their truths out there. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

The fifth episode of Industry’s third season had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks on a wager involving sterling which could lose his company millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it worsens. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences in the season finale. Certainly required a rest afterward!

Peep Show – Holiday (2007)

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. But the episode Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it’ll have you standing up the whole episode, riddled with anxiety. The tension escalates once Jeremy and Mark find themselves having to lie about the dog they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it can be!

The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals

Nothing I have seen has been as tense than the first time I watched the second season finale of The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information of the president’s MS diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to pursue re-election. Superb programming. 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 spots a Muslim woman entering the restroom and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, enter the train, and attempt to convince the woman to take off her suicide vest. Anxiety builds to a nearly intolerable level, until yes, the vest is diffused.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)

Buffy enters her house to find her mum has passed away of natural causes, which is the most unusual type of death in this paranormal series. The show features no musical score, a gloomy atmosphere, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The final scene of the final episode of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all overcome. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Think about the small elements.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with another member of his team cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks. Strange people enter the restaurant. Look at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The bell sounds, an individual enters. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony looks up. Keep going. It halts. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.

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

I stayed up to watch this episode at 2am. It was so intense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims and then keeping the death a mystery (concluded with a suspenseful moment). 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