Everyone loves a high-stakes, high-tension tell event – but does your personal favourite make the final cut of the top 20 shows and programmes guaranteed to shock?
Forget bungee jumping, skydiving or cage diving with sharks – most Brits say they prefer to get their kicks out of … watching telly.
As many as seven in ten Brits say the best shock factor of their lives is a thumping good TV show. The Traitors, Stranger Things and Happy Valley are all among the top programmes for a nail-biting evening in with the box.
But Brits also love a classic tense soap scene, with Den serving Angie divorce papers on Christmas Day, with 30 million people tuned in to watch (EastEnders 1986), as well as the iconic, “Who shot Phil?” storyline from 2001 (and the shocking tram crash from Corrie), all making the list.
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Classic series Game of Thrones also makes it into the top 20 heart-stopping TV shows – especially the Red Wedding massacre, where the King of the North, Rob Stark is betrayed by Walder Frey.
The tension of watching The Traitors appears to be hitting viewers physically as well as emotionally, with 19% of Brits saying simply watching the Round Table discussions raises their heart rate, while 37% say the Traitor vs Traitor showdown from this season was the moment that set their pulse racing the most.
It’s no surprise then that 71% of the 2,000 Brits surveyed say The Traitors leaves them feeling more shaken than scenes from scripted dramas, while 63% admit they find it hard to relax after watching the show.
Telly expert and critic Toby Earle, who was involved in the study by Asda pharmacy, discusses why Brits love a thrilling TV show, which sets our blood pumping and our heart racing.
“When a TV show has drawn you in so deeply you feel like your feet are in your screen hero or heroine’s shoes, where a life-changing plot twist means as much to you as to them, there’s no bigger rush you can have while sitting on your sofa.
“Heart-racing TV places us right in the centre of the action and can leave us wondering where the story will take us next, this uncertainty providing a delicious and shocking pleasure. Telly has the ability to take us to new and unimagined places, and there’s nothing like a nail-biting story line, which shatters our expectations. “Viewers of The Traitors could hardly draw a breath when Harry met, then betrayed Mollie, in the classic series finale. While this year’s icy exchange between traitors Rachel and Fiona in the turret turned all of us into speechless Stephens.The survey revealed as many as 83% of viewers prefer shows which get their adrenaline pumping and leave them catching their breath, while 45% admit they need to make a cup of tea after watching a tense show. THE MOST HEART-RACING TV MOMENTS OF ALL TIME, ACCORDING TO TELLY FANS… 1. Line of Duty – The Interrogation of “H” in AC-12 – A marathon interview where every word could blow the case apart2. Stranger Things – Max vs. Vecna at the Cemetery. “Running Up That Hill” becomes a desperate fight for survival3. Stranger Things – The Season 4 Finale Rift Battle. Multiple storylines converge as the clock tolls 4. Game of Thrones – “The Red Wedding”. The shocking massacre redefines what TV brutality and betrayal can feel like5. The Walking Dead – Negan’s Lineup. The bat swings, the screen fades and audiences hold their breath in dread 6. Breaking Bad – Walt Watches Hank Die in the Desert (“Ozymandias”) and his empire collapses7. Happy Valley – Catherine vs. Tommy Lee Royce in her kitchen Raw, personal, and terrifying 8. Prison Break – The Fox River Escape. Every second counts as the plan finally unfolds9. EastEnders – Den Serves Angie Divorce Papers (Christmas 1986) One of the most iconic dramatic moments in UK soap history10. Broadchurch – The Killer Reveal – A devastating emotional shock for the entire community 11. EastEnders – “Who Shot Phil?” (2001) – A national guessing game with a shocking reveal 12. Traitors – Fiona and Rachel’s stand-off in the Traitors turret 13. Luther – Alice Morgan’s First Confrontation with Luther – A battle of wits that crackles with menace 14. Traitors – Harry Clarke’s betrayal of best friend Mollie Pearce, as she trusted him to the very end only to discover he had been deceiving her all along 15. Dallas — “Who Shot J.R.?” Cliffhanger. The global water-cooler moment that defined TV suspense in the ’80s 16. Coronation Street (2010) – The Tram Crash – A disaster episode that left viewers breathless17. The Night Manager – The Final Confrontation – Cold-blooded espionage tension at its peak 18. Bodyguard — The Train Bomb Sequence (Episode 1) Tension ramps from zero to unbearable in minutes 19. Traitors – Murder in plain sight mission where Traitors Rachel and Stephen mark players on the family tree 20. Traitors – Faithful banishment at tense Round Table – when Ross was banished and his relationship with Ellie was revealed
