The best bit of gripping TV/film you’ve ever seen.

[Jobhelpplease]

Thought I’d lighten the mood a little and with an almost free weekend to watch whatever I want due to husband working away wondered if I could ask the most gripping bit of TV or film you’ve ever seen...

I’ve a couple to start us off, The Fall and in particular a scene between Jamie Dorman and Gillian Anderson.

Happy Valley

May I destroy you (I was still processing this for weeks after)

Normal people (just absolutely beautiful)

Give me yours.

Original series of Utopia
Original series of State of play
Original series of Prime Suspect

Some of the first series of the Handmaids Tale was absolutely gripping. There's one particular scene after the women get their bank accounts frozen and lose their jobs. They go on a protest March and the police open fire. I couldn't get that out of my head - partly because of the way they used the music but also it felt so true to life and horrendous

Quite a lot of ER, including the helicopter crash, and the one with Dr Gant (think I've got his name right?)

Don't F* With Cats on Netflix was gripping/highly addictive.

The episode of Neighbours when they dug up Mrs Mangle's patio!

@LondonWolf

The Red Wedding - GOT. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself afterwards.

Oh god, you just made me go and watch that again. Horrific!

If I can throw in a book, then it would be the escape sequence in Room. It was brilliantly done in the film as well, but not quite as nail-biting as in the book. I could hardly breathe while reading it.

The Bridge and the Killing
Jack Ryan series 1,
Game of Thrones, the penultimate episode of each series was generally brilliant and gripping,
ER - the episode where Carter gets stabbed
Killing Eve - series 1

The sniper scene and the end of the Bodyguard... When the bullets hit the car in the sniper scene I nearly fell off the sofa!
The end of the series of Endeavour when it's Endeavour Thursday and Strange against the dodgy cops!!

Massively underrated series from the same writer as Its A Sin, Russell T Davies - it was on BBC 1 and it was called 'Years and Years'. The scene where Russell Tovey's character and his boyfriend get their passports stolen and have to take a dinghy boat overloaded with other migrants to and get back to the UK and Russell Tovey's character drowns when the boat sinks. Did not see it coming at all, I was devastated!

Also when Sonya saw Toadie cheat on him with fake Dee over webcam on Neighbours. Outstanding acting when they aired the fallout!

It's one among many but I remember the end of the film Gallipoli where I was willing that the character played by Mel Gibson would get back to the trench with orders to stop his friends going over the top on a suicidal attack. Of course he didn't make it by a few seconds and I came out of the cinema with tears streaming down my face.
Also many memorable scenes in Chernobyl, superb series.

Watched The West Wing over lockdown with my teens, so many great episodes/series.

Echo the comments about The Accused. So traumatic.

Loved Priest with Sean Bean

There's been a few moments that spring to mind from Unforgotten. When Mark Bonner gives a devastating monologue in series 2 and the scenes that immediately follow that. Then the murderer interview in series 3 (some very clever camera work in that). There's several other bits in all four series, Chris Lang is the master of this stuff imo.

Also agree with the comments about The Accused. Never quite got over seeing that. Jodie Foster's masterpiece film.

@GreenFlipFlop I read an interview about Years and Years. Originally it was going to be the other character drowning but Russell T Davies realised that it would be so much more powerful if it was Russell Tovey’s character - and he was right!

But he’d been promised the whole series so he had to break to news that he does half way through…!

OK peeps where will I find chernobyl and its a sin?

Chernobyl is the greatest TV ever made in my opinion. Gripping from start to finish.

It's a sin was exceptional - on 4 on demand

'Dunkirk' was one of the most tense films I've ever seen!

Agree about Chernobyl, bloody amazing TV.

Anne Boleyn's execution scene in Wolf Hall. Claire Foy's performance was mesmerising.

Something very recent, Life and Death in the Warehouse. Sat in silence afterwards thinking about it and how the consumer's desire for convenience is creating such misery for other people. It is really worth a watch.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00157z7

@Leftbutcameback

Quite a lot of ER, including the helicopter crash, and the one with Dr Gant (think I've got his name right?)

Doug Ross and the kid trapped in the storm drain! What an episode.

Chernobyl was immense. So good.

I always think of some episodes of Cracker with the hugely under rated Robbie Coltrane when people ask about great tv. That episode with Robert Carlyle - many years later it still comes to mind. Intense!!

I found the film Eye in the Sky incredibly tense and anxiety inducing.

@lancslass17

OK peeps where will I find chernobyl and its a sin?

I paid £5.99 for Chernobyl on Amazon Prime. Will be available elsewhere too I'm sure, no idea if it's free anywhere. Well worth the price though!

Its a Sin is on Channel Four on demand.

State of Play a really good call
And Chernobyl

@Lansonmaid

It's one among many but I remember the end of the film Gallipoli where I was willing that the character played by Mel Gibson would get back to the trench with orders to stop his friends going over the top on a suicidal attack. Of course he didn't make it by a few seconds and I came out of the cinema with tears streaming down my face. Also many memorable scenes in Chernobyl, superb series.

I remember seeing Gallipoli at Uni film club in the late 80s. I was crying so hard at the end that my friends had to support me out of the room, I was virtually hysterical. So powerful.

Season 4 of Dexter is probably the best season and the Thanksgiving dinner episode contains a moment that is so shocking in its violence (verbal not physical) that I felt like I'd been punched when I saw it - you see the whole fake "happy family" facade just fall apart. It's a stunning portrayal of domestic violence and evil.