It’s been another vintage year for British TV – whether you’re bang into your dramas or prefer the real-life drama of reality TV, there has been something for everyone to enjoy on the box this year.
And the majority of those shows served up moments that made us truly made us gasp.
As we ready ourselves for another year of settling down in front of the telly, we’re taking a look back on some of 2018′s most talked about TV moments...
1. Julia is killed in ‘Bodyguard’
There was a reason ‘Bodyguard’ was the highest rated show of the year, and that is because every single episode delivered in terms of action, twists and performances. But perhaps the biggest talking point of the series was whether or not Home Secretary Julia Montague was dead or not - the debate around which all stemmed from this explosive moment.
2. Roxanne claims she has been punched on ‘Celebrity Big Brother’
Anyone who claimed ‘Big Brother’ was no longer a talking point was well and truly proven wrong when the show dominated headlines back in August, over Roxanne Pallett’s false accusations Ryan Thomas had punched her in the house.
3. Emma Willis’ interview with Roxanne
After she walked from the ‘CBB’ house having been outed as a liar, a squirming Roxanne was interviewed by host Emma Willis to apologise (definitely not to try and do some damage control). Emma’s face throughout their chat spoke for the nation, and never have the words “OK, thanks everyone” sounded more savage.
4. ‘Marcella’ in self-mutilation horror
The second series of ITV’s crime noir came to a horrific end after its titular character came to the realisation she had accidentally smothered her own baby. It resulted in Marcella self-mutilating herself by cutting off all her hair and giving herself a Chelsea smile in an attempt to escape her identity. Gruesome stuff.
5. Jodie Whittaker’s stunning ‘Doctor Who’ debut
One of the most hotly-anticipated TV moments of the year came in the form of Jodie’s first proper outing as the Time Lord, and boy she did not disappoint. Her debut episode proved she was more than a match for any of her male predecessors, and left audiences feeling like she had always played the part.
6. Kim Woodburn and Coleen Nolan’s ‘Loose Women’ showdown
Believe it or not, Kim’s appearance on ‘Loose Women’ was meant to act as peace talks between her and former ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ housemate Coleen, but the result couldn’t have been more different. It ended with Kim storming off set following an explosive row, and Coleen temporarily stepping down from the panel amid accusations of bullying.
7. Jane McDonald wins a Bafta
Speaking of Loose Women, who could have predicted that former panellist Jane McDonald would one day be calling herself a Bafta winner? Well that’s exactly what happened back in the summer, when her Channel 5 series ‘Cruising With Jane McDonald’ picked up the award for Best Feature. Her reaction was pure joy.
8. Love Island’s Brexit conversation
While it seems everyone has an opinion on Brexit, one group of people who didn’t were the ‘Love Island’ contestants - in fact, it turned out a few of them weren’t exactly sure what it was. A classic (if not facepalm-inducing) moment of reality TV.
9. Alison Hammond pushes a man into the Albert Dock
‘This Morning’ turned the grand old age of 30 earlier this year, but all of the celebrations were eclipsed by a certain Alison Hammond - more specifically, the moment she accidentally pushed a scantily-clad male assistant into Liverpool’s Albert Dock as she attempted to present a weather forecast from the show’s former home.
10. Stormzy’s Brits performance
In one of the most politically-charged music performances in recent memory, Stormzy shook the Brits back in February when he used the opportunity to call out Theresa May on live TV for her response to the Grenfell disaster.
11. Barbara dies in ‘Call The Midwife’
Fans of the BBC midwifery drama were left distraught by the sudden death of one of the show’s leading stars, when Nurse Barbara Hereward - played by Charlotte Ritchie - passed away after contracting a bout of deadly meningitis. It originally looked like she was going to pull through the ordeal, but in a shock twist, her condition deteriorated, and she died with husband Tom at her bedside.
12. Asia O’Hara’s failed ‘Drag Race’ stunt
Asia O’Hara left ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ fans shook during her finale lip-sync when she accidentally massacred a load of butterflies as a stunt went horribly wrong. Miss Vanjie and Monique Heart’s faces were a picture.
13. Danny Dyer’s Brexit rant
The ‘EastEnders’ actor spoke for the nation when he made a now infamous appearance on an evening edition of ‘Good Morning Britain’. He went from confusion to anger in a matter of seconds when discussing the UK’s exit from the EU, before dubbing former prime minister David Cameron a “twat”.
14. Alex kills Vadim in ‘McMafia’
One of the tensest dramas of the year concluded with James Norton’s character Alex finally getting revenge on the evil Mafia boss Vadim, who was responsible for the destruction of his family, and the death of his uncle.
15. Seann and Katya on ‘It Takes Two’
After the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ pair were filmed kissing in the street on a night out despite both having partners, they made an uncomfortable appearance on the BBC Two spin-off show to apologise for their actions. Two months on, and we’ve only just managed to uncurl our toes.
16. Love Island’s Megan steals Wes from Laura
Girl code seemed to go out of the window when Megan Barton Hanson cracked on to Wes Nelson behind Laura Anderson’s back on the ITV2 reality show. While Wes and Megan have made a go of it outside of the villa, we’re still Team Laura on this one.
17. The truth is revealed in ‘The Cry’
We’ll admit ‘The Cry’ was difficult to get our heads around to start off with, but it was well worth sticking with when the truth behind Joanna’s son’s “disappearance” was heartbreakingly revealed.
18. Sharon and Keanu’s affair in ‘EastEnders’
There have been some truly remarkable (if that’s the right word) moments to come out of Sheaun’s illicit affair on ‘EastEnders’, but this particular scene is something else. We also love how clear it is to see just how much Letitia Dean has relished this storyline.
19. Faye Tozer’s Showdance
There are some routines that go down in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ history. This was one of them.
20. Matt Johnson’s water stunt on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’
‘Britain’s Got Talent’ has featured many death-defying stunts over the years, but never before have we been this concerned for someone’s life. Six months on, Matt Johnson’s semi-final performance still has us gasping for breath.
21. Stage invader crashes SuRie’s Eurovision performance
There was a genuine moment of panic when an intruder stormed onto the Eurovision stage while UK entrant SuRie was performing during this year’s contest, wrestling her microphone off her to blast the “Nazis of the UK media”. Luckily, Surie was OK and soldiered on with her performance, but the mishap did nothing to improve our final rankings, sadly.
22. Holly Willoughby’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’ reactions
As most ‘This Morning’ viewers already knew, Holly Willoughby is pretty easily terrified, but few could have predicted quite how extreme her reaction(s) to the Bushtucker Trials would have been when she stood in for presenter Ant McPartlin on this year’s ’I’m A Celebrity’. Absolutely priceless.
23. Villanelle breaks into Eve’s house on ‘Killing Eve’
There was no shortage of jaw-dropping moments in ‘Killing Eve’ but the best by far was episodes five’s incredible face off between Villanelle and Eve. Having returned from a (failed) attempt to find the serial killer in Berlin, Eve found herself face to face with Villanelle when she broke into her house. What followed was incredibly surreal; we saw Villanelle dunk the Mi5 agent under a cold tap in a bid to calm her down and threaten to stab her. They traded compliments and were openly flirty. Jodie Comer’s character offered some style advice and of course, the two women sat down to share some shepherd’s pie.