It’s been another exciting year for television viewers, with big new shows lighting up the airwaves, shock departures of beloved characters, musical memories being made and political theatre playing out in front of us.
There were plenty of contenders for the best TV moments of 2025, with those not quite making the cut ranging from Noel Edmonds’s wellness routine on his farm in New Zealand to the return of Angie Watts in EastEnders.
Here’s our top ten, but which moments made an impact for you this year? Let us know in the comments below.
The top ten TV moments of 202510 Rodrigo and Robert rock
The BBC has made Glastonbury into an unmissable TV event, showcasing many of the best artists in the world. One of its great successes as a TV spectacle is that there’s music from every era and genre showcased across the festival stages. However, it’s not often that two worlds collide and kids and their parents (and perhaps even some grandparents) are united by a performance, but when the pop sensation headliner Olivia Rodrigo asked the Cure frontman Robert Smith on stage to play with her this year, the stars aligned. She described him as “perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England … a Glastonbury legend and a personal hero of mine”, before he joined her on the Pyramid Stage for versions of Friday I’m in Love and Just Like Heaven to the roar of the Somerset crowd and viewers at home.
9 That moment in The Last of Us
If you haven’t seen the second series of HBO’s epic drama, look away now — which is what we all wanted to do when, in episode two, Joel (Pedro Pascal) dies in a grim murder. Fans of the video game knew it was coming, but still, it was brutal, relentless and brilliantly executed by Pascal and Kaitlyn Dever who, as Abby, lures Joel to a mountain lodge and, with her Firefly friends, kills him. It’s a key moment in a series that always puts the human above the zombies.
8 Player 100 plays catch …
One of the most impressive things about the reality show Squid Game: The Challenge is how quickly you care about certain players. This time, it was Mark (Player 100) who won us over, an endearing contestant who just wanted to “make friends, make good allies and not think about the money until top 30”. But then came Catch, the intense game where he was singled out by another player for not being strong enough to catch the ball. And spoiler alert, he didn’t do it and was eliminated. It was devastating but Mark will be remembered for trying to defy the bullies. Here’s hoping he got the Star Wars-themed wedding he always wanted.
7 The ultimate comedy battle
The premise of Last One Laughing UK (Prime Video) is simple: put ten comedians in a room and boot them out if they chuckle. But with a cast list that’s a who’s who of funny people, from Daisy May Cooper to Joe Lycett, this show was a blast of intricate jokes and mischief. Two comedians rose above the rest, and survived the longest: Richard Ayoade and Bob Mortimer. The highlight of their rivalry was when they went speed dating, a shootout between two great comic minds. It included discussions about what their parents do (working at Nasa, “the supermarket”) and drawing under a horse (where it “can get real, real fast”). The question was who would break first out of the pair and the onlookers. The line that broke Ayoade? “My mother worked in arms … she sold swords.” The genius of Mortimer.
6 Tears of a chancellor
It’s fair to say not everything has gone quite to plan for the Labour government since coming to office 18 months ago, but when Rachel Reeves broke down in tears behind Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions in July, an extraordinary television moment played out. While Reeves later said her tears were due to “a personal matter”, the highly unusual situation under the glare of the lights and cameras of the House of Commons not only shook the markets but also led to wild rumours, speculation and innuendo.
5 A taboo is broken in Thailand
Mike White’s satire on the super-rich as they holiday reached its third season in 2025. After Hawaii and Sicily, we were taken to Thailand to meet another bunch of miserable millionaires as a murder mystery played out. The show always throws up some eyebrow-raising moments and none more so than the scene on a yacht after the full moon party featuring Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and the brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola). While the executive producer David Bernad explained that the scene was part of the narrative arc for the brothers, it certainly managed to shock many viewers along the way.
4 Doctor Who?!
Doctor Who may have a reputation for the unexpected but the show produced a truly jaw-dropping and confusing surprise this May when we said goodbye to Ncuti Gatwa, who’d played the Fifteenth Doctor for two series. As is customary, he regenerated in a flash of bright light, but no one was prepared for the face that came out the other side: that of Billie Piper, who played companion Rose opposite first Christopher Eccleston then David Tennant’s Doctors. What the showrunner Russell T Davies is up to remains a matter of debate in the Whovian community. However, with fan-favourite Piper back in the show (if even for a short while) this classic moment has set up an exciting next chapter.
3 The Lionesses roar
England teams rarely gives their sporting fans, and the Lionesses were no exception in Switzerland in July as they battled against Spain for 120 minutes in the Euro 2025 final. With the score 1-1 after extra time, nails across the nation were shredded as the game was to be decided by the dreaded penalty shoot-out. As more than 12 million people watched on, Sarina Wiegman’s team produced the goods, unleashing an almighty nationwide cheer as Chloe Kelly sealed the deal. Take note, Mr Tuchel, we’re expecting big things from the men’s team next summer.
2 The end of a beautiful alliance
In October and November the nation was overcome by Celebrity Traitors mania, with huge audiences drawn in by unlikely contestants, from Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross to Clare Balding and Celia Imrie. However, after eight exciting episodes, and with the “big dogs” out of the race, the finale was decided by the rupture in an alliance that looked to be about to bring down the devious traitors. While the ex-England rugby player Joe Marler was convinced his “hundy” was going to carry him across the finishing line victorious, Nick Mohammed’s last-minute about-turn at the fire pit shocked the nation as poor Joe was banished, leaving Alan Carr victorious. It was event television, the like of which we thought had long gone. Simply superb.
1 A star is born
Just 14 years old when he filmed Adolescence, the Warrington schoolboy Owen Cooper became the youngest male recipient of an Emmy for his truly brilliant performance in the Netflix series. Accepting his award, aged 15, for his first professional acting role, Cooper delivered an emotional and inspirational speech that lit up the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and cemented his place as one of Britain’s best young talents for the future.
“When I started these drama classes a couple of years back, I didn’t expect to even be in the United States, never mind here,” he said. “I think tonight proves if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.
“Who cares if you get embarrassed? Anything can be possible. I was nothing about three years ago; I’m here now.”
Which TV moments made an impact for you this year? Let us know in the comments below.