It’s 45 years since it was shown – but the “Who shot JR?” episode of Dallas has been crowned the most iconic TV show moment of all time
Who shot JR?
It’s been 45 years since it was shown, but the “Who Shot JR?” episode of Dallas has been crowned the most iconic TV show moment of all time.
Pollsters quizzed the nation’s most avid viewers, the over-55s, on their favourite small-screen moments that united the nation. Nearly four in ten UK viewers believe the world-famous “Who Shot JR?” episode of Dallas was the most memorable.
The “who-done-it” moment revealed who shot Texas oil baron JR Ewing, played by Larry Hagman. Some 21.6 million Brits out of a global audience of 350 million tuned in to discover that the culprit was JR’s sister-in-law and mistress, Kristin Shepard.
Joint second place in the poll, for Freeview channel Great TV, is the final Only Fools and Horses episode that saw the long-suffering Trotters finally achieve their dream of becoming millionaires.
Only Fools and Horses(Image: BBC)
The “Time on Our Hands” finale that gave the Trotters their “happy ever after” was chosen by a third of viewers. It drew a 24 million audience when first aired by the BBC in December 1996.
Tied in second place is the more recent moment, when stunned postmistress Jo Hamilton watched her accounts changing on the Horizon computer during ITV’s 2024 Mr Bates v The Post Office.
Mr Bates v The Post Office(Image: ITV)
Fourth place, chosen by a quarter of viewers, was the infamous 1986 Christmas episode of EastEnders when ‘Dirty’ Den Watts served wife Angie Watts divorce papers.
Some 30 million people tuned in for the iconic scene between Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobbs before the soap opera’s classic “doof, doof” ending chimed in.
Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty burst onto screens in 2012 before its highly captivating finale in 2021, chosen by a fifth of viewers left stunned by AC-12’s long-awaited unmasking of gangster H.
Other shows making the Top 10 included Gavin and Stacey, Coronation Street, MA*H and Happy Valley.
Gavin and Stacey(Image: BBC)
Viewers aged 55 plus were asked to name their top three most iconic TV moments. The age group – which accounts for an audience of 20 million – spends the most time watching the box but feels the most ignored by today’s producers.
Great TV Marketing Director Kate Gartland said: “From ‘Who shot JR?’ to Del Boy’s millionaire moment, these weren’t just TV shows – they were national events that brought us together, showing the power of good telly.
Alan Bradley hit by tram in Corrie(Image: Getty Images)
“Television is such an important part of life and provides some of our fondest memories, and our Great channels celebrate that with line-ups full of nostalgia and fan favourites.”
Top TV show moments
1: Dallas “Who Shot JR?” reveal (1980)
2: Only Fools & Horses “Time on Our Hands” (1996)
2: Mr Bates v The Post Office – Horizon numbers doubling episode (2024)
4: Den Watts serves divorce papers to Angie (EastEnders) (1986)
5: Line of Duty finale (2021)
6: MAS*H – Hawkeye’s farewell to Trapper in series finale (1983)
7: Happy Valley finale (2023)
8: Gavin & Stacey 2019 finale (2019)
9: Coronation Street: Hilda Ogden departure (1987)
10: Coronation Street: Alan Bradley hit by a tram (1989)
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