We laughed, cried & binged: the best shows of 2022

The Responder (BBC)

Martin Freeman has come a long way from The Office. This series saw him as Chris Carson, a police officer pushed closer and closer to the edge every day by the soul-sapping situations he has to deal with.

The Old Man (Disney+)

This adaptation of Thomas Perry's 2017 novel gave the great Jeff Bridges one of his best roles, as the ex-CIA agent Dan Chase, forced out of retirement in a world of technology and some very bad people. John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman made it perfect.

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

If you have a yen for spies and their strange worlds, this adaptation of the best selling Mick Herron novels is a bullseye. Gary Oldman as the expletive-spewing boss of a team of misfits is one of 2022’s most memorable characters.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime)

Huge budget and a massive cast made this one of the biggest events of the year - and it did not disappoint. Set a few thousand years before Frodo formed the Fellowship, it opened a whole new world of this enthralling story.

The White Lotus (Sky Atlantic)

We never tire of watching what the rich and beautiful do with their money - and this series played well to that desire. The second series is set in Sicily - with sex, romance and betrayal around every turn. Addictive.

Stranger Things (Netflix)

Season four brought us back again to the strange town of Hawkins, where a group of very interesting young people attempt to combat the sinister serial killer Vecna. Backed by that classic Kate Bush song, it’s a series that keeps getting better - and the final one is promised in 2023.