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Most shocking TV moment you've ever witnessed?

boogie woogieboogie woogie Posts: 16,443
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in UK TV Shows #1
Given how much- particularly nowadays- that TV producers love to shock their audiences with unexpected plot twists and shocks aplenty, what have been the moments where your jaw has hit the floor? Here are some of mine, in no particular order:

Helen Flynn's head being dunked into the chip pan- Spooks
Frank pushing Zoe in front of the subway- House of Cards
Claire revealing the name of the man who raped her live on TV- House of Cards
President Palmer being killed off literally two or three minutes into Season 5- 24
Nina being revealed as the CTU mole- 24
Chardonnay's funeral at the beginning of the second series- Footballers' Wives
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    Serial LurkerSerial Lurker Posts: 10,763
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    #2
    May I be the first to say the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.
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    petelypetely Posts: 2,994
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    #3
    South Vietnamese general shoots prisoner in the head. I watched it when it was broadcast 40-odd years ago and have never forgotten it.

    BTW, it wasn't drama. It happened and was shown on british TV. I won't post a link as people who have only seen sanitised, fictional violence probably couldn't cope with the real thing.
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    boogie woogieboogie woogie Posts: 16,443
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    #4
    Serial Lurker wrote: »
    May I be the first to say the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.

    I could I have forgotten that one!
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    Mairi_CameronMairi_Cameron Posts: 350
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    #5
    On seeing the title of the thread my first thought was the woman having her head deep fried in Spooks, when her hand was put in I had to look away but the head dunking caused me to stop watching Spooks for a whole season and I had previously loved that show. I'm not usually squeamish but it was very out of context for that show.

    I'll need to google it but also in Waking the Dead there was an episode where one of the main characters fell/was pushed off a bridge and died quite early in a season, definitely unexpected!
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    sianlovescatssianlovescats Posts: 1,039
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    #6
    The sucking pig on today’s Saturday Kitchen gave me a bit of a WTF moment! *Barf*
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    boogie woogieboogie woogie Posts: 16,443
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    #7
    boogie woogie wrote: »
    I could I have forgotten that one!

    How could I have forgotten that one
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    EraserheadEraserhead Posts: 22,016
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    #8
    Serial Lurker wrote: »
    May I be the first to say the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.

    That's the one which immediately sprang to mind on reading the thread title.

    A recent episode of The Walking Dead with the demise of two young girls was also very shocking.
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    Susie_WilcoxSusie_Wilcox Posts: 1,014
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    #9
    Serial Lurker wrote: »
    May I be the first to say the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.

    My son was in that sequence :)

    Came home that evening wearing his prosthetic 'cut throat' and we have it in a box for prosperity :D.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,688
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    #10
    The Damien Hirst ''tribute'' in Hannibal!!
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    Billy_ValueBilly_Value Posts: 22,920
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    #11
    the wright way - ben elton
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    sheltsshelts Posts: 511
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    #12
    Got to be the deep fat fryer in Spooks
    and Ernest Bishop getting shot in Corrie (no spoilers back then)
    Lots of news items
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    Susie_WilcoxSusie_Wilcox Posts: 1,014
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    #13
    This is a real shock moment from 1991.....a fist fight broke out on an Australian daytime TV chat show during a very heated debate about Australia becoming a republic :D

    http://youtu.be/G5MUM_s02r8?t=1s
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    anyonefortennisanyonefortennis Posts: 111,858
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    #14
    The young policewoman being picked up by a guy dressed as a female nurse and thrown out of the top window of the hospital room in Line Of Duty
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    Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    #15
    petely wrote: »
    South Vietnamese general shoots prisoner in the head. I watched it when it was broadcast 40-odd years ago and have never forgotten it.

    BTW, it wasn't drama. It happened and was shown on british TV. I won't post a link as people who have only seen sanitised, fictional violence probably couldn't cope with the real thing.

    I couldn't agree more.

    This was the first thing that occurred to me when I read the thread title. The most shocking thing I have ever seen, on TV or off it. I was in my teens at the time, and I've never forgotten it.
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    misslibertinemisslibertine Posts: 14,306
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    #16
    Eraserhead wrote: »
    A recent episode of The Walking Dead with the demise of two young girls was also very shocking.

    A few people mentioned this on my news feed when it was aired, I don't watch it but even friends I know who regularly watch quite gruesome stuff found it disturbing - can I ask what it was that made it so shocking?
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    Mairi_CameronMairi_Cameron Posts: 350
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    #17
    misslibertine wrote: »
    A few people mentioned this on my news feed when it was aired, I don't watch it but even friends I know who regularly watch quite gruesome stuff found it disturbing - can I ask what it was that made it so shocking?

    A young girl (age 10 or 11) killed her younger sister (age 8 or 9) so that she could become a zombie (setting her free in the older girl's eyes) and the older girl was then shot in the head by their female carer as she was always going to be a danger to whoever she was with.
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    CBFreakCBFreak Posts: 28,602
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    #18
    Three moments on tv have gotten me rushing to the computer to discuss it.

    1. The Red Wedding - GoT
    2. Mid season episode of season 4 "Too Far Gone" - The Walking Dead
    3. The Grove - The Walking Dead

    Not so shocking but awful anway
    Channel 5 Live Benefit discussion
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    woot_whoowoot_whoo Posts: 18,030
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    #19
    The Tales of the Unexpected episode, "The Flypaper" had a horrific and haunting ending.
    It starts with news reports about a missing girl's body turning up in a local pond, and the episode itself is about a young, downtrodden schoolgirl who has to catch the the bus home to her rural home. All through the journey, she is harassed and pestered by a sleazy older man. She deliberately gets off at an earlier stop than usual and the man follows her, stalking her. Luckily, an old woman spies him attempting to grab her and rescues the girl, telling the man he ought to be ashamed of himself for harassing young girls. The old woman takes the girl back to her cottage so that they can phone a taxi. The little girl is sitting drinking tea in the kitchen when the sleazy old man steps into the house, only to be embraced by the old woman as they both advance on their latest victim.

    Of more modern shows, the end of Season 4 in Dexter was pretty shocking.
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    Pink KnightPink Knight Posts: 24,773
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    #20
    Keith Chegwin in the Naked Jungle.

    Having said that I seem to remember a female rock band on the word, when one of them whipped a tampon out.:o
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    james_W85james_W85 Posts: 4,099
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    #21
    Pink Knight wrote: »
    Keith Chegwin in the Naked Jungle.

    Having said that I seem to remember a female rock band on the word, when one of them whipped a tampon out.:o

    when you say whipped out ?
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    LazySusanLazySusan Posts: 6,419
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    #22
    Mairi_Cameron wrote: »
    On seeing the title of the thread my first thought was the woman having her head deep fried in Spooks, when her hand was put in I had to look away but the head dunking caused me to stop watching Spooks for a whole season and I had previously loved that show. I'm not usually squeamish but it was very out of context for that show.

    It stopped us watching it full stop, never watched it again after that.
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    degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
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    #23
    I'm not really that shocked anymore. I think i've become desensitised.

    One thing that I did find surprising to be shown on telly though was a baby male calf getting a shot in the head with a bolt gun.

    It was on a River Cottage show about veal.
    It didn't bother me too much but I just didn't think they would show something like that, especially in the 8pm-9pm slot. I guess the need to get the message across though.
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    InspirationInspiration Posts: 62,706
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    #24
    There have been a few rape scenes in shows which were very difficult to watch.
    Also a few scenes/episodes of Cracker were chilling. They don't really make TV that scary anymore imho.
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    ukbadgeukbadge Posts: 363
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    #25
    The suicide of R. Budd Dwyer
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    Torch81Torch81 Posts: 15,630
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    #26
    woot_whoo wrote: »
    The Tales of the Unexpected episode, "The Flypaper" had a horrific and haunting ending.
    It starts with news reports about a missing girl's body turning up in a local pond, and the episode itself is about a young, downtrodden schoolgirl who has to catch the the bus home to her rural home. All through the journey, she is harassed and pestered by a sleazy older man. She deliberately gets off at an earlier stop than usual and the man follows her, stalking her. Luckily, an old woman spies him attempting to grab her and rescues the girl, telling the man he ought to be ashamed of himself for harassing young girls. The old woman takes the girl back to her cottage so that they can phone a taxi. The little girl is sitting drinking tea in the kitchen when the sleazy old man steps into the house, only to be embraced by the old woman as they both advance on their latest victim.

    Of more modern shows, the end of Season 4 in Dexter was pretty shocking.

    I haven't seen many of the things mentioned here....possibly thankfully! :o But reading this spoiler gave me the shivers. I actually wouldn't dream of watching Tales of the Unexpected these days but often did when they were first broadcast. God knows why, many were fine and quite harmless, but others were quite nightmare inducing. Never saw this episode and am not sure I want too either! :D
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