Posted December 12, 20213 yr Let's get this started then! The main countdown won't be starting just yet - until the final New Music Friday of 2021 at the earliest - but we'll be kicking things off with my top TV shows of the year in the meantime. I'm changing a few things up this year, so let's see what's happening in this year's EOY: - Top 300 songs - A to-be-determined number of albums - A to-be-determined number of EPs - NEW: Hit 300 Awards! Replacing my top 10 artists, I'll be giving out Hit 300 Awards to artists for a number of categories, including the coveted Artist of the Year, throughout the countdown - The top songs + albums according to my personal chart points system - Top TV shows - this year divided into 7 different categories, as including game shows alongside my favourite dramas doesn't feel right Of course, a reminder of the EOY Hall of Fame. Last year, The Kid LAROI became the first artist to top both the singles and albums charts simultaneously. It's been another big year for Laroi, but will he continue to dominate on the same scale as last year? Singles 2012 Girls Aloud - Something New 2013 Ulrik Munther - Heroes in Defeat (Change Your Mind) 2014 Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - Fancy 2015 Conrad Sewell - Hold Me Up 2016 Frans - If I Were Sorry 2017 Harry Styles - Sign of the Times 2018 Why Don't We - Hooked 2019 Oscar Enestad - I Love It 2020 The Kid LAROI - NEED YOU MOST (So Sick) Albums 2012 Justin Bieber - Believe 2013 Ulrik Munther - Rooftop 2014 The Vamps - Meet The Vamps 2015 Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood 2016 Benjamin - Fingerprints 2017 Declan McKenna - What Do You Think About the Car? 2018 Why Don't We - 8 Letters 2019 Greyson Chance - portraits 2020 The Kid LAROI - F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) If you're wondering what could feature highly in my EOY this year, here's a selection of songs that would all be good shouts: my #1s of 2021! Boy In Space and Justin Bieber both scored the most #1s of the year, with four each, while The Kid LAROI and Alec Benjamin nabbed three each. Of course, there could be another couple of songs joining the list before my songs countdown starts. 323 | 09/01/2021 | 02 | Justin Bieber - Anyone 324 | 23/01/2021 | 01 | Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals - Don't Play 325 | 30/01/2021 | 01 | Boy In Space - Dance Alone 326 | 06/02/2021 | 01 | Isac Elliot - Waving at Cars 327 | 13/02/2021 | 01 | Cardi B - Up 328 | 20/02/2021 | 01 | Rita Ora and Imanbek - Bang Bang 329 | 27/02/2021 | 01 | Tom Odell - numb 330 | 06/03/2021 | 01 | Anton Ewald - New Religion 331 | 13/03/2021 | 01 | Justin Bieber - Hold On 332 | 20/03/2021 | 01 | Ulrik Munther featuring Maia Hirasawa - Jag älskar dig 333 | 27/03/2021 | 01 | Justin Bieber featuring The Kid LAROI - Unstable 334 | 03/04/2021 | 01 | Boy In Space - Remember Me 335 | 10/04/2021 | 03 | Robin Packalen featuring Alex Mattson - Hard to Love 336 | 01/05/2021 | 01 | Lance & Linton - Death of Me 337 | 08/05/2021 | 01 | Alec Benjamin - The Way You Felt 338 | 15/05/2021 | 01 | Conan Gray - Astronomy 339 | 22/05/2021 | 01 | Boy In Space - Sucker Punch 340 | 29/05/2021 | 01 | Anne-Marie and Niall Horan - Our Song 000 | 05/06/2021 | 01 | Boy In Space - Sucker Punch [2 weeks total] 341 | 12/06/2021 | 01 | Sarcastic Sounds - say goodbye 342 | 19/06/2021 | 01 | Trevor Daniel and Julia Michaels - Fingers Crossed 000 | 26/06/2021 | 01 | Boy In Space - Sucker Punch [3 weeks total] 343 | 03/07/2021 | 01 | DVBBS and Powfu - Losing Sleep 344 | 10/07/2021 | 01 | Sigala and Rita Ora - You for Me 345 | 17/07/2021 | 06 | The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber - STAY 346 | 28/08/2021 | 01 | Dream and Alec Benjamin - Change My Clothes 000 | 04/09/2021 | 01 | The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber - STAY [7 weeks total] 347 | 11/09/2021 | 01 | Robin Packalen featuring SAAY - Sucker for That Love 000 | 18/09/2021 | 01 | The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber - STAY [8 weeks total] 348 | 25/09/2021 | 01 | Alec Benjamin - Older 349 | 02/10/2021 | 02 | Alan Walker, K-391 and Boy In Space - Paradise 350 | 16/10/2021 | 01 | Why Don't We - Love Back 351 | 23/10/2021 | 01 | Matteo Markus Bok - Muero Por Ti 352 | 30/10/2021 | 01 | JayXander - Ghost Me 353 | 06/11/2021 | 01 | Conan Gray - Telepath 354 | 13/11/2021 | 03 | Benson Boone - GHOST TOWN 355 | 04/12/2021 | 01 | The Kid LAROI featuring Mustard - STILL CHOSE YOU 356 | 11/12/2021 | 01 | Jutes - Shania Twain
December 12, 20213 yr Author 2020 Recap Listen (open in Spotify for all 300 songs) Songs 1 The Kid LAROI - NEED YOU MOST (So Sick) 2 Boy In Space - Caroline 3 Fin Argus & Sabrina Carpenter - Clouds 4 Powfu feat. beabadoobee - death bed (coffee for your head) 5 Doja Cat - Say So 6 Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion - WAP 7 Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande - Rain On Me 8 The Kid LAROI - WITHOUT YOU 9 The Kid LAROI - SO DONE 10 Greyson Chance - Dancing Next to Me 11 Bastiaan & jens feat. Wiktoria - Someone Else 12 Boy In Space & NOTD - Therapy 13 FELIX SANDMAN - BOYS WITH EMOTIONS 14 The Kid LAROI - SELFISH 15 Ulrik Munther - Gloom. 16 Harry Styles - Watermelon Sugar 17 The Pussycat Dolls - React 18 Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby - Levitating 19 Alec Benjamin - Match in the Rain 20 Isac Elliot - Weekend 21 Conan Gray - Wish You Were Sober 22 Sista Prod feat. Powfu, Alec Benjamin & Rxseboy - Eyes Blue Like the Atlantic, Pt. 2 23 Why Don't We - Fallin' (Adrenaline) 24 Mishaal feat. Powfu - Friends 25 Harry Styles - Falling 26 The Kid LAROI - ALWAYS DO 27 Kylie Minogue - Say Something 28 The Kid LAROI & Juice WRLD - GO 29 Ulrik Munther - C'est la vie 30 Ruel - as long as you care 31 Trevor Daniel & Selena Gomez - Past Life 32 Dua Lipa - Physical 33 The Kid LAROI feat. Lil Mosey - WRONG 34 Powfu, Sarcastic Sounds & Rxseboy - ill come back to you 35 The Kid LAROI - TELL ME WHY 36 Miss Li - Complicated 37 Delta Goodrem - Paralyzed 38 SHY Martin feat. Boy In Space - Still the Same 39 jens - In or Out 40 Future Jr. - Sidewalk Teens 41 Why Don't We - Chills 42 Harry Styles - Golden 43 Boy In Space - u n eye 44 Dahl - Can I Kiss You? 45 Melanie C - Who I Am 46 Matteo Markus Bok - Háblale Claro 47 Juice WRLD & The Kid LAROI - Reminds Me of You 48 HRVY - NEVERMIND 49 The Vamps - Married In Vegas 50 Troye Sivan - Take Yourself Home 51 GUS - Dancing Alone 52 Ashley Tisdale - Lemons 53 Shawn Mendes - Wonder 54 Cheat Codes - On My Life 55 EBEN - The Kids Are Alright 56 Alec Benjamin - Six Feet Apart 57 Why Don't We - Lotus Inn 58 Ruel feat. Cautious Clay - say it over 59 James Bay - Chew On My Heart 60 Meghan Trainor feat. Nicki Minaj - Nice to Meet Ya 61 Little Mix - Sweet Melody 62 Lance & Linton - Best Time’s Right Now 63 Bebe Rexha feat. Doja Cat - Baby, I'm Jealous 64 Olivia O'Brien - Josslyn 65 Justin Bieber feat. Chance the Rapper - Holy 66 DREAMDNVR & Boy In Space - PSYCHO 67 Mariah Carey feat. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson - Oh Santa! 68 Alec Benjamin - Demons 69 Melanie C - In and Out of Love 70 Benjamin Ingrosso - The Dirt 71 Olivia Rodrigo - All I Want 72 Troye Sivan - Rager teenager! 73 Conan Gray - Heather 74 Anne-Marie - Birthday 75 Justin Bieber feat. Quavo - Intentions 76 Clean Bandit & Mabel feat. 24kGoldn - Tick Tock 77 Dua Lipa - Love Again 78 Selena Gomez - Dance Again 79 Anna Bergendahl - Kingdom Come 80 Dotter - Bulletproof 81 Powfu - 17again 82 Ulrik Munther - Don't Worry 83 TRXD & Peder Elias - Care Less 84 Ulrik Munther - Man in Need 85 Troye Sivan - Easy 86 Malou Prytz - Tik Tok 87 Rina Sawayama - LUCID 88 Oscar Enestad - Sorger 89 Future Jr. - Sounds Like Rain 90 Shawn Mendes & Justin Bieber - Monster 91 Camila Cabello feat. DaBaby - My Oh My 92 The Kid LAROI feat. Marshmello - FEEL SOMETHING 93 Delta Goodrem - Keep Climbing 94 The Kid LAROI feat. Machine Gun Kelly - F*CK YOU, GOODBYE 95 Miles Wesley - Neighborhood 96 Alice Chater - Two of Us 97 Astrid S - Dance Dance Dance 98 Oscar Enestad - Se På Oss Nu 99 Why Don't We - Slow Down 100 Anson Seabra - Last Time 101 Alec Benjamin - Oh My God 102 Rockett & Dubbs feat. Alex Angelo - Out the Dark 103 Melanie C - Blame It On Me 104 The Vamps - Better 105 Reed Deming - Overthinking 106 Ava Max - Salt 107 Lady Gaga - Stupid Love 108 24kGoldn feat. iann dior - Mood 109 Annie - Dark Hearts 110 Isac Elliot - Ghost 111 Ben Dolic feat. B-OK - Violent Thing 112 Kylie Minogue - Magic 113 The Kid LAROI - I WISH 114 Klara & Jag feat. Oscar Enestad - Aska 115 Rita Ora - How to Be Lonely 116 BTS - Dynamite 117 Donna Missal - Hurt By You 118 Paris Hilton & Lodato - I Blame You 119 Ariana Grande - positions 120 Miley Cyrus feat. Dua Lipa - Prisoner 121 Noak Hellsing - Lost 122 New Hope Club - Worse 123 Selena Gomez - Rare 124 The Weeknd feat. Doja Cat - In Your Eyes 125 Doja Cat - Boss Bitch 126 Eddie Benjamin - Fuck My Friends 127 Jubël feat. NEIMY - Dancing in the Moonlight 128 Malou Prytz - Ballerina 129 Lady Gaga & BLACKPINK - Sour Candy 130 Blithe - If I Ain't the One 131 Fin Argus - My Little Dancer 132 Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé - Savage 133 Cheat Codes - Heaven 134 Greyson Chance - Bad to Myself 135 Carly Rae Jepsen feat. Bleachers - Comeback 136 Delta Goodrem - Only Santa Knows 137 AJ Mitchell - Unstoppable 138 KOOLKID - Only You Now 139 Dua Lipa - Break My Heart 140 Niall Horan - No Judgement 141 Alfie Templeman - Obvious Guy 142 Mariette - Shout It Out 143 Little Mix - Break Up Song 144 Noak Hellsing - No Love 145 Bastiaan & Torine - Hate You (The Same) 146 Dahl - After Ours 147 Matt Ox - Dazed 148 Daði Freyr - Think About Things 149 Justin Bieber & benny blanco - Lonely 150 24kGoldn feat. DaBaby - Coco 151 Michael Johnston - Trust Me 152 Paloma Faith - Better Than This 153 Hanna Ferm - Brave 154 The Kid LAROI - SAME THING 155 Declan McKenna - The Key to Life on Earth 156 Jomie feat. Powfu, Rxseboy & Sarcastic Sounds - Some Nights 157 Jutes - Bad Dream 158 Oscar Enestad - Sänker Våra Glas På Innergården 159 Mishaal - Peddle Bike 160 Sam Smith & Demi Lovato - I'm Ready 161 HRVY & Matoma - Good Vibes 162 Tate McRae - you broke me first 163 Kristian Kostov - Honest 164 Zedd & Jasmine Thompson - Funny 165 Declan McKenna - Be An Astronaut 166 MARINA - Man's World 167 Oscar Enestad - 16 år 168 Zara Larsson - Love Me Land 169 DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch - ROCKSTAR 170 Little Mix - Holiday 171 Alec Benjamin - The Book of You & I 172 Young T & Bugsey feat. Headie One - Don't Rush 173 Lady Gaga & Elton John - Sine From Above 174 GRACEY & Ruel - Empty Love 175 Kygo & Donna Summer - Hot Stuff 176 Peder Elias - Easy 177 jens - Nocturnal 178 Lauv & Conan Gray - Fake 179 MARINA - About Love 180 ASHS - Don't Call Me 181 KOOLKID - Feelings 182 Klara Hammarström - Nobody 183 Louise - Hurt 184 Jennifer Lopez - In the Morning 185 Rory Webley - Genie in a Bottle 186 Ariana Grande - 34+35 187 Gunnar Gehl - Nobody Knows 188 Alec Benjamin - Just Like You 189 R3HAB, Astrid S & HRVY - Am I the Only One 190 The Kid LAROI feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Internet Money - TRAGIC 191 Mendez feat. Alvaro Estrella - Vamos Amigos 192 Cosmo's Midnight & Ruel - Down for You 193 Selena Gomez - Boyfriend 194 KOOLKID - 2 Soon 195 Delta Goodrem - Let It Rain 196 Powfu feat. Mounika. - stay4ever 197 Maia Wright - View 198 Betty Who - The One 199 SAINt JHN - Roses (Imanbek Remix) 200 Griff - Love Is a Compass 201 KOOLKID - We're So Blind 202 Gunnar Gehl - One Night 203 Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber - Stuck With U 204 Katy Perry - Daisies 205 Justin Bieber - Yummy 206 Greyson Chance - Honeysuckle 207 Internet Money feat. The Kid LAROI - Speak 208 JayXander - HOODIES 209 Gunnar Gehl - Good Enough 210 Victor Leksell - Svag 211 Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia 212 The Kid LAROI - MAYBE 213 Gwen Stefani - Let Me Reintroduce Myself 214 Franke - down for no reason 215 Surf Mesa feat. Emilee - ily (i love you baby) 216 Demi Lovato - I Love Me 217 Casey Lowry - drunk at home (the quarantine song) 218 Boy In Space - Forever Young 219 AJ Tracey feat. MoStack - Dinner Guest 220 Ava Max - Kings & Queens 221 Melanie C - Good Enough 222 Declan McKenna - Beautiful Faces 223 Alexandru - Pink Jacket 224 Bishara - R U 4 Real 225 Martin Jensen & RANI - At Least I Had Fun 226 Alex Järvi - SHIT 227 Johnny Orlando - Phobias 228 Ellie Goulding - Power 229 Louis Tomlinson - Walls 230 Conan Gray - The Story 231 The Kid LAROI - RUNNING 232 The Kid LAROI - PIKACHU 233 Alex Järvi - Lost Boy 234 Anne-Marie feat. Doja Cat - To Be Young 235 Taylor Swift - cardigan 236 Mariah Carey - Sleigh Ride 237 Alexander Stewart - Compare Myself 238 Lennon Stella feat. Charlie Puth - Summer Feelings 239 Elley Duhé - LOVE ME HARD 240 Jubël - Blue Jeans 241 Jax Jones & Au/Ra - i miss u 242 5 Seconds of Summer - No Shame 243 jens - A Place to Call Home 244 Reed Deming - Second Life 245 Annie - The Streets Where I Belong 246 Anson Seabra - Emerald Eyes 247 The Mamas - Move 248 Carrie Underwood & John Legend - Hallelujah 249 Alec Benjamin - Alamo 250 Headie One feat. AJ Tracey & Stormzy - Ain't It Different 251 Kim Petras - Malibu 252 AJ Tracey & Mabel - West Ten 253 Donna Missal - Let You Let Me Down 254 Victor Leksell - Bedövning 255 Alec Benjamin - I'm Not a Cynic 256 Dotter - Backfire 257 Ella Henderson - Take Care of You 258 Katy Perry - Smile 259 Lewis Capaldi - Before You Go 260 morgxn - I'm Just Wild About Harry 261 Taylor Swift - willow 262 Ava Max - OMG What's Happening 263 New Hope Club & R3HAB - Let Me Down Slow 264 The Kid LAROI - ERASE U 265 AJ Mitchell - Burn 266 Melanie C - Overload 267 The Kid LAROI feat. Corbin - NOT FAIR 268 Meghan Trainor - Make You Dance 269 Steps - Something in Your Eyes 270 BLACKPINK & Selena Gomez - Ice Cream 271 Kygo, Zara Larsson & Tyga - Like It Is 272 Ava Max - My Head & My Heart 273 Jakob Karlberg - Om du tror att jag saknar dig 274 Alec Benjamin - I Built a Friend 275 Britney Spears - Swimming in the Stars 276 Delta Goodrem - Solid Gold 277 Ellie Goulding feat. Lauv - Slow Grenade 278 Gabrielle Aplin & Nina Nesbitt - Miss You 2 279 Ava Max - Who's Laughing Now 280 FELIX SANDMAN feat. Astrid S - RELATIONS 281 RAYE - Please Don’t Touch 282 Freya Ridings - Love Is Fire 283 Michael Schulte - Keep Me Up 284 Hailee Steinfeld - Wrong Direction 285 Kelly Clarkson - I Dare You 286 5 Seconds of Summer - Wildflower 287 R3HAB & HRVY - Be Okay 288 BLACKPINK - How You Like That 289 Kygo & Tina Turner - What's Love Got to Do With It 290 Dove Cameron feat. BIA - Remember Me 291 Sofia Carson & R3HAB - I Luv U 292 jens - Tough Love 293 Powfu - im used to it 294 Gunnar Gehl - For Your Love 295 Nathan Dawe & Little Mix - No Time For Tears 296 Camila Cabello - Living Proof 297 Liam Ferrari & Tyron Hapi - Nobody Else 298 Taylor Swift - Only the Young 299 Greyson Chance - Athlete 300 Charlie Puth - Girlfriend Albums 1 The Kid LAROI - F*CK LOVE (SAVAGE) 2 Alec Benjamin - These Two Windows 3 Conan Gray - Kid Krow 4 Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia 5 Lady Gaga - Chromatica 6 Melanie C - Melanie C 7 Shawn Mendes - Wonder 8 Reed Deming - Second Life 9 The Vamps - Cherry Blossom 10 Ava Max - Heaven & Hell 11 New Hope Club - New Hope Club 12 Katy Perry - Smile 13 Little Mix - Confetti 14 Astrid S - Leave It Beautiful 15 Kylie Minogue - DISCO 16 Annie - Dark Hearts 17 Paloma Faith - Infinite Things 18 HRVY - Can Anybody Hear Me? 19 Selena Gomez - Rare 20 5 Seconds of Summer - CALM 21 Louise - Heavy Love 22 Trevor Daniel - Nicotine 23 Meghan Trainor - TREAT MYSELF 24 Niall Horan - Heartbreak Weather 25 Ariana Grande - Positions 26 Declan McKenna - Zeros 27 Ellie Goulding - Brightest Blue 28 Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B 29 Donna Missal - Lighter 30 Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts 31 Delta Goodrem - Only Santa Knows 32 Gunnar Gehl - One Second of One Day 33 Anson Seabra - Songs I Wrote in My Bedroom 34 Sam Smith - Love Goes 35 Taylor Swift - evermore 36 Taylor Swift - folklore 37 Frans - Present 38 Lauv - ~how i'm feeling~ 39 Steps - What the Future Holds 40 Carrie Underwood - My Gift 41 Kiiara - lil kiiwi 42 Kesha - High Road 43 Victor Leksell - Fånga mig när jag faller 44 Louis Tomlinson - Walls 45 Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special 46 Justin Bieber - Changes 47 BLACKPINK - THE ALBUM 48 Doja Cat - Hot Pink 49 Gabrielle Aplin - Dear Happy 50 Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? Artists 1 The Kid LAROI 2 Boy In Space 3 Alec Benjamin 4 Harry Styles 5 Conan Gray 6 Melanie C 7 Lady Gaga 8 Dua Lipa 9 Powfu 10 Shawn Mendes EPs 1 Troye Sivan - In a Dream 2 Ruel - Bright Lights, Red Eyes 3 Powfu - poems of the past 4 jens - Call Me Back When You Get a Moment 5 Powfu - some boring love stories pt 5 6 Alex Järvi - LOST BOY 7 Joel Adams - Joel Adams 8 Lauv - Without You 9 Jutes - A Really Bad Dream 10 EBEN - Honeydew
December 12, 20213 yr Author As mentioned above, we're looking at TV first, and these are the seven categories I've divided my favourite shows of 2021 into, with the top performing show and its overall ranking position from 2020 listed in square brackets next to it: Returning Drama [Doctor Who, #1] New Drama [Outer Banks, #2] Comedy (Sitcom / Panel Show) [One Day at a Time, #4] Game Show [The Chase, #15] Discoveries [The Originals, #5] Soap [Coronation Street, #17] Reality Show [Gogglebox, #13]
December 13, 20213 yr Author TV: Soaps 1 Coronation Street 2 Emmerdale 3 EastEnders The ordering of the soaps remains unchanged from 2020 as, for better or for worse, all three of the soaps I follow have maintained their quality. Coronation Street remains on top with ease, having fired on all cylinders throughout 2021 with powerful and relatable plots. Characters like Fiz and Dev haven't been used so well in my entire time viewing, while the show's younger cast has never been stronger thanks to the performances as Aadi, Asha, Amy, Summer, Simon and Kelly. Many of these were involved in the soap's biggest and most powerful storyline of the year, which was of course the hate crime attack on Nina and Seb. Seb's death was incredibly shocking, not just because he was one of my favourite characters, but because the show didn't hold back in showing how heartless and horrifying such senseless acts of violence can be. Equally important is the aftermath, and the real stars have been Sally Carman (Abi), David Neilson (Roy) and Mollie Gallagher (Nina), all of whom have made us feel an incredibly versatile range of emotions as we've followed their grief and trauma on the road to victory. Shoutout to Maximus Evans too, who we loved to hate as villain Corey! Emmerdale continues to be consistent viewing, with a comfortable second place. Highlights this year have included Meena's serial killer storyline, which is delightfully camp and sinister at the same time, as well as the ridiculousness of Mandy and Nicola's cake fight...! :lol: While powerful at times, Liv's alcoholism has been slightly tiresome to watch for so long, but new additions in the form of Charles and Ethan over the past year have been welcomed. Less welcome, however, has been new episodes of EastEnders. I've watched all three of these soaps for most of my life, so giving up isn't something I take lightly, but I've never been closer to giving up on EastEnders. With half-baked storylines and poor attempts at discussing topical issues, EastEnders pales in comparison to its ITV counterparts and even the classic characters feel overdone and tired now. It desperately needs some new life, and I'm praying the new producer will do what needs to be done, or I fear EastEnders won't feature on my countdown next year.
December 13, 20213 yr As usual I'm not really a TV person so not sure how much I know will come up here! Looking forward to the music section though ^_^
December 13, 20213 yr Author As usual I'm not really a TV person so not sure how much I know will come up here! Looking forward to the music section though ^_^ Thanks Pete, looking forward to your thoughts on the music later on!
December 14, 20213 yr Author TV: Reality Shows 1 Big Brother (US) | Season 23 2 Big Brother Canada | Season 9 3 Gogglebox | Series 17-18 4 Dragons' Den | Series 18 5 I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! | Series 21 6 RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Seasons 2-3 7 The Masked Singer | Series 2 8 Strictly Come Dancing | Series 19 9 The Great British Bake Off | Series 12 10 The Masked Dancer | Series 1 11 RuPaul's Drag Race | Season 13 12 RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under | Season 1 Taking the top reality show crown this year is the American edition of Big Brother, which delivered its best season since season 14. Through the Cookout alliance, for a change, the majority alliance was actually comprised of the fan favourites and history was made, with the show's first ever African-American winner guaranteed at the point of the final 6...! Xavier was a great winner but Tiffany would've been my top choice - not only was she the most entertaining in the diary room, but she was the master manipulator and I was so pleased she won America's Favourite Houseguest. Just before that, though, Big Brother Canada aired another incredibly strong season. After season 8 had to be abandoned due to COVID, the show came back on fighting form with an immensely likeable cast on the whole. Beyond the grating and slightly territorial Beth getting waaay too far and the relatable and personable Josh leaving much too soon, the season went pretty well and was, once again, a groundbreaking season for minorities, thanks in part to the show's first ever all-Black final 2 and, like BBUS months later, the show's first Black winner in Tychon. Away from Big Brother, Gogglebox puts in another good showing (also through its celebrity edition), being a ray of sunshine over what's been a difficult year at times. I've gotten back into Dragons' Den for the first time in years and I've thoroughly enjoyed it, with Deborah Meaden still being queen and new(ish) dragons Tej Lalvani and Sara Davies being great additions since I last watched. I'm a Celebrity, Bake Off and Strictly deliver solid series as always, while The Masked Singer proved it was still just as much fun the second time around. The Masked Dancer was messier in comparison but still heaps of fun. Drag Race makes up the final bunch, and the UK edition was comfortably the best. Its second series, originally scheduled for 2020 but delayed due to COVID suspending its filming, was the best series of Drag Race out of those I've seen. Lawrence Chaney and Bimini in particular made every week an undeniable thrill! Series 3 was notably messier in comparison but I still mostly enjoyed it. The American edition had a rough 2021, with a bloated season and a cast that wasn't overly likeable on the whole. That said, Symone was an incredible winner and I'm so glad Gottmik made the final too. Sneaking into last place is Down Under, which missed so many of the marks it needed to hit in its first season, but at least we got a solid winner in Kita Mean.
December 15, 20213 yr BBUS beating BBCAN :o That surely doesn't happen often? Derek F did THAT! :cheeseblock:
December 15, 20213 yr Author BBUS beating BBCAN :o That surely doesn't happen often? Derek F did THAT! :cheeseblock: Genuinely the first time since BBCan started that I'd rank BBUS higher! I sadly to evote BBCan :(
December 18, 20213 yr Author TV: New Drama 1 Ginny & Georgia 2 Squid Game 3 It's a Sin 4 Young Royals 5 Cruel Summer 6 My Mum Tracy Beaker 7 A Teacher 8 Fate: The Winx Saga 2021 brought about some really fantastic new shows and this is probably one of the closest categories to decide between. In the end, I chose Ginny & Georgia as my winner. It's the show that had me most gripped from start to end with two extremely compelling leads in Antonia Gentry (Ginny) and Brianne Howey (Georgia), both of whom are fully flawed characters that still somehow reel you in to make you root for them both. The rest of the cast is strong too, with shoutouts to Jennifer Robertson as the hilarious Ellen and Felix Mallard as Marcus. I'm extremely hyped for season 2 and there are so many directions the show could still go in! The close runner-up is the show that's taken the world by storm: Squid Game. It's different to the usual shows I watch, normally my TV viewing is considerably lighter than how depressing Squid Game can be, but I couldn't ignore the hype and it was a riveting watch from start to end (and I really liked the controversial final episode - no spoilers but I didn't see it coming!). Another slightly harrowing show to watch was Cruel Summer, a show about two very different teenage girls; one girl is kidnapped by her teacher, while the other effectively takes over her life, sliding into her friendship group and dating her boyfriend. We see perspectives from them both over three years 1993 (before), 1994 (during/immediate aftermath) and 1995 (after). Chiara Aurelia does an amazing job as the eerie Jeanette Turner, and Olivia Holt is superb playing the complexities of Kate Wallis (keep an eye out for Olivia in the songs countdown later, she'll be appearing in that too!). Russell T. Davies' latest drama It's a Sin was a heart-wrenching watch earlier this year - I watched it every Friday instead of binging and I'm glad, because I couldn't have dealt with that much heartbreak in such a short period of time. I'd single out my favourite cast members but I'd simply be listing them all - superb job all round. Another great LGBTQ+ show from 2021 came from Sweden's Young Royals, the story of Prince Wilhelm, a troubled teenager who gets sent to a boarding school and falls in love with one of his fellow students - another boy. Wilhelm and Simon's romance is portrayed expertly and realistically, and the events as the series progresses are gripping and emotional. I'm so happy it's been renewed as I think it could get even better with a season 2 - I'd like to see some more of the main cast utilised more strongly, Sara and Felice didn't feel very well developed but there's still time. Tracy Beaker was one of the most iconic TV stars of my childhood, so despite me now being 24, there was no way I wasn't going to be watching My Mum Tracy Beaker when it premiered on CBBC earlier in the year. The show delivered a wonderful dose of nostalgia while also being progressive - I loved seeing Tracy's story continue and some of the realities of her being a single parent, as well as Cam now canonically being a lesbian, hooray for representation! The last two shows on the list both entertained / gripped me but could have been better - limited series A Teacher told the story of an abuse of power from a teacher who slept with her student. As a teaching assistant in a secondary school, I was watching immediately pinpointing every safeguarding rule she ignored...!! The aftermath felt rushed despite a good build-up unfortunately. Finally, based on the Nickelodeon series Winx Club (which I've not seen), Fate: The Winx Saga was a solid watch with some interesting plot developments, but it was underbaked. Only 6 episodes and a main cast of 12 (!!!!!) left me feeling like I didn't really know most of them by the end. Season 2 has been filmed so I hope it manages to expand on the cast then, especially with an extra couple of episodes ordered.
December 19, 20213 yr We watched one of the same shows for once! I didn't talk about Squid Game (in part because it feels like all the talking was done about a month ago) but definitely one of the best shows I've seen this year. Also loved the final episode and where it could go from here.
December 20, 20213 yr Author We watched one of the same shows for once! I didn't talk about Squid Game (in part because it feels like all the talking was done about a month ago) but definitely one of the best shows I've seen this year. Also loved the final episode and where it could go from here. I'm glad you agree! I've seen a load of polarising opinions on the finale but I love that it leaves the door open for a wildly different second season. Thanks Iz!
December 20, 20213 yr Author TV: Discoveries 1 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Seasons 1-6 2 Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments | Seasons 1-3 3 Supernatural | Seasons 1-2 Of course, among the many new shows I've watched, it's also important to shine a light on the older shows I've discovered over the past year. These three vary in age and genre, but the criteria for this category is any show I watched for the first time in 2021 that isn't currently airing, so here's a wonderful little mish-mash :lol: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air leads the pack, and there was no doubt about it. I'd seen the occasional episode here and there over the years but during lockdown 3.0, I decided to watch them all from start to end, and I'm so glad I did. Will Smith is of course the star of the show, but the talent of the cast doesn't end with him. Every character has a defined role and a unique relationship with Will, and it makes for magical viewing. Top marks for Will and Uncle Phil's relationship - I cried more than once thanks to them...! I'd been meaning to watch Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments for a while, it seemed right up my street but I only got round to it earlier this year, also during lockdown 3.0. I was quickly gripped by the show's intriguing lore of the shadowhunters and Clary's story, though my favourite characters to watch were undoubtedly Alec and Magnus, what a gorgeous love story! Lockdown 3 also brought me to Supernatural for the first time, but I've not made a great deal of progress with it yet, there are just so many episodes and it's quite daunting! I'm part-way through season 2 so no spoilers please x
December 21, 20213 yr supernatural! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: it gets much better in later seasons trust me x
December 21, 20213 yr Author supernatural! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: it gets much better in later seasons trust me x Hype! It's good so far but a bit "monster of the week" and that gets a little exhausting with 22 episode seasons :lol: Thanks Cody!
December 21, 20213 yr Author TV: Comedy 1 Motherland | Series 1-3 2 Mock the Week | Series 19-20 3 Mrs Brown's Boys | Specials Comedy shows seem quite thin on the ground but lockdown still brought a couple my way to enjoy. Motherland was one of my favourite discoveries of the year, finding it just as the third series finished airing on TV. Anna Maxwell Martin plays the delightfully selfish but undeniably hilarious Julia, an entitled but relatable mum of two with a father whose best skill is removing himself from the situation. She stars alongside an ensemble cast of parents, all of whom have differing approaches, from the socialite Amanda, to the straight-talking Liz, to the scatty Kevin. It's such a rewatchable show and I really hope it gets a fourth series, it's too good not to! I saw many episodes of Mock the Week years back when my parents used to watch it, but as I stopped watching TV with my parents, I gravitated away from it for no real reason. Lockdown boredom brought me to "scenes we'd like to see" YouTube compilations and I ended up watching the episodes of series 19 that were on iPlayer at the time, before continuing with series 20 as it aired. It's a reliable 30 minutes of comedy from Dara O'Briain, Hugh Dennis and their guests and it's become a TV highlight! Shoutout as well to Mrs Brown's Boys which I don't have lots to say about, it's only aired three episodes since I last mentioned it, but it continues to be a festive treat every year (sorry not sorry to the haters).
December 21, 20213 yr Author TV: Game Shows 1 Michael McIntyre's The Wheel | Series 1-2 2 Family Fortunes | Series 2 3 The Hit List | Series 3-4 4 This Is My House | Series 1 5 Beat the Chasers | Series 2-4 6 In for a Penny | Series 3 7 Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Series 17 8 Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance | Series 1 9 Game of Talents | Series 1 I watched a slightly ridiculous amount of game shows this year but light entertainment was exactly what the doctor ordered! The Wheel has to be #1, the pure ridiculousness of Michael McIntyre's latest show has made it the highlight of my week with an eclectic selection of guests, not to mention the comic genius of McIntyre and the potential for absolute chaos in the format itself. I have no idea how this show came to exist but I am so glad it does. Similarly hilarious is Family Fortunes, with its second series of Gino D'Acampo hosting. It's pure, unadulterated fun and chaos, and Gino himself helps make the show even funnier than it already is through the format. I don't stop laughing when it's on, and it's become mine and Haus's tradition to watch it together - iconic. The Hit List continues to be must-watch television as it's just about the only one of these shows I could do decently on Talking about messiness, though, I'm not sure it gets messier than the chaotic This Is My House, which was MUST WATCH television earlier this year as Stacey Dooley hosted a guessing game, where celebrities had to pick the real owner of a house out of a line-up of four. It was camp as anything and entertaining throughout, it simply MUST be back next year! Other classic favourites make up the lower half of the list, with Beat the Chasers cementing itself as a favourite in its second year on air (though I didn't catch much of regular The Chase this year, must rectify that in 2022), while sister shows In for a Penny and Saturday Night Takeaway continue to be great. We round out the list with a couple of newbies - Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance was enjoyable and tense I thought, though ruined by the fact nobody was able to win! Vernon Kay's latest show Game of Talents was an enjoyable Saturday night show though I'm not sure I'd be too bothered if it didn't come back (and I'm not sure how likely it is right now).
December 22, 20213 yr Author TV: Returning Drama 1 Outer Banks | Season 2 2 Doctor Who | Series 13 3 Love, Victor | Season 2 4 Line of Duty | Series 1-6 5 Good Trouble | Season 3 6 Manifest | Seasons 1-3 7 Locke & Key | Season 2 8 Legacies | Season 3-4 9 Atypical | Season 4 10 Nancy Drew | Seasons 1-3 11 Another Life | Season 2 The final category is the one with the heavyweights. It includes drama shows that aired a new series in 2021 but aren't brand new, though some of these are shows that I discovered for the first time in 2021 and therefore I'll be discussing their older seasons too! First up, though, we have last year's top new drama cementing itself as a huge favourite going forward. Outer Banks returned for a second season that managed to up the ante with ease, making for a tense and unpredictable watch throughout but it remained firmly rooted in the friendships between the main cast, keeping the human element that makes it so damn good. Shoutout to all of the main cast - Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss and Rudy Pankow as the pogues, as well as the delightfully villainous Charles Esten and the standout performance from Drew Starkey as the psychotic Rafe. The show's just been renewed for season 3 and I simply can't wait! My all-time favourite show Doctor Who settles for second place this year, but with its strongest series with Jodie Whittaker at the helm. The 6-part Flux series made for riveting viewing each week with high stakes and genuinely scary threats. The Weeping Angels episode was one of the strongest in years and the Sontarans were handled superbly too, and I really loved the addition of John Bishop as new companion Dan. Did it tie everything together perfectly in the end? No, it definitely had a couple too many plot threads and not every one of them felt relevant in the end, but that didn't stop it being an exhilarating ride that proved serialisation does work in modern Doctor Who! A few more shows that returned for their second season in 2021 feature here, the next highest being coming-of-age drama Love, Victor. The first season gave the show strong foundations, showing how cute love stories in romcoms aren't always the way forward, but season 2 developed the complexities of Victor's love life even further. Things with Benjy weren't always rosey thanks to faults from both of them, and I felt truly involved in everything that happened between them. It deserves 40 minute episodes, not 25, because the slight underdevelopment of Benjy alongside a couple of other characters is the only thing holding this show back, but that's a very minor critique. Locke & Key returned for season 2 as well, with a third season renewed before it had even come back, and it didn't disappoint. The long gap between seasons meant I'd forgotten some stuff but it didn't waste any time getting into the action. All of the main cast were great, but a special highlight was Griffin Gluck's performance as the brilliantly sinister Gabe! I'd been aware of the hype surrounding Line of Duty before but this year, it was pretty much impossible to ignore, so I found myself watching the entire show in the space of a week, determined to finish it before the next series 6 episode aired on BBC1. It was a great decision to make, because it was truly excellent from start to finish. The main trio of Steve, Kate and Hastings are compelling and likeable, if flawed leads, and each "villain" as such is developed and portrayed with nuance and realism throughout. I watched the remainder of series 6 as it aired and... well that was a disappointing finale wasn't it x but that aside, top marks all round. Manifest was another incredible discovery for 2021, recommended to me by my mum! When a plane touches down after experiencing some turbulence, the passengers are shocked to hear they've somehow landed a whole 5 years later than when they took off. The show follows a family, some of whom were on the flight and some of whom weren't, and it's an exceptionally gripping mystery. I'm so glad it got renewed for season 4 in the end, this show absolutely needs a conclusion, I couldn't have coped if it ended after season 3 (especially with THAT cliffhanger!!!). Good Trouble returned for season 3 in 2021 and it continued to prove exactly why it's one of the best and most consistent shows around. With topical issues such as polyamory, racism, depression and feminism as the forefront of the storylines, it'd be easy for the show to become preachy, but everything remains rooted in its cast and characters and that's why it's one of the most important shows on TV. The final season of Atypical is similarly important, wrapping up Sam's story with a lot of heart and warmth, just as it should. With any justice, the show could run for a few more years, but I'm glad it got a proper chance to round off the characters' arcs. Legacies' third season was its best so far and season 4 is off to a fantastic start with Hope's full tribrid status activated, though I think a couple of characters remain underdeveloped! Its network-sister Nancy Drew was one of my favourite finds over the year, the supernatural detective show sporting a likeable cast and a lot of intrigue, though the plot is sometimes a bit convoluted. Finally, Another Life returned for season 2 a whole TWO YEARS after season 1, and I'd absolutely forgotten everything that had happened but it was a solid and perhaps more focused run this time from what I remember. Better than the reviews suggest if still a little half-baked at times with some of the characterisation.
December 22, 20213 yr I've seen a few episodes of The Hit List - it's a decent concept even if it took me a while to get into! It also scares me whenever I can't recall one of the songs from the last decade :lol: I've watched a few of the more recent Mock the Week episodes as well which are all fairly amusing!
December 22, 20213 yr Author I've seen a few episodes of The Hit List - it's a decent concept even if it took me a while to get into! It also scares me whenever I can't recall one of the songs from the last decade :lol: I've watched a few of the more recent Mock the Week episodes as well which are all fairly amusing! Thanks Pete!! I can ace anything from the 10s and 20s, most stuff from the 00s, and it just gets progressively worse as you go back through the decades :lol: Next up, a spotlight on a few films I've watched this year!
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