1 hour ago, PeteFromLeeds said:

Delta must be a great artist to see live - a very consistent artist over a long period of time! Glad it was everything you hoped it would be, there are always albums that resonate and to hear it live from start to finish must be special.

She absolutely was, she's delivered every time I've seen her! Thanks Pete!

Artist of the Year: Knox

Surely no surprise after he nabbed this year's top album, but Knox also finishes 2025 as my favourite artist of the year. The arrival of his debut full-length album was where his pop-rock sound slotted into place, perfectly channelling the early 00s in a remarkably consistent project. It's unusual for an album to stick with me for such a long time, but between them, tracks from this album have notched up 7 weeks at #1, 53 weeks top 10 and 217 weeks top 40, and that's with three of the album's tracks not even making my top 40! Lots more to come on some of the individual songs later, so I picked one of my favourite album tracks to link below, A Heart Still Breaks (incorrectly titled in the YouTube video lol). I also got to hear much of the album live, as mentioned before, but beyond that, it was also really fun to hear some of Knox's older tracks too, such as Sneakers and Dumpster Fire, the latter being a song I sent to BJSC a few years back. A remarkable year for Knox, and this definitely won't be the last we hear from him in this thread.

Next up, a look at TV and (very briefly) movies, before the singles countdown begins!

Movies

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Winter Spring Summer or Fall

I say it every year - I'm not much of a movie watcher! It feels right to acknowledge the ones I've actually seen, though, which is the sum total of the five listed right there. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie was a recent suggestion from Jay, and it was... interesting, to say the least! Fun perhaps but not one I'd rewatch. I was nagged to watch the latest Wallace & Gromit movie and I'm glad I did - I remember watching the old ones in movie afternoons at primary school, but I still enjoyed this one despite being a lot older by now. KPop Demon Hunters is a solid watch, enhanced by a great soundtrack. Elio was a movie I watched to kill some time during my trip to Cardiff over the summer, before my hotel room was ready! It was a brilliant movie and it's a shame that a movie with some great neurodiversity representation seems quite underrated by Pixar's standards. My favourite movie of the year goes to Winter Spring Summer or Fall, starring Wednesday co-stars Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White. Both play quite different roles to their Wednesday counterparts, and it really pays off, showing they still have great chemistry as actors. The movie's a cute romcom which doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does what it does well, and I'd happily rewatch it as a comfort movie.

KPop Demon Hunters has obviously dominated this year, and while I myself didn't find the film to be anything too special beyond the soundtrack, it was a decent watch and of course the site's watchalong of it was a lot of fun

47 minutes ago, Calum said:

KPop Demon Hunters has obviously dominated this year, and while I myself didn't find the film to be anything too special beyond the soundtrack, it was a decent watch and of course the site's watchalong of it was a lot of fun

It was definitely made more fun by the group watchalong! Thanks Calum

TV: New Drama

1 The War Between the Land and the Sea

2 Adolescence

3 Pluribus

4 Motorheads

5 Heated Rivalry

6 Wayward

We begin the TV categories with New Drama, which was a pretty sparse category until the last few weeks, I must confess. Adolescence and Wayward are both limited series from Netflix that I watched earlier in the year, and both were pretty good in their own ways, but Adolescence is the clear winner of the two, with its hard-hitting angle and remarkable one-shot filming approach. Wayward had a weak conclusion but was still a pretty gripping series about a cult in a small town. The only other series I'd seen until recently was Motorheads, a strong coming-of-age drama from Prime, but that unfortunately got cancelled, after a cliffhanger, no less - infuriating! The last part of the year brought my favourite, though. Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea surpassed my expectations, with a great new approach to the Sea Devils (Homo Aqua), and the best material ever given to Jemma Redgrave's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. I also enjoyed Pluribus and its quirky yet terrifying storyline, with Rhea Seehorn superbly anchoring the whole show as main character Carol. I only just finished Heated Rivalry, and it got off to a slow start (and, I'll be honest, it could've cut a lot of the sex scenes), but it built towards a fantastic pay-off and an incredible final episode.

Benson winning best video feels correct!! Knox is defo one of my biggest artits discoveries of the year and thats all down to you! So thank youu

Sewn 3 of your new dramas (TWBTLATS, Heated Rivalry and Adolescene and I love alll three) would you recommend the other 3?

24 minutes ago, HarryGarfield said:

Sewn 3 of your new dramas (TWBTLATS, Heated Rivalry and Adolescene and I love alll three) would you recommend the other 3?

Thanks Harry!! As much as I liked it, I'd say don't bother with Motorheads now, it ends on a cliffhanger and hasn't been renewed. Wayward perhaps, but definitely Pluribus!

TV: Entertainment

1 Dragons' Den

2 Gogglebox / Celebrity Gogglebox

Gonna do both of these categories together as they're small, but the entertainment field covers some shows that don't really fit elsewhere! I always enjoy a bit of Dragons' Den and the guest dragons format helps freshen it up for sure, and I'm looking forward to a new series hopefully before long. Gogglebox is always a fun way to end the week and unwind, some weeks I pay it more attention than others but there's a largely likeable cast to keep me entertained.

TV: Discoveries

1 Smoggie Queens

2 Outnumbered

This category is for shows I watched in 2025 that didn't actually air in 2025. Smoggie Queens was a recommendation from Harry, and I loved the humour flowing through it. Though the central character, Dickie, was sometimes a little unlikeable, they were great TV nonetheless, and I LOVED Mark Benton as Mam - didn't even realise it was him at first! I also watched Outnumbered from start to finish this year for the very first time, though I had seen episodes here and there over the years. It does lose a little bit of its sparkle towards the end as the kids grow up, but it's still a funny, easy-to-watch show.

TV: Soaps

1 Emmerdale

2 Coronation Street

3 EastEnders

Feels appropriate to be posting this on the day of Corriedale, particularly when they occupy my top 2 here! After a few years in which each of these three have topped my rankings, Emmerdale holds steady for a second year after a fantastic and consistent 12 months. Beginning with April Windsor missing and her subsequent return (and the reveal that had a stillborn baby during her time away), later developing into her being coerced into dealing drugs and an attempt at prostitution from the horrific Celia and Ray (played incredibly by Jaye Griffiths and Joe Absalom), it's really been April's year as Amelia Flanagan has truly shown what she's capable of. Celia and Ray's nastiness extended into Bear Wolf, groomed into modern slavery, and while it's been a difficult watch, it's been the most hard-hitting, gripping storyline of the year in soapland. Other highlights include the introduction of Lewis Barton and the accurate portrayal of autism, the phenomenal limo crash stunt where we lost big name characters Leyla, Suzy and Amy, the progression of John Sugden as a killer, and the development of Caleb and Ruby's relationship, making both characters feel like essential parts of the show in the process.

Coronation Street has seen a year of two halves. The first half felt directionless, a little like it felt in 2024, and saw lows such as the Platt house fire with an incoherent storyline to back it up, and Rob Donovan's return and subsequent kidnap of Carla. It hugely stepped up in the second half of the year, with it finding its groove with some old fashioned Corrie vibes recently, from the comedic scenes between Debbie Webster and friends, to the intriguing dynamics of the new family in charge of the Rovers, led by returning icon Eva Price. Debbie's dementia storyline was one I had serious worries about, as Debbie (the incredible Sue Devaney) is the heart of the show, a reliable force of nature who steals every scene she's in, and this storyline undoubtedly means she'll be departing sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, Sue's smashed it out of the park in every way, and it's been approached well from the writers. I also love Bernie's presence on the street and her ability to give excellent advice to basically any character, plus the connection with her newfound grandson Brody (who has seamlessly slotted into the street with his two siblings as Tim and Sally's foster kids, giving both classic characters a wonderful new lease of life). I've also really enjoyed Asha's mental health storyline, the uncomfortable but important coercive control storyline involving Todd Grimshaw and abusive boyfriend Theo Silverton, and David and Shona's current baby storyline.

Much like Corrie, EastEnders has had a year of two halves, too, but it's sadly going the opposite way. The show celebrated its 40th anniversary last year by setting the Queen Vic alight (again), leading to the demise of the iconic Martin Fowler. Whilst Martin hadn't felt like the most significant character in a while, this felt short-sighted, and the episodes surrounding the anniversary felt oddly written, but the aftermath was fantastic in my view, and Lacey Turner knocked it out the park as Stacey Slater, as she reliably does. I've also loved Nigel Bates' dementia storyline, and bringing back estranged wife Julie has been a stroke of genius, especially seeing her and Phil battle to reach agreements through their own love of Nigel. The special episode in December from Nigel's distorted point of view was exceptional! Characters like Priya and Avani continue to come into their own, while I love any scene involving Patrick and Yolande Trueman - true legends. It's been downhill in the second half of the year, with Zoe Slater's much anticipated return being a damp, repetitive squib ("I need to find my son"). Anthony Trueman's return was a mess too, with a poorly acted character assassination (which became camp for how terrible it was) leading to a pointless death. Meanwhile, Jasmine turns out to be their daughter, despite harassing Cindy for months, for some reason. It feels like the writers don't even know what they're doing, and are relying on nostalgia and bringing old characters back constantly to get by. I also disliked the drugs storyline involving Harry and Kojo, at the hands of naff actor Okie and Ravi, who I like but now feels somewhat irredeemable given what he willingly and knowingly put a vulnerable adult in Kojo through. It's becoming tedious to watch, which is a shame as EastEnders is capable of a lot better, so here's hoping they listen to the fan reaction and start to tweak things like Corrie have.

TV: Quiz Shows

1 The 1% Club

2 Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

3 Ant & Dec's Limitless Win

4 The Hit List

5 The Weakest Link

I love a good quiz show, and there's nothing as strong as The 1% Club. Testing logic instead of general knowledge is a surefire win for me, and I love getting competitive too. The format hasn't waned on me at all yet, long may it last! The Wheel continues to be daft fun, enhanced greatly by Michael McIntyre's comedic timing, and I love the format of Ant & Dec's Limitless Win too, with its number-based approach and an insane amount of tension. The Hit List continues to be strong, though I wish it aired more often through the year! Though it's bottom of the list, I do still like watching The Weakest Link, and I've really warmed to Romesh Ranganathan's dry humour.

TV: Comedy

1 Changing Ends | Series 1-3

2 Amandaland | Series 1

3 A Man on the Inside | Season 1-2

4 Big Boys | Series 3

5 Mandy | Series 1-4

6 Abbott Elementary | Season 4-5

7 Mrs. Brown's Boys | Series 5

It's been a strong year for comedy and I think this is the biggest this category's been since I've been doing it! Alan Carr's Changing Ends was a fantastic recent discovery for me, and it maintained its quality throughout each of its three series, delivering in true Alan Carr fashion. Amandaland was a worthy Motherland spin-off and I'm so delighted it's been such a big hit! A Man on the Inside feels like a successor to The Good Place, with the same creator and Ted Danson starring, but I really love the amount of heart it has. The final series of Big Boys was emotional and a fitting send-off to a quintessentially British comedy drama, while Mandy was a totally batshit discovery that I became lowkey addicted to when I worked my way through it. Abbott Elementary remains consistently good, and I'm sorry, I've always been a Mrs. Brown's Boys fan and I continued to enjoy the mini series and the recent specials x

Changing Ends had been meaning to watch it for so long so glad I finally did and that we both enjoyed Oliver was simply perfect as a young Alan lmao!

TV: Competition Shows

1 The Traitors [UK] / The Celebrity Traitors

2 Big Brother [US]

3 Building the Band

4 The Traitors [US]

5 The Fortune Hotel

6 I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

7 Race Across the World / Celebrity Race Across the World

8 Million Dollar Secret

9 Survivor

10 The Apprentice / The Celebrity Apprentice

11 Destination X

12 Strictly Come Dancing

13 Squid Game: The Challenge

14 RuPaul's Drag Race / RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars

15 Simon Cowell: The Next Act

16 RuPaul's Drag Race UK

17 The Masked Singer

18 Britain's Got Talent

19 Big Brother [UK] / Celebrity Big Brother

20 The Amazing Race

Final two TV categories coming today and this is comfortably the biggest! I won't talk about every show individually as I'd be here all night! The Traitors is back at the top this year, and how could it not be? Its 2025 civilian outing was superb but the Celebrity series managed to be even better somehow, with the genius of Alan Carr being a traitor. I'm loving the current series so far too, so we'll see if it can make it another year on top in the 2026 EOY! The US version finishes in fourth place too, helped significantly by the messy yet iconic gameplay of Big Brother US alum Danielle Reyes. Speaking of Big Brother US, it's this year's runner-up, helped by the return of one of my all-time favourite houseguests Rachel Reilly, and a surprising but deserved winner in Ashley. The UK version was unfortunately terrible this year, and only avoids last place because the Celebrity version was better.

There are a few new shows in the list this year. Building the Band was a genius concept that revolutionised the singing show format for me, with a genuine, unmanufactured approach to forming each band as the contestants chose who they'd sound best with. Million Dollar Secret was also a Netflix show and was very gripping as I got into it, while Destination X was a surprising success for the BBC, and I grew to really enjoy it over the series. Simon Cowell: The Next Act could also have been a documentary as such, but it was still mostly a singing competition, and while it felt more old fashioned, it was still a solid watch.

15 hours ago, Calum said:

Changing Ends had been meaning to watch it for so long so glad I finally did and that we both enjoyed Oliver was simply perfect as a young Alan lmao!

thanks so much Calum!

Again not a massive TV person, but the concept of Adolescence really grabbed me and so I've watched whatever snippets I can on YouTube. Recording entire episodes in a continuous take must really be an art form. The 1% Club is of course a great show as well, although I must confess I've only seen the Christmas special this year!

44 minutes ago, PeteFromLeeds said:

Again not a massive TV person, but the concept of Adolescence really grabbed me and so I've watched whatever snippets I can on YouTube. Recording entire episodes in a continuous take must really be an art form. The 1% Club is of course a great show as well, although I must confess I've only seen the Christmas special this year!

Thanks Pete! It's such an ambitious show, with such tough material too, and it really pulls it off!

TV: Returning Drama

1 Stranger Things | Season 5

2 Severance | Season 1-2

3 Doctor Who | Season 2

4 The Summer I Turned Pretty | Season 3

5 Wednesday | Season 2

6 Ginny & Georgia | Season 3

7 XO, Kitty | Season 2

8 Alice in Borderland | Season 3

9 School Spirits | Season 2

10 Squid Game | Season 3

11 Wolf King | Season 1-2

12 My Life with the Walter Boys | Season 2

13 The Dumping Ground | Series 13

14 Rykter | Season 4

The reason I delayed the TV categories a little was to be able to finish Stranger Things in its entirety, rather than carrying its final episode over to 2026's countdown. I won't spoil anything here so don't worry if you've yet to see it, but I loved the final run, and it got a fitting end in my opinion. Major shoutouts to Jamie Campbell Bower, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp, Charlie Heaton and, as always, Joe Keery, for bringing it this time. The Summer I Turned Pretty also aired its final season last year and I enjoyed it a lot, even if I was always Team Jeremiah. The Alice in Borderland final season had me sceptical after what felt like a great finale to season 2, but it delivered, even without much of the core cast. Squid Game's finale was good if not as good as its first season, and Wolf King was a discovery (a recommendation from one of my students, in fact), but it was also cancelled before season 2 came out and unfortunately, its intriguing plot wasn't resolved.

I absolutely loved discovering Severance, just as it had aired a new season too. An inspired concept with so many intriguing possibilities, with plot twists everywhere. I am so excited for season 3! Doctor Who is always my favourite of course and I thoroughly enjoyed the latest outing, though the abrupt end to Ncuti Gatwa's tenure does tar the finale quite significantly. I loved the new Wednesday season, particularly its stronger focus on Wednesday and Morticia's relationship. Ginny & Georgia delivered once more with its third outing, following Georgia's trial. Great second outings for XO, Kitty and School Spirits also feature, as well as the second series for My Life with the Walter Boys, which is totally tacky but for some reason I still enjoy it x

I realise I'm much too old for The Dumping Ground but at this point I'm too committed to the Tracy Beaker universe but it's a fun watch if nothing else. Rykter's fourth and possibly final season is rock bottom after being full of character assassinations and a wild misunderstanding of what their fanbase actually wants.

TOMORROW: the songs countdown finally begins, with a full rundown of #300-201!