From Diane Morgan’s flatulent poetry recital to Harry Kane losing his voice mid-interview, TV has given us a wealth of superb scenes this year. Vote on your favourite below
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It’s not yet September but already 2026 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for small-screen entertainment. There has been no shortage of scenes that have made us laugh, cry, and gasp – which is why for the past few weeks we at The Independent have been celebrating the best of the best by speaking to the people responsible for making them happen.
We’ve ranked our favourites here, and now it’s over to you. Vote for the moments you loved the most in the poll below – and we’re sure you won’t be shy about letting us know which we got wrong, or the scenes we missed altogether. With a new season of fabulous TV on the way this autumn, let’s take some time to appreciate everything that’s come before.
While the year’s hottest show focused on the steamy romance between rookie ice hockey players Ilya and Shane, there was another relationship that fans couldn’t get enough of: the one between closeted player Scott Hunter (Francois Arnaud) and the sweet art history student Kip. Terrified of losing the man he loves, Scott puts everything on the line by coming out after his hockey team wins the league cup by kissing Kip right there on the ice. It was perfect TV. The mutual slow-build of the show’s two relationships culminated in a John Hughes’ style display of romance – the big gesture viewers were hoping for.
Francois Arnaud: “For Scott, it’s like he hasn't taken a full breath in like 10 years. Kissing Kip… it's not even a choice at that point – it becomes essential for him, like he can’t take it anymore. Because he’s an incredibly private person, he’s not a showman and he doesn’t want the spotlight on him.”
Few people had heard of Widow’s Bay when it debuted back in April, but 19 Emmy nominations later, and the horror-comedy is an early contender for TV show of the year – with British actor Kate O’Flynn emerging as its breakout star. As Patricia, the mayor’s eccentric assistant and the town’s local pariah, O’Flynn brings a searching, awkward vulnerability alongside her comedic talents. In episode four, she takes one last stab at reinventing herself by throwing a big bash only to discover the book she’s been using to plan the party has actually been guiding her through the steps of a demonic ritual. Whoops!
Kate O’Flynn: “Oh, the dancing! We had a choreographer and a workshop where we looked at various random music videos because we thought that was something Patricia would do, she’d teach herself a couple of moves to have in her back pocket. And then on the day, I just freestyled – there are some Fosse references in there and some of my own moves. It was whatever felt right for Patricia at that moment. That’s what I call Unbridled Patricia. Patricia Unleashed!”
Read in full: Kate O’Flynn on winning everyone over as the true-blue weirdo of Widow’s Bay
The comedian and actor offered up one of the best moments on Last One Laughing season two, reciting the classic Dylan Thomas poem “Do not go gentle into that good night” while unleashing fart noises from a machine. Here, the deadpan genius explains how it came together.
Diane Morgan: “I knew I was going to have to go up on stage and do something in front of all those comics, and I thought, what am I gonna do? I felt like everything had been done – funny dances and songs. And then I remembered fart machines. And I think there’s something really funny about doing something really straight and serious and just blowing off through the whole thing. It’s so childish, but I think it stands up.”
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There was something so winning about this exquisite BBC show, which pulled focus on Pride and Prejudice’s most overlooked character: Mary Bennet. This was about romance! Yearning! Grand gestures! And one grand gesture in particular, which offered a nostalgic throwback to the now iconic 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Yes, that’s right, Mary – so charming played by Ella Bruccoleri – found herself in a lake with not one, but two wet-shirted suitors. Colin Firth, eat your heart out!
Ella Bruccoleri: “The lads were meant to wear wetsuits under their shirts to keep them safe and warm, and I think the billowing Regency shirts are just so see-through that Laurie (Davidson, who plays Ryder) and Donal (Finn, who plays Haywood) decided that it would ruin the aesthetic. Vanity got in the way! So they didn’t put them on and they were cold, basically. They were in the water for quite a long time.”
Read in full: The Other Bennet Sister star on the viral lake scene: ‘I didn’t even get a tiny bit wet’
