There’s been no shortage of dramatic TV this year, with households up and down the nation glued to their remotes.
From explosive documentaries to heart-wrenching soap storylines and the emergence of new shows, there’s been plenty to keep the nation entertained.
So whether you’ve found a new series to continue watching next year or just want to take a trip down memory lane, there’s been more than enough offerings.
Now MailOnline takes a look at the most dramatic TV moments of 2023.
1. Happy Valley’s explosive finale
Viewers were left in shock at the Happy Valley finale as Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) set himself on fire after an epic showdown with Sgt Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire)
Happy Valley came to an end in February after three seasons, 18 episodes and nine years, with many viewers hailing the episode as ‘a masterpiece’
Happy Valley came to an end in February after three seasons, 18 episodes and nine years.
And the final episode of the BBC drama lived up to the incredible hype, with many viewers hailing the episode as ‘a masterpiece’ and ‘one of the greatest television finales of all’.
Sarah Lancashire’s lead performance as Sgt Catherine Cawood was lavished with praise from critics and fans alike, as her final showdown with James Norton’s Tommy Lee Royce (or as she described it ‘a bit of a tussle’) was deemed the perfect way to end the series.
While many fans were expecting a high-octane conclusion, and perhaps even Catherine’s demise, writer Sally Wainwright’s decision to pivot her finale around a 15 minute long kitchen table war of words between Tommy and Catherine left viewers in awe.
Viewers were then left in shock as Tommy Lee Royce set himself on fire after an epic showdown with Sgt Catherine Cawood during the final ever episode.
After he escaped court and broke into Catherine’s house, Tommy lay in wait until the officer returned home.
And fans were left screaming ‘oh my f**king God’ as the villain attempted to end his own life after telling Catherine that he forgave her for keeping the news he had a son from him.
The two characters had a tense confrontation as they came face-to-face for the final time, with Tommy realising he’d reached the end of the road when he’d come to the conclusion his son Ryan was happier living with her.
As things came to a head, the escaped convict realised he had nowhere left to turn and set himself alight – before Catherine rushed to put out the flames with a blanket.
2. EastEnders makes history
EastEnders made history in February when they teased their Christmas special 10 months in advance with a never-before-seen flashforward
L-R Jack Branning (Scott Maslen); Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner); Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry); Suki Kaur Panesar (Balvinder Sopal); Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo); Linda Carter (Kellie Bright); Phil Mitchell (Steve Mcfadden); Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean); Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters); Denise Fox (Diane Parish); Ravi Gulari (Aaron Thiara); Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth); Rocky (Brian Conley) are in the firing line
EastEnders made history in February when they teased their Christmas special 10 months in advance with a never-before-seen flashforward.
In the episode Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) spent the evening at the Queen Vic putting out fires in their personal lives.
It then suddenly cut to Christmas Day, with the same women standing over an unidentified dead body.
Fans went wild as they realised they’d have nearly a year to begin piecing together clues on not just who was the victim but also who was the murderer.
In December, the BBC soap finally confirmed the seven potential candidates for the body ahead of the big day.
It was revealed to be Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo), Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), and Tom ‘Rocky’ Cotton (Brian Conley).
Jack has been experiencing difficulties in his marriage to Denise and has grown closer to Stacey.
Nish on the other hand has made enemies of all the women, especially his unhappy wife Suki.
Villain Dean made a comeback to Walford on Halloween and has been tormenting Linda, his sister-in-law ever since his arrival.
Phil is another with multiple connections and his ex-wife Shannon has been hiding the fact that Albie is his biological son, and not that of her fiancé Keanu. It will lead fans to suspect that Phil and Keanu could find out the truth.
Ravi has admitted killing his adoptive father Ranveer, leading his stepmother Suki to believe that her son Kheerat Panesar.
And former conman Tom could be in the firing line after he set fire to Kathy’s café, causing her grandsons to risk their lives.
3. Holly Willoughby checks in with the nation
A whopping 1,633,410 viewers tuned into the Monday June 5 episode of This Morning to see Holly Willoughby address Phillip Schofield being sacked
A whopping 1,633,410 viewers tuned into the Monday June 5 episode of This Morning to see Holly Willoughby address Phillip Schofield being sacked.
The presenter, 42, opened the show with a monologue while hosting the show with stand-in Josie Gibson, breaking her silence after it emerged Phil had an affair with a younger male colleague.
Looking directly down the lens, Holly asked viewers: ‘Right, deep breath. Firstly, are you OK? I hope so.
‘It feels very strange indeed sitting here without Phil and I imagine that you might have been feeling a lot like I have. Shaken, troubled, let down, worried for the wellbeing of people on all sides of what’s been going on and full of questions’.
‘All of us at This Morning gave our love and support to someone who was not telling the truth, who acted in a way that they themselves felt they had to resign from ITV and step down from a career that they loved. That is a lot to process’.
She added: ‘It’s equally hard to see the toll it’s taken on their own mental health. I think what unites us all now is a desire to heal for the health and wellbeing of everyone.
‘I hope that as we start this new chapter and get back to a place of warmth and magic that the show holds for all of us, we can find strength in each other.
‘And from the heart, can I just say thank you for all your kind messages and thank you for being here this morning. Myself, Josie, Dermot, Alison, Craig and every single person that works on this show will continue to work hard every day.’
Holly was widely mocked for asking viewers if they ‘felt ok’ about the news and almost 200,000 viewers switched off the show immediately after the statement was done.
4. I’m A Celebrity’s Dadgate
YouTuber Nella Rose and First Dates star Fred Sirieix had the first row on I’m A Celebrity after Nella took offence to the Frenchman saying ‘I could be your dad’
One of the most shocking moments from this year’s I’m A Celebrity didn’t occur during a Bushtucker Trial but in the camp.
Many had expected Britney Spears’ little sister Jamie Lynn Spears or controversial MP Nigel Farage to cause the most drama, but it was YouTuber Nella Rose and First Dates star Fred Sirieix that had the first row.
Fred and Nella’s relationship became strained after he remarked ‘I could be your dad’ during a conversation about their age difference, which promoted a negative reaction from Nella, who lost her father in 2020.
While discussing Fred’s comment, Nella explained to the food connoisseur: ‘To me, I don’t care how you said it, to me, that’s disrespectful, and I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to be around you.
‘I only allow people to disrespect me once. Don’t bring up my dead parent, are you stupid? “You know I could be your dad right?” You’re a weirdo.’
Following their disagreement, Nella and Fred made amends while competing in one of the show’s challenges.
But their fallout sparked a debate among viewers, with some believing that Nella overreacted and others sympathetic for the terrible loss she has suffered.
Nella has lost both her parents, her father Paul Hollela passed away in 2020 after contracting coronavirus and her mother Eseho Omolongo died of a stroke in 2016.
The social media star later revealed her side of the story, explaining that ‘it was a big fat misunderstanding.’
She added: ‘We’ve gone over it, everything is cool, everything is blessed. I don’t know why everyone’s still crying about it.’
‘In the Jungle, everything is intensified. That subject [parents] is very triggering for me because its a fresh wound but everything in the Jungle is intense.’
5. Squid Game: The Challenge champ scoops $4.6M
The winner of the largest single cash prize in reality TV history was decided through multiple rounds of playing rock, paper, scissors during Squid Game: The Challenge’s finale
Netflix offered up the largest single cash prize in reality TV history with Squid Game: The Challenge.
The competition show, based on the hit South Korean drama, saw a whopping 456 players take part from around the world as they took on challenges without the deathly consequences of the original, with games such as Red Light, Green Light, Honeycombs and Hopscotch.
New games were also added including Warship – a version of the boardgame battleship, and Circle of Trust – a variation of Heads Up Seven Up.
In the end just three players remained to battle it out for the huge prize: Player 016 Sam, Player 287 Mai, and Player 451 Phil.
Sam came third after he was eliminated after he pressed a button during a game of chance at the final three’s dinner.
The winner was then decided through multiple rounds of playing rock, paper, scissors.
If they won a round they would win access to a key, which they could then use to open a safe and have a chance of winning the prize.
In the end, it was Mai who managed to choose the correct key, which opened a safe and revealed a golden credit card.
When asked how she was so good at reading her fellow competitors in the game, Mai put it down to taking her job in immigration ‘seriously’.
She also said she did not prepare for the game, other than watch the TV show again after she got accepted to play in the challenge, which she used to ‘learn and modify’ her strategy.
6. Love Island’s movie night madness
There were tears, tantrums and tribulations when Love Island’s annual movie night, with Jess Harding breaking down after seeing what Sammy Root had been telling the other girls
The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom received almost 1,000 complaints after the scenes aired. The majority of made related to alleged bullying towards Scott Van Der Sluis
There were tears, tantrums and tribulations when Love Island’s annual movie night took place in the summer series.
The episode saw the Islanders settle in to watch back footage of each other in the Villa, leading to several explosive fallouts.
While they went on to win the show, it looked like Jess Harding and Sammy Root would be over for good after Jess broke down at seeing what Sammy had been saying to other girls.
In one shocking clip Sammy was seen telling Mal Nicol – who he was previously coupled up with that: ‘I get on better with you after three days more than I have with Jess in two weeks’.
Meanwhile, Catherine Agbaje left viewers seething after she lashed out at her ex show partner Scott Van Der Sluis because he was upset at seeing her with Elom Ahlijah-Wilson.
Scott, 22, was left devastated and single after Catherine returned from Casa Amor with Elom, while he opted to remain loyal.
Footage of Catherine kissing Elom was shown to the rest of the Islanders as part of Movie Night, prompting Scott to speak up for himself.
However, Catherine attempted to shut him down while Leah Taylor, 27, also spoke up in a bid to defend Catherine, telling him he was ‘undesirable’, prompting Scott to launch an attack on Leah.
Meanwhile, Tyrique Hyde was left furious after he got a glimpse of what Ella Thomas got up to with Ouzy See in Casa Amor.
The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom received almost 1,000 complaints after the dramatic scenes aired.
The majority of the 957 complaints made related to alleged bullying towards Scott from the other islanders.
7. The Crown covers Princess Diana’s death
The Crown fans were reduced to tears watching the sixth and final series of the Netflix royal drama which recreated the car crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed in Paris in 1997
The Crown fans were reduced to tears watching the sixth and final series of the Netflix royal drama.
The first four episodes landed on the streaming platform ahead of the second and final part’s release, with fans rushing to binge-watch.
The third episode recreated the car crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed in Paris in 1997, showing the moments until the car entered the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
The opening moments of the series showed the moments leading up to the car crash that killed Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and Dodi (Khalid Abdalla), before flashing back to eight weeks earlier.
The third episode then arrived back at the tragic moment and sees Diana and Dodi get into a car outside the Ritz Hotel in Paris to return to the Egyptian film producer’s apartment.
The car accelerated through the streets of the French capital before entering the tunnel at high speed, and viewers sobbed watching the harrowing scenes.
Netflix stressed throughout production of series six that viewers will not see the very moment of the crash which killed Diana and Dodi Fayed. But the episode does play an audio of the fatal incident.
The depiction of events leading up to the very moment the crash happened likely caused fresh anguish for the royal family in covering such a sensitive subject.
The final series also depicted the aftermath of Diana’s death as the royal family were told the news at Balmoral.
In a moving scene, an aide broke the news to the Queen (Imelda Staunton), Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce) and Prince Charles (Dominic West) who were huddled around the television watching the coverage of the crash.
No words could be heard while the aide delivers the news – however Charles, visibly devastated, broke down in tears on the sofa.
The Queen while stoic, could be seen holding back tears with a solemn look on her face.
8. Big Brother’s big love triangle
This year saw the return of Big Brother after a five-year hiatus and the love triangle between Henry Southan, Jordan Sangha and Matty Simpson gripped the nation
This year saw the return of Big Brother after a five-year hiatus, and the legendary house certainly wasn’t short of drama.
While there were bullying rows, surprise twists and several feuds, it was the love triangle between Jordan Sangha, Henry Southan and Matty Simpson that gripped the nation.
Viewers watched on in shock as they saw Henry pine for Jordan, who was pining for Matty, who was happily loved-up with a boyfriend on the outside world but in an open relationship.
Jordan and Matty had been engaged in playful flirting for weeks, before Jordan eventually decided to break things off, aware his close friend Henry had developed feelings for him.
However, Matty then expressed his hurt to Jordan after the lawyer completely ignored him for two days, and after apologising, the pair kept their distance in the house.
Matty later confessed that he tried to quit the show amid the madness but speaking to the show’s welfare team, who helped support him through his lowest moments, led to him staying in the house.
He went on candidly claim his and Jordan’s ‘hot and cold’ relationship eventually affected his mental health.
‘I did take a toll, because we were friends in the house and hung out in the same friendship group, so we were together sitting in the same group for maybe eight hours a day at least, so to always be on that receiving end, did take a toll on my mood’, he explained.
Jordan and Henry’s romance then progressed to the next level and shortly after Jordan won the show, he made their relationship official.
9. Phillip Schofield breaks his silence on affair
Viewers watched on as Phillip Schofield gave his first televised interview since resigning from ITV after admitting to an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague
Viewers watched on in anticipation as Phillip Schofield gave his first televised interview since resigning from ITV and being dropped by his agency after admitting to an ‘unwise, but not illegal’ affair with a younger male colleague.
Speaking to the BBC’s Amol Rajan, he revealed the fallout from his admission had been ‘relentless’, confessing he had suicidal thoughts.
The broadcaster also said he had ‘lost everything’ in the wake of the revelations, admitting his ‘career is over’ and there had been a ‘catastrophic effect’ on his mind.
He went on: ‘I did something very wrong and then I lied about it consistently and you can’t live with that. How do you live with that?’
Phillip told the BBC he first met his lover when he was 15 and in a theatre school where he offered him career advice without ‘any whiff of impropriety’.
Their sexual relationship began with a kiss in his dressing room at work and led to ‘more’ on around six occasions when the man was around 20. Schofield said they were never in love, and remained ‘mates’ afterwards.
But he vehemently denied grooming him as a teenager before he began working at ITV, declaring: ‘What’s wrong with talking to someone?’
He went on to claim the reaction to his age gap romance was ‘homophobic’ – and said it would have been different if it was a man and a woman;
The star also revealed he begged Holly Willoughby for forgiveness by text – but she did not reply.
Throughout the interview he was seen puffing on a vape, having previously confessed he vaped so much while sitting on the sofa and staring into space since quitting This Morning that he had ‘blistered both hands’.
10. Lola’s heartbreaking farewell
EastEnders viewers were brought to tears as much-loved character Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) tragically passed away in May
EastEnders viewers were brought to tears as much-loved character Lola Pearce tragically passed away in May.
Viewers lauded the BBC soap for showcasing the ‘brutal’ and ‘heartbreaking’ reality of a terminal cancer diagnosis.
And in what was described as the ‘saddest ever’ exit, Lola (Danielle Harold) lost her battle to brain cancer in Wednesday’s show.
Lola’s loved ones rallied around her during a stormy night in Albert Square, after her nurse warned them she may just have hours to live.
Fans watched Lola’s emotional husband Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) say his final goodbye.
Jay struggled to say goodbye and quickly became emotional: ‘I can’t say it, I can’t. You ain’t leaving me, you are in my bones, my veins, it is not our time.
‘If there’s a god, we’ll have another shot at this. Maybe we’ll come back as something else, me you and Lex. A family of ants. You might come back as a fox. As long as I get to come back with you. This ain’t goodbye, I don’t have to say it.’
Jay stepped out the room for a moment and as he reentered the room, he noticed the bad weather had lifted and that ‘the sun had come out’ for his wife.
As he turned to face Lola he realised that while he was out of the room she had sadly passed away.
Jay broke down into tears, while Lexi woke up and reassuring her step-dad, she said: ‘She did it for us’
After paying tribute to Lola at the Queen Vic, residents woke up to the sunshine and the birds singing unaware of the tragic news about to hit them.
In the closing moments a fox ran across the square, symbolising Lola after Jay previously told his wife she could come back as a fox.
BBC viewers then saw Lexi and Jay cradling Lola’s body and sobbing, as they struggled with their grief while EastEnders’ famous Julia’s Theme played.
11. Coleen Rooney reveals real Wagatha Christie story
One of the most shocking revelations in Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story was how Coleen’s husband Wayne Rooney played a pivotal role in helping her expose Rebekah Vardy
Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story dropped on Disney+ in October, offering an inside tale into what exactly happened between warring WAGs Coleen and Rebekah Vardy.
Revealing that she felt compelled to make the show in order to explain the situation ‘in her own words’, Coleen didn’t hold back as she told the story from start to finish.
With her first leaked post coming out in 2017, the mother-of-four revealed there had been plenty of drama behind closed doors in the five years leading up to the famous Wagatha Christie trial.
With a judge ruling in Coleen’s favour after Rebekah sued her for libel, she revealed the key elements to winning her case as well as exactly how she managed to uncover Rebekah’s deception in a two-year solo investigation.
One of the most shocking revelations was how Coleen’s husband Wayne Rooney played a pivotal role in helping her expose Rebekah – even though he was completely oblivious to her super sleuthing ways.
The WAG, 37, tracked down Rebekah, 41, after posting a series of false claims on her private Instagram page – having blocked everyone but her from seeing – one of which being she was travelling to Mexico to look into ‘baby gender selection’.
After the story ended up in The Sun, Coleen realised that the leak could only have come from Rebekah’s camp as it would have been impossible for any of her friends and loved ones to take it to the press.
The reason being was that Wayne secretly underwent a vasectomy after the couple decided their family was ‘complete’ after welcoming son Cass in 2018.
Coleen – who shares Kai, 13, Klay, 10, Kit, seven, and Cass, five, with Wayne – revealed the couple plan to have no more children after the footballer’s sterilisation procedure, making gender selection the perfect fake tale.
She explained: ‘After the birth of every one of my kids the press is always interested if I’m going to have another baby and it’s always, “would you like a girl?”
‘I always thought I’d have a few kids, maybe three at the most, but then number four came along and we knew our family was complete then.
‘Me and Wayne talked about him having a vasectomy. He said after this baby that’s it we’re not having anymore and Wayne went in and got the snip so I knew for sure we wouldn’t have any more children.
‘I’d heard about this procedure where you could choose the gender of your children but it’s something I’d never considered doing so I came up with this idea about doing a story.’
12. Ncuti Gatwa makes shock debut as Doctor Who
Ncuti Gatwa made his hotly-anticipated debut in Doctor Who during the third and final 60th anniversary special in December
Ncuti Gatwa made his hotly-anticipated debut in Doctor Who during the third and final 60th anniversary special in December.
The Sex Education actor, 31, finally made his first appearance on screen as the 15th Doctor when David Tennant’s incarnation of the character regenerated.
However, all was not as it seemed as a huge twist saw both versions of the Doctor remain on screen, in a huge move away from tradition on the long-running BBC sci-fi series.
Ncuti’s debut came when ‘creepy’ returning villain The Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris, shot David’s Doctor through the chest, forcing him to regenerate.
The Toymaker had turned human beings on Earth mad, before challenging the Doctor to a deadly game – which put the planet at stake – forcing the Time Lord to accept to try and save Earth.
Shooting the Doctor, The Toymaker said: ‘I played one game with the First Doctor, I played the second with this Doctor, so your rules declare that I must play the third game with the next Doctor!’
His companions Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and the returning Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) ran over to support him as he regenerated, with fans expecting that to be the end for David’s character.
Melanie reassured him: ‘You’re going to be someone else, it doesn’t matter who, because every single one of you is fantastic!’
While David tearfully said: ‘It’s time, here we go again! Alonzee,’ as he expected to be replaced, but a huge twist saw his character remain alongside his new incarnation.
As he remained after the regeneration, he asked Donna and Melanie: ‘Could you, pull? It feels different this time,’ and as they yanked on his arms, Ncuti shot out of him and the two Time Lords stood alongside each other in a massive twist.
Making his hotly-anticipated debut, Ncuti’s Doctor shouted: ‘No way!’ as he laid eyes on David, moving away from tradition which normally sees one Doctor replace another upon regeneration.
David said: ‘You’re me,’ while Ncuti replied: ‘No, I’m me. I think I’m really, really me! Oh-ho-ho I am completely me!’
When asked what had happened, Ncuti’s Doctor said: ‘Bi-generation, I have bi-generated. There’s no such thing, bi-generation is supposed to be a myth, but-!’
The pair of Doctors then used their talents to face off with The Toymaker together and incredibly managed to beat him at his own game, sending the villain out of existence forever.
13. Russell Brand’s assault allegations are revealed
Viewers were left in shock at Channel 4’s Dispatches in September when it aired a special investigatory show looking at a series of sexual assault allegations aimed at Russell Brand
Viewers were left in shock at Channel 4’s Dispatches in September when it aired a special investigatory show looking at a series of sexual assault allegations aimed at Russell Brand.
Prior to the show airing, the public had already began to brace for an explosive show after the last-minute Dispatches special was uploaded to TV schedules with no synopsis.
The show drew in 1.8 million viewers and featured interviews with women who claimed to have been assaulted by Russell. The actor and comedian denied any wrongdoing, blaming the ‘mainstream media’ for a ‘litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks’.
Since the claims were published, more women have come forward with allegations about how he has treated them.
The allegations dated back between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame while working for Channel 4 on Big Brother spin-off shows EFourum and Big Brother’s Big Mouth as well as on BBC programmes and starring in Hollywood films.
Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon launched an internal investigation into the allegations, saying she was ‘very proud’ of their Dispatches special ‘because we had investigative journalists working on it for three to four years.’
She added: ‘Although, of course it may historically implicate Channel 4 programmes. That’s why I’m particularly glad that we did that programme and called it to account.’
Reflecting on the revelations within the investigation, Alex continued: ‘I think if you’ve seen the documentary, what we see on air not that long ago is deeply shocking and troubling when one sees it again and we’re talking 10-15 years ago, and I think all of us have to consider what impact that has on programmes going forward.’
Russell was interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police over allegations of sexual offences.
The BBC and Banijay UK, which bought Endemol, the company commissioned by Channel 4 to produce the Big Brother spin-off shows the presenter hosted, are also investigating the comedian’s behaviour while he was working on its programmes.
14. The Beckhams break their silence on Rebecca Loos
David and Victoria Beckham became the talk of the world as millions tuned in to watch the footballer’s Netflix show BECKHAM
David and Victoria addressed his alleged affair with Rebecca Loos almost 20 years after his former aide went public with details of their relationship (Rebecca pictured in 2004)
David and Victoria Beckham became the talk of the world as millions tuned in to watch the footballer’s Netflix show.
The tell-all Beckham four-part series, released on October 4, saw the Beckhams’ give an intimate insight into their marriage and early romance, their family life, as well as charting David’s footballing career.
In the show, an emotional David spoke for the first time about his mental health battles, shared never-before-seen moments from his wedding to Victoria and revealed his fears for son Brooklyn.
However, the most explosive moment came when David and Victoria addressed his alleged affair with Rebecca Loos almost 20 years after his former aide detonated a media frenzy like no other when she went public with details of their relationship.
In Beckham, Victoria spoke for the first time of the pain she suffered in the aftermath of the claims, revealing that it was the ‘hardest’ time of her life and that she no longer felt like the couple ‘had each other’.
Meanwhile, David admitted he still doesn’t know how they got through the 2003 crisis but he and his former Spice Girl wife knew they had to ‘fight for their family’, and said they felt like they were ‘drowning’ when their high-profile marriage was in the headlines for months.
Asked how their marriage survived, David told how he feared playing football while his wife struggled to find a way through their crisis.
Shaking his head, he said: ‘I don’t know how we got through it, in all honestly. Victoria is everything to me, to see her hurt was incredibly difficult, but we’re fighters and at that time we needed to fight for each other, we needed to fight for our family.
‘And what we had was worth fighting for. There were some days that I would wake up and think, “How am I going to go to work? How am I going to walk on to that training pitch? How am I going to look as if nothing’s wrong?”
I felt physically sick every day when I opened my eyes, “How am I going to do this?”
15. Logan Roy’s shock demise
The third episode of the final season of Succession proved to be the most explosive yet, as Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) shock death just before a family wedding rocked the brood
The third episode of the final season of Succession proved to be the most explosive yet, as a shock death just before a family wedding rocks the Roys.
The family were travelling to watch Connor Roy (Alan Ruck) tie the knot with fiancée Willa (Justine Lupe) before receiving the shocking news about the family’s patriarch.
Viewers watched as the media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) took his last breaths during a flight, as the Roy children told their father they loved him during an emotional phone call.
After the episode aired, writers admitted it was incredibly hard to keep Logan’s death a secret and even used the phrase ‘Larry David’ to cover it up.
British writer Georgia took to Twitter to explain: ‘This was a tough secret to keep! We decided it in the #Succession writers’ room in Jan 22.
‘So nobody found out we used code on the whiteboards. Larry David meant Logan Dies. So episode 403 said Connor’s Wedding, Larry David. Mind you, that would also have been a great episode.’
Just hours after the death of his character Logan, Brian revealed how he helped keep it a secret.
The actor appeared on Monday’s episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he opened up about his character’s shocking death.
He admitted on the show that he was, ‘hopeless at keeping secrets,’ adding that him keeping the secret of Logan Roy’s death was, ‘an absolute triumph.’
Brian ended up helping keep the secret in a much different way, when he showed up to his own funeral scene, which naturally concealed the fact that it was Logan’s funeral.
The subterfuge worked, with Stephen even showing Brian a DailyMail.com headline from January when the scene was filmed… speculating who in the show may have died.
Brian explained: ‘So what happened was, they invented this scene that I was supposed to play at the church. The church was uptown, fancy, being catholic church.
‘What happened was I was on my way to film this scene and I got the call saying we are behind. It is a scene I will never — that will never be used because it’s your funeral, so don’t come. I thought no, I’ve got to go. I better go.
‘I knew there was going to be a lot of paparazzi there, and as soon as I got out of the car they started clicking away so immediately I was able to put off the fact it was my funeral.
‘If I hadn’t done that, it would’ve been right in the s**t, I tell you.’
