And so we prepare to say farewell to 2021. And we’ve mostly been indoors. Again.
So praise the TV overlords for providing us with some absolutely gobsmacking telly moments this year.
Here are the Top 10 most shocking…
1. Piers Morgan storming off GMB
It’s the moment we were all talking about, and haven’t really stopped talking about since.
Back in March Good Morning Britain anchor (we said ANCHOR) Piers Morgan got into a heated argument with colleague Alex Beresford over Meghan Markle.
Alex called Piers out for comments he made following Meghan’s and husband Harry’s, controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Alex was particularly disgusted at the way Piers appeared to dismiss Meghan’s claims of mental health struggles and suicidal ideation.
But it was when Alex called Piers out on why he has such a vendetta against the Duchess that things got really interesting.
And The Piers Flounce was born.
Scroll down to see the full flounce in all its diva-esque glory.
2. Meghan and Harry’s car crash Oprah interview
Speaking of that interview, no list of shocking 2021 moments would be complete without it.
Meghan and Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, appeared with Oprah Winfrey in March.
It was thought the chat was a damage-limitation exercise on the part of the Sussexes who were facing a public backlash after quitting the UK for California, turning their backs on the Royal family.
The shocks came thick and fast with Meghan revealing that at times she didn’t want to be alive and that no one helped her with her mental health struggles.
The couple made claims that one senior Royal had questioned what colour son Archie’s skin would be.
They also told Oprah they secretly tied the knot in private, three days before their televised wedding in 2018. And that Archie wasn’t offered a royal title.
Oh, and that Kate Middleton made Meghan cry over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress not the other way around.
Harry also touchingly confessed that he was scared of history repeating itself. He spoke about how his mum, Princess Diana, was hounded to death by the press. The Prince said the move was to protect his wife and child.
3. The Line of Duty finale
Was there a more talked about drama episode this year? We think not. Line of Duty fever swept the country in April and May as the six seasons looked set to wrap up with the big “H” reveal.
People who had never watched an episode before were suddenly binge-watching every episode from the start. Twitter went into meltdown as the theories flooded in.
Steve is “H”. Wait, no, it’s Kate. No, it has to be Hastings. JAMES NESBITT IS “H”. Etc.
Literally everyone who had ever passed through AC-12 was a suspect. It was all so exciting. The misspelled “definately”, the memes and, of course, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey.
But lots of fans were left feeling flat after the big reveal wasn’t very big at all. Bumbling cop Ian Buckells revealed that there was no “H”. Instead he was the last man left standing in a corrupt ring which included senior police figures and various members of the OCG.
While many fans felt robbed of their Hollywood blockbuster ending, others pointed out its significance in the current climate.
One to think about. Definately.
4. Meena kills Leanna in Emmerdale
Meena Jutla’s done some bad things, some very bad things. But it was her brutal murder of teenager Leanna Cavanagh that shocked the most.
The murderous nurse pushed Leanna to her death after fearing she was about to out her for killing Nadine.
Leanna had found Meena’s “bits box”, which included a paper cutting about Nadine’s death. As Leanna grilled her, Meena blurted out that she hadn’t meant for Nadine to die, leaving Leanna stunned.
Things then took a bad turn for Leanna as Meena began the manic laughter she’s now infamous for.
The teen tried to run away, hiding in a graveyard at one point, but Meena caught up with her. She pushed her to her death from the footbridge before stealing the ring Jacob had proposed with.
5. England lose Euros on penalties
All of us became football fans over the summer as last year’s delayed Euros 2020 were finally green-lit to go ahead.
While the country was in turmoil, ravaged by the pandemic and politicians breaking their own rules on a seemingly daily basis, the England football team were the heroes we needed.
From Marcus Rashford feeding kids in poverty to Jack Grealish being filmed handing his boots to a young fan, this team were a billion miles away from the footballer stereotypes. We wanted them to win because they deserved it.
Millions of hearts were broken when England lost the final to Italy in a penalty shoot-out. It was heart-breaking. But the real shock came afterwards as racist trolls attacked Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho online, blaming them for the loss.
This tournament unearthed the best and the very worst of people.
6. Love Island Faye’s bleep-filled rant at Teddy
Love Island 2021 was always going to be a controversial one. The show didn’t air in summer 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic grounding planes across the globe.
The 2021 series was the first one to air since tragic host Caroline Flack took her own life in February 2020. So it was always going to be talked about. It actually became the most complained about series of the dating show.
One of the most controversial moments was Faye Winter launching a foul-mouthed tirade at Teddy Soares, who she believed had cheated on her.
Thousands of viewers contacted OFCOM to complain about the incident, which Faye later confessed to not regretting during a Q&A on her Instagram stories.
There was a happy ending though as Faye and Teddy moved in together in November.
7. I’m A Celebrity chaos
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2021 seemed to be in trouble before the celebs had even been named. There had been concerns about taking the show back to Australia as Covid continued to cause travel nightmares.
Eventually it was decided the show would head back to Castle Gwrych in Wales.
But then Richard Madeley was rushed to hospital with a mystery illness, Naughty Boy threatened to leave (several times), Storm Arwen saw the show taken off air in an unprecedented move. And all in all, it was just utter carnage, tbh.
Emmerdale’s Danny Miller eventually walked away as King of the Castle.
8. Seb’s death in Corrie
Seb and Nina’s brutal beating at the hands of Corey and his gang was shocking for a few reasons. Not least of all because the story was based on the real life tragedy of Sophie Lancaster.
Sophie was out walking with her boyfriend when they were attacked, just like Nina and Seb. It was their goth style that attracted the unwanted attention of a gang.
Sophie suffered horrific brain injuries and died in hospital, just like Seb. Coronation Street worked with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation on the storyline.
9. Cooper and Billie sex party experience in Sex/Life
It would probably be easier to list the parts of Netflix hit Sex/Life that weren’t shocking.
The series hit the streaming channel in the summer and instantly became a talking point because of all the bonking. There was really not much else to it.
Bored suburban mum of two, Billie Connelly, fantasised about all the toxic shagging she got up to with her ex, Brad. She then started to journal it.
When her husband, strait-laced missionary man Cooper, found her musings, he decided to get adventurous to keep his wife.
Anyway, one of the most shocking scenes showed the married couple attend a sex party. While there, Cooper allowed his friend’s wife to give him oral sex in front of an increasingly distressed Billie. Bad man. Bad, bad man.
10. Dead Denny’s a daddy in EastEnders
If that didn’t reel you write in, perhaps the fact he was just 13 when he fathered a child will bring the ‘shock face’.
Yes, Sharon has just about stopped wailing about her beloved Denny being dead after Ian Beale basically killed him in the boat disaster.
Then a baby girl appeared on her doorstep – Shazza instantly thought it must be her shag-about half-brother’s Zack, while Martin thought it could be the result of him sowing his wild oats, but a DNA test revealed otherwise.
Then a young girl with a teddy belonging to the baby – Alyssa – showed up. This girl, Jada, turned out to be the mamma – and ‘fessed up to Denny being the father.
Pretty shocking in our book!
So what do you think were the most shocking TV moments of 2021? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.