TV review: From Freddie Flintoff's role models to Stacey Solomon's home life, it's the best and worst of the TV year
It's the time of year when we look back at the last 12 months and try to work out what exactly we've been doing with our lives.
Looking back over the columns which have appeared in this space every Saturday showed up some highlights, but rather more lowlights, with Channel 5 dramas probably able to fill the top five spaces in my 'worst TV of the year' list on their own.
In the interests of fairness, however, we will look further to compile the list of the best five and worst five shows I've reviewed here in 2025.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first, and look at the five worst – in no particular order.
Destination X (BBC1, August)
This travel/quiz hybrid seemed to have been lashed together from the unwanted parts of other shows, from The Traitors to Wish You Were Here to The Krypton Factor, all presided over by Rob Brydon in a succession of polo necks, safari suits and flannel slacks.
What we said: “It could leave the viewer as discombobulated as the participants on their blacked-out tour bus.”
The Feud (Channel 5, April)
There had to be at least one Channel 5 pot-boiler in this worst of list, and The Feud – a tale of neighbourhood disputes and the local authority planning process – just edges out The Forsytes. Dull, confusing and with banal dialogue, it was drama constructed by cowboy builders.
What we said: “The Feud constantly teeters on the edge of parody and everyone is hiding a
secret – but in such a way that only Emma seems oblivious to the fact.”
Playing Nice (ITV, January)
ITV's big New Year offering wasted a top-drawer cast including James Norton and Niamh Algar on this melodramatic tale of medical negligence, revenge, and inexplicable plot holes.
What we said: “Miles... falls millimetres short of donning a cape, twirling a waxed moustache and cackling madly every time he appears on screen.”
Stacey & Joe (BBC1, April)
Stacey Solomon and husband Joe Swash – the first couple of reality TV – are perfectly lovely people, but that doesn't mean I want to see a fly-on-the-wall doc about their home life, which, much like the walls of their lovely home, doesn't off anything more than beige.
What we said: “There is an uncomfortable feeling that a lot of this is somehow linked to monetising the Swash/Solomon brand.”
Summerwater/Coldwater (Channel 4, September and November)
Two off-kilter dramas, packed with stars (Indira Varma, Andrew Lincoln, Dougray Scott), set in Scotland, within a couple of months? Channel 4 is spoiling us – or not, as both of these were just too mannered to be gripping in any way.
What we said: ”By the time you’ve sifted through the thriller, the comedy, the horror, the farce, the drama, you’re completely lost and in a muddle.”
And from the ridiculous, let's reach for the sublime, with our five best shows of the year, from those I’ve reviewed.
Malpractice (ITV, May)
This gripping medical drama tracked the fall-out from a seemingly inconsequential decision by psychiatrist James (Tom Hughes). A unendingly tense show, with an undercurrent of anger over the state of the NHS.
What we said: “Meanwhile, there are red herrings, new revelations and more mistakes – all the propulsive elements of a terrific thriller.”
Reunion (BBC1, April)
Another drama which started strong and never let up, this had the addition of a largely deaf cast, communicating in sign language, adding an extra layer of complexity to the intriguing plot.
What we said: “Reunion is a slow-burner – part crime thriller, part family drama – which exerts a powerful grip.”
Freddie's Field of Dreams (BBC1, September)
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff returned for a new series turning at-a-loss teens into cricket-playing pillars of the community – this time with added girls. Heart-warming, illuminating and beautiful to watch.
What we said: “Flintoff never lets his optimism waver, and you can feel how his commitment, energy and dedication can quickly become an irresistible force,”
The Guest (BBC1, September)
A female-led thriller about greed, class and power The Guest was a satisfyingly knotty watch with a great star turn from Gabrielle Creevy.
What we said: “There is still a study of class,power and money here,but it comes clothed in psychological horror threads, jump scares and all.”
Celebrity Race Across the World (BBC1, November)
Unusually for a celebrity-led show, the stars here take second billing to scenery and the people they meet along the way, as the five TV personalities and a friend or relative race across central America. And the most tense finale of any show this year.
What we said: “It makes you want to immediately jump on a plane, a boat, a train,whatever, hoicking a backpack on your shoulder and taking that gap year you’ve always promised yourself.”