30. Getting On BBC4
The definition of a slow-burn hit, this diffident black comedy picked up another armful of admirers with its third series – at this rate it'll sweep the 2017 Baftas. Life on the geriatric NHS ward staffed by nurses Den (Joanna Scanlan) and Kim (Jo Brand) and plagued by sniffy consultant Pippa (Vicki Pepperdine) was much the same. It was slightly worsened by increased outsourcing and management-speak but was still a case of making do, looking for small victories and, in the moments that give the series its tender heart, remembering that easing patients' pain is the point. Scanlan, Brand and Pepperdine's acting and writing was more assured then ever, with nicely woven story arcs never taking away the best thing about the series: it lets its realistic, ragged characters breathe. JS
29. 24 Hours in A&E C4
There’s something immensely comforting about watching experts in chosen professions going about their work (witness Inside Claridge’s), and series two of the RTS Award-winning documentary continued to gain plaudits and regular audiences of over 2 million. We saw a remarkable cross-section of society passing through King’s College A&E, from the cyclist blithely telling his parents about his brain injury to the father reassuring his traumatised daughter who'd been badly burnt when her nightie caught fire. And through it all ran the hospital’s doctors and nurses: patient, committed, and (though they’d surely deny it) undeniably heroic. GC
28. Roger and Val Have Just Got In BBC2
People who just didn't get it weren't won over in the slightest by series two of the Kilcoyne sisters' micro-comedy. Those who appreciated the virtuoso performances of Alfred Molina and Dawn French, as a breezily eccentric middle-aged couple with a terrible shared grief, got their reward. We knew that behind their fussing and affectionate bickering was the pain of having lost a child – so when a typically funny and bittersweet storyline about Roger's previously unknown adult son ended with his grandson arriving and running gaily down the hallway, it meant a lot. It was the perfect way to end a nigh-on perfect mix of comedy and drama. JS
27. Moone Boy Sky1
In a year that saw Sky dominating the comedy world with its nurturing hand and bottomless resources, this lovable, easily distracted sitcom stood out. An offspring from the fertile Little Crackers, the six-part Irish sitcom about a young boy growing up in Boyle in 1989 darted about like a toddler on sweets. Contemporary hits, cartoons and insane cutaways were all employed to hilarious effect, and the switch from sweet to rude was never a queasy one. The IT Crowd and Bridesmaids star Chris O’Dowd co-wrote and co-starred as “Mert’n” Moone’s grown-up, imaginary friend. MB
26. Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile ITV1
Amid all the rumours, the arrests, the inquiries and the resignations, it's easy to forget that the whole sordid story of Jimmy Savile's sickening years of abuse was first brought to light by a single TV documentary, a case of investigative journalism at its best. Child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas and ITV have to be commended for persevering to give the victims their voice when other broadcasters wouldn't. All the subsequent headlines and acres of newspaper columns devoted to the Savile case owe a huge debt to the brave team at Exposure. DC
25. Tales of Television Centre BBC4
The likes of David Attenborough, Esther Rantzen, Barry Norman, Pan’s People and Sarah Greene got dewy-eyed and spilt saucy anecdotes about the BBC’s “temple of entertainment” for this documentary. Forget, if you can, the current demons circling TVC. Brilliantly, lovingly authored by Richard Marson (who resisted all requests for an arch commentary, but let the celebs and rare clips weave their own tale), this was a powerful dose of nostalgia. It rammed home the vast cultural impact of one peculiar 1950s edifice. Remind us, why is the BBC abandoning it? PM