Best Of 2012 Awards: Top 10 Best Television Episodes

Our final Best Of 2012 countdown looks at this year's hottest telly...
Here we are then- the culmination of our Best Of 2012 awards series. We hope you've enjoyed the ride through Film Of The Year, Game Of The Year, The Miscellaneous Awards and the various other feature segments, but now it really is time to bring things to a close as the impending year of 2013 looms to kick off another hot twelve months of entertainment. Just before the New Year, then, here's our Top 10 Best Television Episodes Of 2012 list...
10. MERLIN: THE DIAMOND OF THE DAY PART 1- The opening half of the show finale for Merlin was a spectacular build-up, teasing the Battle Of Camlann while featuring a great cameo from John Lynch as the last Dragonlord. Thank goodness Part 2 didn't fluff it all up, even if the modern-day flash-forward was just a little too daring...
9. THE NEWSROOM: 5/1- Opening with a mysteriously anonymous phone call and developing from there into a masterful piece of realist storytelling, 5/1 was one of the finest moments in the spectacular first run of The Newsroom. Its closing moments have a profound resonance for just about any viewer who has come into contact with the Bin Laden conflict in its ten-year reign.
8. HOUSE: EVERYONE DIES- Does everyone have to die? House's answer sadly stuck to the affirmative, yet it was through this rather solemn message that the show conveyed a beautiful finale, especially thanks to the ever-palpable chemistry of Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard that carried it through.
7. THE NEWSROOM: I'LL TRY TO FIX YOU- I won't lie, primarily I'll Try To Fix You is in here because of its masterful closing sequence. Set to Coldplay's iconic Fix You, the final scenes of the episode are amongst the most memorable of the first season, featuring a host of stunning performances.
6. SHERLOCK: THE HOUNDS OF BASKERVILLE- It's saying something when the lowest ranked of a season's offerings on this list still achieves sixth place. In no small part thanks to Russell Tovey's appearance as a psychologically damaged adult in the forests of Dartmoor, Hounds remains a gripping watch that helps showcase Sherlock as the BBC1's shining TV gem of 2012.
5. DOCTOR WHO: THE SNOWMEN- The 2012 Christmas Special of Doctor Who aired just four days ago, yet it's a shining example of British telly that more than earns its place here. The Snowmen introduces Jenna-Louise Coleman's companion character proper with a bang, plus featured great performances from Matt Smith, Dan Starkey, Ian McKellen and Richard E Grant to boot!
4. DOCTOR WHO: ASYLUM OF THE DALEKS- Another Jenna-starring adventure on the list, Asylum Of The Daleks revels both in the ludricity of its initial premise and indeed in the numerous shocks it pulls for the viewer. The lead trio are all fantastic throughout the adventure, the Daleks scarier than ever, and Jenna-Louise's surprise cameo a masterfully done surprise here by Steven Moffat.
3. SHERLOCK: A SCANDAL IN BELGRAVIA- The competition between the Top 3 entries on the list was pretty heated, but Sherlock's premiere episode of Season Two had to come rather high. Lara Pulver was a fantastic Irene Adler, the resolution to the big cliffhanger of the first season a masterpiece in modern storytelling, and the narrative packing all of the shock factor of a blockbuster film.
2. DOCTOR WHO: THE ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN- There was always fair potential for the fall of the Ponds to reach big heights, and Steven Moffat didn't disappoint in this respect. Kudos to Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill for ensuring their departure from Doctor Who was quite possibly the best and most memorable closure we've ever had for a pair of companions.
1. SHERLOCK: THE REICENBACH FALL- At the top of the list comes the best finale we've seen to a run of a show in a long time. Sherlock's fall was a captivating watch for every viewer, and that we're still talking about how the man in Baker Street could possibly have survived right to this day is truly testament to the sheer intelligence of the writing team on the show. Bring on the third season!