Endings are difficult. No, that’s not true. Endings are really difficult, and one of the hardest things to end is a good TV series.

After all, viewers have sometimes put years of their lives into watching a show, and if you don’t stick the landing, then people are going to feel like they wasted their time.

Just look at what happened to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the men behind the Game of Thrones show.

They went from two of the most beloved figures in entertainment to personas non grata after they failed to deliver a satisfying conclusion to Jon Snow and Daenerys’ story.

Yet, not everyone falls at the final hurdle like an incompetent athlete or clumsy horse.

In fact, plenty of shows end on a high note, impressing critics and fans.

Metro writers have their say

So, with this in mind, the Metro TV team thought we’d take a look back on the best endings in TV history.

Don’t agree with us? Send an email, but we think these are the best TV finales of all time

Breaking Bad

Our Deputy TV editor, Tom Percival, thinks Walter White’s final send-off is pretty special…

Widely considered one of the best TV shows ever made, Breaking Bad saw the mild-mannered Walter White transform into the heinous Heisenberg as he sank deeper and deeper into Albuquerque’s criminal underworld.

In the end, it all came crumbling down around Walt as his double life was exposed, and he lost his family and fortune. Yet what I love about Breaking Bad’s finale is that in the final episode, we see the true synthesis of Walter’s two personas.

With nothing left to live for, the barriers between the nebbish Mr White and the narcissistic Heisenberg come down, and the true Walt is born. He’s a ruthless but confident genius entirely dedicated to undoing his biggest mistakes.

Honestly, endings don’t come more thrilling than this. It’s brilliantly cathartic to see Walt get revenge on those who wronged him, save his family, and sacrifice himself for Jesse in a hail of gunfire.

I know some people say it’s unrealistic, but Breaking Bad more than earned its dramatic and explosive finale.

Lost

Freelance TV writer Rob Oliver, meanwhile, has his own thoughts…

For its very final statement, Lost proudly wore sentimentality and spirituality on its sleeve, and bravely argued that not only is there a place after death, but that we make that place ourselves by loving the people we love. These broken characters fixed each other over the course of the show.

Writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse also suggested with the finale that, whether it’s a benevolent god, an unknown entity, or a man-made energy, a greater force connects us to those we love. And it saves this argument for the very end.

What other TV show was brave enough to save its big philosophical mission statement for last? What other TV show still had something so valuable to say after almost 100 hours?

Lost’s finale stands above all others because it shoots for something incomprehensibly huge and sticks the landing. It successfully presents a worthy explanation of the meaning of life, arguing that it’s to make peace with your own death

Friends

TV Editor Sabrina Barr prefers a group who are always there for you…

I can’t remember a time when Friends wasn’t in my life. That might partially be down to the fact that I was only a month old when the first episode was released in 1994, but as soon as I was old enough to watch it with my parents, I was hooked.

I might have been too young to understand a lot of what went on throughout its 10-season run, but from an early age, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey, Rachel, Ross and Monica became my friends for life too.

To this day, the sitcom is still my ultimate comfort watch. You could quote any line, show me any still, and I could tell you instantly what episode it was from.

I remember watching the final ever episode of Friends with amazing clarity. I was 10 years old, sitting on the sofa with my parents as Rachel declared to Ross: ‘I got off the plane.’ We might have been in our lounge at home, but I could almost hear the collective gasps that resounded around the world.

Friends wasn’t just any old sitcom. It touched the hearts of billions around the world, and it couldn’t have delivered a more satisfying ending, both for storytelling purposes and to make fans happy.

Rachel and Ross are back together. Monica and Chandler are parents to twins, and Phoebe and Mike want to start a family of their own. Joey is struggling with everyone moving on, but remains an anchor for the gang. Everything is changing, and yet, everything is still exactly the same as it always was, because their friendship is at the heart of it all.

Succession

TV reporter Milo Pope wants to get straight to business…

It’s a tale as old as time. You sit down to start a new series. It presents a fascinating set of characters, played by an extremely talented cast, but… it completely messes up the ending.

For Jesse Armstrong’s Succession, which did all of the above, thankfully, its series finale managed to leave a sweet taste in viewers’ mouths.
Impeccably shot and written, every character’s story arc manages to come to a complete conclusion amidst the most high-pressure stakes imaginable.

But right at the end, it still sucker punches you with a truly shocking and unexpected ending. Truly magnificent

The Sopranos

Senior TV reporter Rebecca Cook wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse…

When it comes to The Sopranos, a clear pick for the Mount Rushmore of great TV, it isn’t so much about the show’s finale episode as the final scene.

Set in a diner to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ (perhaps the most unlikely song choice Tony Soprano could make), James Gandolfini’s indelible mob boss watches his family arrive for a low-key dinner. Outside, Meadow can’t master parallel parking. Inside, there’s a shifty bloke looking at Tony from the bar.

There’s so much promise in the rousing Journey track and AJ telling his dad to ‘focus on the good times’. Yet, everything suddenly cuts to black in an ending more haunting than if we had seen what many believe happened next.

Did you think your TV was broken? Was the ending a cop-out? The fact that we’re still talking about it nearly two decades later is a testament to its brilliance. So, did the shifty bloke whack Tony? Well, if you were to make me choose once and for all, I’d say – cut to black

Scrubs

Deputy TV editor Tom again, with a second pick that he demanded be included on the list…

Scrubs may not be an obvious contender for a list like this, but I stand by the fact that it’s the best ending to a sitcom ever. Set on JD’s final day at Sacred Heart (until the revival at least), the episode ends with the young doctor finally getting the validation he’s always sought from his mentor, Doctor Cox.

As he heads out the door for the last time, we’re treated to a montage of the future showing JD finally marrying Elliott, staying close to Carla and Turk, and their kids falling in love.

Is it blatant fan service? Yes. But it’s also packed with great jokes (JD collapsing when he realises he’s actually going to be actally related to Turk) and moving moments as well.

For a show like this, which walked the fine line between hilarity and poignancy, I can’t think of a better way to see off the hard-working doctors and nurses at Sacred Heart hospital… let’s just pretend that ninth season never happened.

Six Feet Under

Tom again. Now you’re just being greedy…

Most people hate when a show kills off its cast in the final episode, but there was no other way for a show set in a mortuary to end. Indeed, it’s the final montage at the end of the show’s sixth series that people remember best about Six Feet Under these days.

If you’ve never seen it, the show ends with a time-skip montage where we see how all the characters we’ve been following for six years die. Some pass away peacefully with their loved ones around them, others are taken far too soon, and some are violently snatched away from their families.

The only thing these deaths have in common? Well, they all serve to remind us of that horrible universal truth. We all die eventually.

And while you’d be forgiven for thinking that’s a horrible way to end a TV show, it’s also a powerful reminder of one of Six Feet Under’s key themes. The idea that you only get one life and you don’t know how long or short it will be, so you’d best live a good one.

This article was originally published on September 29, 2025.

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The Belfast broadcaster had taken ill last week

Eamonn Holmes is currently in hospital after suffering a stroke.

The news was confirmed on Saturday afternoon by GB News, who said that the 66-year-old broadcaster was “responding well” to treatment.

The Belfast TV presenter has been working as a host on GB News Breakfast since joining the channel after his departure from ITV in 2022.

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In a statement online, GB News said: “Eamonn was taken ill last week and it was later confirmed he had suffered a stroke. He is currently responding well to treatment.

“Eamonn has asked for privacy as he focuses on getting better.

“His colleagues and everyone at GB News wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to the People’s Channel when he is ready to return.”

Angelos Frangopoulos, the CEO of GB News, added: “Eamonn is a loved member of the GB News family, and we’re with him every step of the way as he recovers.”

Eamonn had been due to return to GB News Breakfast next week – Alex Armstrong will step in to present in his absence.

Eamonn has been open about his health struggles and battle with chronic pain for years. He underwent major spinal surgery in 2022 to tackle years of pain from slipped discs and subsequent complications, a procedure he has admitted “went wrong” and left him with limited movement.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

“The Grand National is the main reason I got into the sport, it has always been a great spectacle. It is a dream, it is the most prestigious race, it’s worldwide, it is very exciting to have a ride in the race alone, if you’re not in then you can’t win and it doesn’t matter what price they are, hopefully they have a good chance and I am really looking forward to it.”

The incident happened at the supermarket on the Causeway, in Billingham town centre, around 2.25am this morning (April 11). 

Two men in dark clothing were caught on CCTV forcing entry before leaving with a large quantity of goods, including alcohol and scratch cards. 

Police launched a search but the suspects had fled the scene. 

Cleveland Police say one of the men was wearing a grey tracksuit with a black gilet and a black face covering, and was carrying a duffle bag. 

The second man was wearing all-black clothing.

Enquiries are ongoing and officers are urging anyone who may have captured the two men on doorbell or dash cam footage to get in touch on 101, quoting reference number 067408.

Lebanon experienced one of the deadliest days in its recent history, as widespread Israeli air strikes brought horror and destruction to the country on Wednesday, just hours after a ceasefire was announced in Iran.

The attacks, that came in the middle of the day without warning, killed more than 300 people, a third of them women, children and the elderly, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Some of the attacks hit busy, densely populated neighbourhoods, places that had not been targeted before and where people felt they were safe.

Israel said it carried out more than 100 air strikes in just 10 minutes on what it described as targets linked to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

BBC Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega has spoken to residents in Beirut, a city that is still in shock.

When Soviet president and Communist party secretary Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the policies of perestroika (reconstruction) and glasnost (openness) in the mid-1980s, it marked the beginning of cautious reforms of the Soviet Union. Georgia, or the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, to give it its full name at the time, was on the periphery of the union.

Far from Moscow, it lay hidden on the other side of the Caucasus mountain range on the edge of the Black Sea. As a doctoral candidate in linguistics on a research grant to Tbilisi University, I spent one year living there, between 1987 and 1988. I was conducting research on the Georgian language.

Travel at the time was very difficult, and could only happen via Moscow. I did not return to Sweden for the duration of my stay. In the recent publication, We Witnessed the Soviet Break-Up: Five Scandinavian Researchers on the Final Years of the USSR, Seen From the Caucasus, I detail how this gave me a front-row seat from which to observe the speed at which society was shifting – and how language was key to that transformation. I also observed how old cultural traditions had endured despite decades of Communist propaganda and harsh Sovietisation.

Rapid transformation

The May Day parade was long one of the key moments in the Soviet calender. I witnessed the last time it was held in central Tbilisi, in 1987. People were carrying red flags. Banners declaiming “Glory to the Communist party” and “Glory to our multinational Soviet Fatherland” were draped on the main buildings.

Next year, however, the national movement across the republic was pushing for a free Georgia. In November 1988, many took part in a hunger strike in front of the Georgian parliament against changes in the constitution that would reduce the rights of the Georgian republic. Protesters wanted what they termed the “Russification of Georgia” to come to an end.

Georgian society was multiethnic and multilingual, counting Russians and Georgians alongside Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Abkhaz, Ossetians, Greeks and many others. Georgian was the main language within the Georgian education system as well as in broadcasting and the press and, technically, according to Article 6 of the Constitution of Soviet Georgia recognised as the republic’s official language. However, during the Soviet period, Russian speakers could easily live and work in Georgia without knowing Georgian: Russian was the lingua franca for inter-ethnic communication within the republic and the Soviet Union at large.

As a non-Indo-European language, Georgian boasts its own script and a written history that dates back to the 5th century AD. It is a cornerstone of the Georgian identity. Within the wider push for greater political freedom, Georgians now fought for the implementation of the constitutional status of Georgian. This included increased demands for knowledge of Georgian in workplaces and administration, while also investing in teaching Georgian as a second language.

Efforts were made to develop Georgian terminology in technology, science and other fields where Russian had been dominant. Citizens who had little or no knowledge of Georgian were under pressure to learn.

Enduring traditions

Despite decades of Sovietization, social and family life remained underpinned by old patriarchal traditions.

During my time in the country, I was welcomed with more openness and engagement, and less suspicion, than during the three years I had spent in Moscow. I experienced the extent to which hospitality was an ancient Georgian virtue. “A guest is a gift from God,” local people would say.

Georgians were proud of their cuisine and ancient wine production. When a guest entered a home, the dinner table would quickly transform into a feast, what is know as a “supra”. This came with its own specific structure and rules. The man of the house would assume the role of toastmaster (tamada), and the wife and female members of the family would prepare and serve the food. They would be called in from the kitchen for a toast in honour of the women. In some traditional families, the men would sit at one end of the table, and the women and children at the other.

These traditions were discernible across the different cultural communities within Georgia. Tensions at the time were growing between Tbilisi and the central Soviet authorities in Moscow, and within Georgia itself, with minorities in the autonomous entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In the summer of 1989, the first violent Abkhaz-Georgian clashes took place. I was on a day trip, travelling from Sokhumi, the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, to a wedding in a small town called Zugdidi in the Megrelia region when violence broke out. Unable to return to Sokhumi as planned, I ended up spending one week with a family on the outskirts of the town.

Being there was like stepping back in time. The household was run by a young woman called Tsira, who, as a widow, dressed all in black. According to tradition, she would remain in black for the rest of her life. Her eldest son, who was 12-13 years old at the time, appeared to be seen as the man of the house.

Tsira’s neighbours came round and my friends from Sokhumi sat with them, discussing the conflict in Megrelian, the local language. Tsira prepared food, chicken and maize porridge over an open fire in a small wooden hut in the yard. Smoked cheese hung from the ceiling.

At one point, we visited the cemetery. Tsira sat on a stone bench by a black marble bust of her husband while relatives and guests sat around the grave. The women brought out Soviet champagne and food. I observed how toasting and eating bread dipped in wine were important in a ritual of honour and remembrance.

These religious practices showed how, within the official atheism of Soviet society, Georgian Orthodox traditions persisted – as they still do today. Another such religious practice common in Georgia during Soviet times was to hold a commemorative supra 40 days after a person had passed away. During this period, the men were not supposed to shave. The 40 days are considered the time it takes for the soul to reach heaven and God.

In 1990, I heard the crowd shouting “occupiers, occupiers” in front of the general staff of the Caucasian Military District in Tbilisi. The newly adopted Soviet law, dubbed the “law of non-secession” made the idea that the Soviet Union might break up feel a utopian dream. And yet it did, merely a year later. Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union on April 9 1991 and the split was finalised on December 26 with the dissolution of the USSR.

In the intervening decades, the ethnopolitical conflicts that were fomenting during this early post-Soviet period have only deepened, not least following the Russo-Georgian war of 2008. Today, they remain largely unresolved and the situation in Georgia, highly volatile.

The Georgian language, however, has reclaimed the media, education and the streets. Russian has been replaced by English among the young generation of Georgians who do not carry this Soviet heritage.

It is expected to finish at approximately 11pm

The PSNI has issued traffic and travel advice for those travelling through Lisburn city centre on Saturday evening.

Road users and members of the public are advised of potential traffic disruption until 11pm on April 11 due to a planned parade.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “The outward parade is expected to leave at 6.45pm from Rathvarna Drive and will then take the following route: Ballymacash Road, Prince William Road, Ballymacash Road, Antrim Road, Antrim Street, Bow Street, Market Square (with a short stop) and Railway Street/Wallace Avenue.

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“The return parade is expected to leave Wallace Avenue at 8pm and will take the following route: Railway Street, Market Square, Smithfield, Market Place, Chapel Hill, Longstone Roundabout, Chapel Hill, Bow Street, Market Square, Railway Street and Wallace Avenue.

“It is expected to finish at approximately 11pm. Police officers will be present to manage traffic and public safety throughout the parade.

“To avoid potential delays, please seek an alternative route for your journey where possible during these times.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Sunderland City Council’s licensing sub-committee met on Thursday to discuss the application for 2 Eden Terrace, a property previously used as food store Haat Bazar Ltd.

Applicant Lojan Ramesh wanted permission for a planned new convenience store at the site to be able to sell booze between 8am-11pm.

Information from the applicant in council reports said “alcohol is not the intended focus of the business” and that alcohol sales would have a “limited impact on the area.”

The application went before the council’s licensing sub-committee on April 9 after dozens of public objections were submitted, raising concerns about antisocial behaviour near the site, parking, littering and fly-tipping.

Initial proposals sought permission to sell alcohol for longer hours, but this was altered to 8am-11pm, seven days a week, following talks with Northumbria Police and the council.

Thursday’s City Hall meeting to decide the application was attended by Barnes ward councillors Antony Mullen and Fiona Tobin.

As there was no representation from the applicant, the licensing sub-committee were told they had several options in the circumstances.

These included either refusing the application, adjourning a decision, or only hearing evidence from council licensing officers and objectors before making a decision. 

A legal adviser for the committee said there were concerns about the third option in terms of conducting a “fair hearing”, and it was noted that the refusal option would allow the applicant the right of appeal, or the chance to resubmit the application.

A committee report also noted the matter had been adjourned before at a separate meeting earlier this year, with a decision “postponed” because the applicant was unable to attend due to “ill health.”

Following deliberations, the licensing sub-committee agreed to refuse the application “on the basis of the absence of the applicant”.

Councillor Michael Hartnack, presenting the committee’s decision, said this was “a consequence of their failure to attend or give reasons for their failure to attend but also to give the opportunity to present their application at some point in the future”.

It was noted that if the applicant wanted to reapply for the alcohol licence, the licensing process would start again and public objections would need to be resubmitted.

Here are the three best places to live outside Cambridge

Cambridge was recently named as one of the best places to live in the UK by the Sunday Times. While Cambridge is a beautiful city to live in thanks to its many restaurants on offer and independent shops to explore, there are plenty of other areas in the county that could battle for the title of best place to live.

Whether you are looking for a smaller city to call home or a village surrounded by the countryside, Cambridgeshire has options for whatever you need. Outside Cambridge, there are so many places to see with cafés to relax in, outdoor spots to enjoy, great schools for kids, and activities to get involved in.

CambridgeshireLive asked our readers to share where they think is the best place to live in the county aside from Cambridge. These three places came out on top as the best places to live outside Cambridge.

3. St Ives

Unlike its coastal counterpart, St Ives in Cambridgeshire is not next to the sea but many people still love living there. People who live in the town or are just visiting love the historic centre and the beautiful views of the River Great Ouse you can enjoy.

St Ives also has an impressive range of restaurants including the Teller’s Table and the Whisky Café with a new Sushi and Salad location coming in June. If you want to live in St Ives, the average house price in the area is £319,989, according to Rightmove.

2. Ely

In second place is the city of Ely. The city is steeped in as much history as Cambridge, as the foundations of the area date back to 673. It was once the home of Oliver Cromwell between 1636 to 1646 after he inherited St Mary’s vicarage.

Ely has plenty of things to see and do such as taking a trip to the market, where you can find a range of fresh produce and homemade gifts, and visiting the historic Ely Cathedral. Rightmove says houses in the city cost an average of £382,047.

1. Waterbeach

In the top spot is a village not too far away from Cambridge. Waterbeach is an easy 30-minute drive or nine-minute train ride away from the city, offering people a quieter place to live while still being close to the action in Cambridge.

The village has a few different pubs including the Bridge, which is known for its riverside views and Sunday roasts, and Boswell Bakery where you can pick up a range of pastries and rolls. Properties in Waterbeach are slightly more expensive at an average cost of £451,447.