From moon landing to accidental sexting: Your greatest TV moments ever | television

TViewers turn 100 this year, so The Guardian has drawn up our selection of the biggest TV moments from a century of television. Then we asked readers to share their iconic TV moments. Here’s the best.

1953: Coronation

Mum and Dad bought a Vidor TV for the coronation in 1953. We were watching the Saturday evening TV news – I was fascinated by the beginning, which was all about the Alexandra TV Tower. I think this (combined with listening to shipping forecasts on the radio) is what sparked my lifelong radio obsession! It’s still with me over 70 years later. Phil Holiday, 78, New Zealand

1969: Apollo 11 landing on the moon

I still remember my father waking me up late at night to watch the first human landing on the moon. He woke me up because he had to share this event with someone and didn’t want to wake my mother. “I’m sorry to wake you, son,” he said, “but you must come and see this. You will never see anything like this again.” So we sat and watched it on our old black-and-white television, and although I was unaware of the enormous significance of this moment, I became caught up in my father’s magic and excitement. I will never forget that night. Lowry, West Midlands

1972: David Bowie on Top of the Pops

David Bowie’s performance as Starman created a wave of enthusiasm for some, and scandal for others. This was the Ziggy Stardust character who changed the face of popular music forever, and not just in the UK. He was charming and I was fascinated by him. He had a twinkle in his eye that told me he knew something I didn’t know. The UK was still suffering from homophobia in the early 1970s, and Bowie suggestively putting his arm around guitarist Mick Ronson angered some people. Perhaps the high point was when he looked directly into the camera and pointed at us while singing the words, “I had to call someone so I chose you.” Ian Wright, Berlin, Germany

1976: The Sex Pistols appear on the Bill Grundy Show

Sex Pistols on Bill Grundy’s show, with a few expletives and an allegedly drunk Grundy flirting badly with Siouxsie Sioux. As a teenager, that really resonated with me. Peter Collins, 63, London

1982: First Welsh launch-Language channel

Launch of the first Welsh language channel S4C. I think the emergence of a Welsh language channel was a very important moment, not just for the Welsh language and the people of Wales, but for all minorities and languages. Liam, Cymru

1985: Live aid

For a brief moment, it seemed as if the entire world was riding on one wave that said, “If we’re going to do this, it’s going to take everyone…” Christopher, USA

1990: Nelson Mandela is released from prison

Having grown up in a world where racial segregation was the norm, it was almost unbelievable to see this agile older man making his way to freedom. The meaning behind it was beautiful. I watched it with some of my extended family, about 15 people, and we were all crying. Angela Adams, 55, Haino

1993: City Tales

I was living in the foothills of Snowdonia, having recently given up teaching French at Bangor University in favor of following the path of gay activism, and becoming Wales’ first HIV outreach worker for the Gwynedd Health Authority. I came to Paris a few years ago, and my friends were dying of AIDS, and I was so outraged by the massive cover-up that had happened in the UK about engaging in prevention and effective care for gay and bisexual men around HIV/AIDS. Then on Tuesday, the Channel 4 series was released, which was the world’s first network television series aimed at a lesbian and gay audience. It was followed by Tales of the City, a television dramatization of a collection of novels that were my bible and guiding light toward freedom, love, and community. Broadcasting the book helped me believe that what I was fighting for was possible and not just a dream. I would invite friends along for the ride, open a bottle of wine and we’d live the dream, from our remote Welsh hills. David Lynch, 62, Cambridge

1994: Melvyn Bragg interviews Dennis Potter

There is no doubt that Melvyn Bragg interviewed Dennis Potter shortly before the end of the latter’s life. Funny, sad, deeply moving: as an event that will always stay with me. Judith Rhodes, 73, Leeds

1998: David Attenborough and the Lyrebird

David Attenborough is in a forest with a lyrebird in southeastern Australia, which mimics the sounds of chainsaws cutting down trees and destroying its habitat. It was a wake-up call to the effects of humans destroying the balance of nature on our planet. It’s stuck with me ever since. Amalie Rothschild, 80, Florence

2000: Chandler proposes to Monica on Friends

We all thought Chandler had missed his chance. When he burst into the apartment to find Monica there, surrounded by candles, waiting for him, and they both knelt down, the joy and relief was palpable. It still makes me cry every time I watch it. Sandra Hochstein, 72, Canada

2001: West Wing – Two Cathedrals

My dad used to watch The West Wing when I was little. It didn’t let me watch the entire episode, but it did let me watch the title sequence. I’m not sure why, but I was obsessed with it. Fifteen years later, it’s my favorite show. If I had to pick one moment, it would be the moment when President Bartlet argues with God in the wonderful episode “Two Cathedrals.” When Jed asks the Secret Service to close Washington Cathedral after a funeral and begins arguing with God himself, it’s hard not to appreciate what a wonderful man he is to do so. It’s perfect TV. Daniel, 24, France

2003: Tim and Don finally kiss in the office

When Tim and Don get together in the office. She ached for Tim in his seemingly unrequited adoration for Dawn, struggling to contain her growing attraction to him. A surprising and improbable conclusion to a series that doesn’t always fit its characters. Anne, 75, London

2009: The lawn mower incident in Mad Men

Mad Men: Season Three, Episode Six. The advertising agency is throwing a party, and everyone is in a state of confusion. The secretary then starts riding a lawnmower and runs over the soon-to-be president of the company. The scene is graphic and shocking. The agency, and the United States at the time, was on the verge of major change. Maria, London

2010: Regeneration of the Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who

I was very interested in Doctor Who as a child, and I remember being fascinated by the regeneration of the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) into the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith). My family and I were all sitting in our old living room. I was about four or five years old at the time, and I probably supplemented that with memories of iPlayer. But the main influence was my eight-year obsession with Doctor Who. Essie, 21, London

2016: Peter Marsh crashes on Come Dine With Me

The best moment is the 2016 episode of Come Dine With Me where Peter Marsh doesn’t appreciate his final location. Often on TV, everyone is very gracious when they lose, and congratulates the winners. This time, however, in his lack of un-British decorum, Peter resents his loss, and utters such inventive insults as “Dear sir, what a sad little life you have, Jane,” and “You have all the grace of a dump truck going backwards without any tires.” Really creative. Mike, 41, Warwickshire

2016: Battle of the Bastards in Game of Thrones

Exciting TV episode. It captures the raw violence of war on horseback very well and the desperation that Jon Snow feels when it looks as if he is about to be crushed to death. This episode also has a very satisfying ending, as Sansa Stark is able to get her revenge on Ramsay Bolton, and not before time. glorious. Brian Mullan, 45, Cork

2021: Casual text message to Roman Roy about succession

I would say something high brow but that would be disingenuous. My favorite TV moment of all time is “Succession” (obviously) when Roman Roy accidentally sends a very intimate photo to his father, Logan Roy, and the realization and repercussions of what he did appear on screen. One of the most shocking, hilarious, hands in your face, swinging for him moments on TV I’ve ever seen! glorious. Paul Cahill, 43, Dublin

2022: Discover Andy at Detectorists

In the first episode of the final series of Mackenzie Crook’s Sublime Detectorists, Andy (Crook) blows a hawk’s whistle and the landscape is transported back in history to reveal the original owner inviting her bird back in a magical sequence. The scene is given further impact by the accompaniment of Magpie’s equally wonderful Unthanks song. Alex Simpson, Solihull