Breaking Bad is the most binge-worthy TV boxset of all-time, according to new research.
The average ‘binge’ will last as long as FIVE hours and the gripping drama, starring Bryan Cranston in the tale of mild-mannered Walter White turned criminal kingpin, is the most popular show.
While swashbuckling fantasy epic, Game of Thrones is second in the list followed by geeky American sitcom, Big Bang Theory in third.
Desperate to see what happens in the next instalment of their favourite shows over a quarter of Brits regularly stay-up into the early hours to continue their boxset marathons.
Keen to avoid wasting time which could be spent learning the fate of Jon Snow, more than a fifth won’t bother to get dressed in the morning — and amazingly one in 10 will FORGET to eat.
Commissioned by market researchers OnePoll, the study of 2,000 UK adults found people are so transfixed by Walter White and co they will they rush home from work to watch the next instalment.
A spokesman for OnePoll said: “Watching a boxset is a relatively new phenomenon which has really taken off – perhaps due to the availability of catch-up TV and internet streaming sites.
“And the quality of shows like Breaking Bad and Broadchurch is such that viewers find themselves absolutely gripped.
“In years gone by we would have had to wait for the next episode but now thanks to boxsets that’s becoming a thing of the past.”
Even when not viewing boxsets, respondents spend one hour and 12 minutes every day thinking about what has happened or will happen in the next episode.
Even being out and about isn’t enough to stop Brits watching the likes of Friends and Downton Abbey, with one in five saying they continue to watch their boxsets away from home.
When it comes to movie series, the magical world of Hogwarts is number one amongst those polled, with Harry Potter being the most binge-watched film franchise.
Middle-Earth is a big draw too, with Lord of the Rings coming second in the poll, while Star Wars was voted into third place.
Drama is the TV genre that grips people the most, and perhaps keen for some light relief, comedy is the second most popular genre – followed by action/adventure in third.
Over a third of respondents said they binge-watch because they get too involved in the storyline and over a quarter said they can’t bear to stop watching a show on a cliffhanger.
And even knowing what happens next doesn’t appear to stop us watching selected series again and again – over half of respondents said they happily re-watch their favourites.
For over one in five of those polled having a boxset session is a form of escapism – indeed almost a fifth said they settle down to watch their cherished programmes as a means of stress relief.
Around one in three UK adults said marathon telly sessions improve the experience of watching boxsets.
And a third of people said binge-watching their favourite shows is one of their main hobbies.
Rather than have several boxsets on the go at any given time, the typical Brit sticks to one series at a time and has an average of four binge-watch sessions every month.
The most popular way to watch season after season of TV is by recording it or by accessing catch-up shows through their set top box.
This is followed by DVD boxsets and streaming websites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
On average Brits spend £7.80 every month on watching their favourite programmes – that’s £93.60 a year.
There appears to be no end in sight to boxset binges with people having an average of three shows on their watch lists.
A spokesman for OnePoll added: “The level of television is arguably as high as now as cinema and can arguably offer something film can’t because viewers can learn more about the characters.
“People certainly appear to become very involved with their favourite shows – perhaps to escape the stresses and strains of daily life.
“There is an endless supply of fantastic TV – new and old – so the popularity of the boxset certainly shows no signs of abating.”
Top 20 binge-worthy boxsets
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
Big Bang Theory
Walking Dead
Downtown Abbey
Friends
Broadchurch
Sherlock
Doctor Who
Dexter
Family Guy
The Simpsons
Orange is the New Black
American Horror Story
Lost
The Office
Supernatural
Grey’s Anatomy
The Sopranos
Gotham
Top 20 most binge-watched movie series
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Star Wars
Die Hard
Indiana Jones
James Bond
Back to the Future
Pirates of the Caribbean
Hunger Games
Batman
Fast and Furious
Alien
The Matrix
Star Trek
X-Men
Shrek
Avengers/Marvel
Twilight
Godfather
Rocky
