Top 10 Couples on TV

Doctor Who: The Doctor and Rose

After 16 years off the air, the BBC decided to breathe new life into Doctor Who and bring it back for the noughties. In 2005 Christopher Eccleston made his debut as the ninth Doctor in the first episodes of the re-launched series (followed shortly afterwards by David Tennant), bringing a new attractive side-kick named Rose (Billy Piper) along for the ride. Rose’s burgeoning relationship with the Doctor became a focal point of the show, attracting thousands of viewers every week. And making Doctor Who the most successful science fiction series of all time, thanks to broadcast ratings, DVD sales, iTunes traffic and general merchandise.

Blackadder: Baldrick and Blackadder

Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) and Baldrick (Tony Robinson) aren’t quite in the same bracket as the romantic pairings of Gavin and Stacey, but their complicated relationship deserves a mention. When Blackadder first arrived on the small screen in 1983, Blackadder’s love hate relationship with dogsbody Baldrick, proved to be one of the most endearing (and amusing) elements of the show. The writers re-incarnated Blackadder And Baldrick in several settings, such as WW1 and the British monarchs, giving the pair’s raucous relationship the opportunity to transcend time.

The Simpsons: Homer and Marge

The Simpsons wasn’t meant to run as its own show. Originally aired as animated shorts back in 1987, its astute observational humour, not to mention its catchy quotes, gave the show a universal appeal and has been prime time ever since. While Marge plays the dutiful wife to Homer’s slobbish behaviour, cooking his meals and turning a blind eye to one Duff beers too many, this couple may not be the most romantic but they are definitely up there as one of the greatest.

Back in 1993, The X Files’ Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) teamed up to discover whether the truth was out there, with some crackling on-screen chemistry along the way. To begin with the FBI agentsadopted a strictly professional relationship which often involved disagreements about whether aliens exist. But as the show progressed into its ninth and final series the couple finally took their relationship to the next level. The show lasted a staggering nine years, spawning two films. It was also nominated for 20 Emmy Awards, three of which it won.

Outnumbered: Sue and Pete

British Comedy Award winner and BAFTA nominated British sitcom Outnumbered, follows a couple who are quite literally outnumbered by their unruly children. Praised for its use of improvisation, the show’s lead characters Pete (Hugh Dennis) and Sue (Claire Skinner) are a couple caught in the chaos of their own lives. Since its arrival on the small screen in 2007 the exhausted but happy couple, have managed to paint a picture of family life in the noughties, which has won audiences over with its identifiable take on modern living.

Arrested Development: Tobias and Lindsay

With producer and narrator Ron Howard (Happy Days, Frost/Nixon) reciting their every move, Tobias (David Cross) and Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) are Arrested Development’s most troubled marriage. Tobias and Lindsay’s odd-couple relationship is a progressive one, while Lindsay (unsuccessfully) attempts to snare other men, Tobia’s attentions turns towards acting. Tobias’s "never-nude" syndrome also throws a spanner in the works for the couple. Plans are afoot for an Arrested Development movie.

Gavin & Stacey: Gavin and Stacey

Gavin and Stacey gave new meaning to long-distance love when it first aired in 2007. The Welsh lass from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan and Essex boy Gavin proved that romance isn’t dead with their week-on-week struggle to stay together, despite the great distance between them. Initially aired on BBC 3, the show - written by two of the stars of the show James Corden and Ruth Jones - soon garnered a cult following and won a prime slot on BBC1.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy and Angel

Joss Whedon’s (Dollhouse) Romeo and Juliet style relationship in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although with fangs and a lot more blood), had audiences tuning in every week. Amidst slaying vampires, TV’s hottest heroine managed to make time for an un-dead office romance, with fanged-boyfriend Angel. The couple’s angst-ridden relationship even led to Angel going to the dark side and eventually moving on to his own spin-off show, leaving Buffy to get hot and heavy with bad-boy vamp Spike.

Moonlighting: David Addison and Maddie Hayes

Back in the mid-1980s Moonlighting’s Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis) kept audiences hooked with their sizzling on-screen chemistry. Week after week audiences tuned into to see if the pair would ever get it on. However, when the writers finally gave in to what audiences wanted and the couple consummated their relationship, the ratings plummeted. Aided by Willis’ move as an all-action hero in Die Hard and Shepherd falling pregnant, the show soon got axed in 1989, after five series.

Friends: Ross and Rachel

After a 10-year span Friends came to a close in 2004, with the writers finally reuniting this couple. Played by girl-next-door Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, palaeontologist Ross and waitress Rachel’s relationship began on a high note, in the first series, but ended two years later when they were (or weren’t) “on a break”. After that the writers kept fans guessing with a classic ‘will-they, won’t they?’ story line, including Rachel’s surprise pregnancy.