It would be as formulaic (and dull) as the last season of 24 if Cult Spy gave you a simple rundown of the best episodes, best characters and so on of 2007, so we've had a little fun and hope you'll enjoy some of the alternative treats of the year.

The Family From Hell Award

There could only ever be one winner in this category. Fending off competition from Locke from Lost's ghastly parentage, the Bauer family really was hellish. In previous seasons, America's saviour Jack Bauer was a lone wolf, free from relatives, but Day Six witnessed the emergence of his brother Graem as a terrorist mastermind and his father Phillip as the real villain – who ended up killing his evil son to cover his tracks! In contrast, the parenting antics of Britney Spears seem textbook.

Most Random Use of an Inanimate Object As A Projectile

The Doctor's use of a cricket ball to prevent a tragedy in 'Human Nature' was mighty impressive, especially as he was masquerading under the guise of simple John Smith at the time. However, it's a trick he's used before in the Peter Davison era, so that only leaves one winner – Sylar for his innovative use of snow globes to attack his mad mother with in Heroes.

Keeping The Dads Happy Award

Primeval was undoubtedly geared towards a family audience. The kids would be entertained by the prehistoric monsters on view and the mums would be (in theory) enraptured by the romantic intrigues developing within the team. What was on offer to keep the dads glued to the screen and avoid switching over to Sky Sports? A former S Clubber in her skimpy underwear! Hannah Spearritt frequently strutted around leaving little to the imagination – there ain't no booty like an S Club booty. Of course, it was all a necessity of the storyline, as her character Abby had to raise the temperature in her flat to accommodate a cute reptilian pet. Yeah, right.

Most Intriguingly Ambiguous Character

Oh Noah Bennet from Heroes – we salute you. One episode we're thinking that you're a horn-rimmed homicidal heathen from hell… then the next we're full of admiration for your selfless acts to ensure the safety of your beloved adopted daughter. But what is your real, true agenda though? We can’t wait to find out.

A notable mention should go to Alexander Mahone from Prison Break. The pill-popping maniac cop deployed several questionable policing tactics in his bid to track down the fugitives, meaning that he was breaking the law while trying to uphold it. Landed in Sona prison after being spat out of the force, he still clung onto his good wishes for his family and endured guilt-ridden flashbacks about his past misdemeanours.

Tearjerking Moment Of The Year

The hymn sung by the spirited underground motorists in the Doctor Who story 'Gridlock' was a true moment of beauty amidst a sea of lurking pincers, but nothing can rival the moment Sam Tyler made his final leap in the sublime Life On Mars. Fortunately the tears quickly gave way to smiles as he landed back in 1973 to stick his tongue down Annie's throat. Whatta guy!

Death Of The Year

You'd need several abacuses to figure out the mortality rate on some of the cult shows in 2007. The manner of demise is often brutal, with Sylar slicing open the heads of victims in Heroes or Prison Break's Susan (presumably) whacking on her Se7en DVD and swiftly placing Sara Tancredi's head in a box. The poor swimmer in Primeval who dived straight into the jaws of a prehistoric beastie was a sight to behold, while Phillip Bauer suffocating his own son Graem in 24 left a lump in the throat (and possibly a channel-hopping finger on the remote too). On a sheer crowd-pleasing level, the downfall of kidney-pinching Anthony Cooper at the hands of a Sawyer/Locke combo in Lost made viewers leap out of their seats whooping like audience members of the Jerry Springer Show.

For simple shock value and ingenious execution though, the demise of the paralysed Paulo and Nikki in Lost - with the couple mistakenly buried alive in the sand – is the clear winner by the length of a poisonous spider's leg.

The Endless Source Of Fascination Award

Can anything come remotely close to the fluctuating size of the sweat patch on Schofield's grey top in Prison Break? Perhaps he's using it to communicate with the outside world in a bizarre bastardisation of Morse Code. A large patch constitutes a 'dot' and a smaller circumference soaking is a 'dash'. Given some of the recent plot contrivances, it may well happen!

Jumping Over To The Dark Side Award

Mr Smith, the super computer from the Sarah Jane Adventures, comes close to cleaning up in this category with his totally unexpected flip from a mild-mannered, helpful plot tool to a vicious entity who wants the moon to crash into earth.

Other sudden leaps to the dark side worth mentioning are Nick Cutter's long-lost wife Helen in Primeval and Whistler's annoying girlfriend pulling a gun on Burrows in Prison Break. But the stunning transformation of the seemingly benevolent Professor Yani into The Master in the Doctor Who episode Utopia deserves victory.

Whovian Fanboy Wet Dream Sequence Of The Year

In the Heroes episode 'Company Man', shady Primatech boss Thompson shared a scene with the invisible man Claude. That sounds pretty unremarkable, but when you take into account the pasts of the actors playing those roles then it's fairly eye-opening. This served up a serious treat to Doctor Who fans, as Eric Roberts (Thompson) played The Master in the 1996 TV movie with Christopher Eccleston portraying the Time Lord in the revived series in 2005. Okay, it's hardly the same cultural landmark as Robert De Niro coming face to face with Al Pacino in Heat, but it was pretty sweet.