Daniel Swain and Alistair Grant admire their favourite TV shows that The Student hasn't covered

Here at TV, we can't cover everything. We have limited space and resources, and we can only cover so much, sadly.

Some of the greatest long-running TV shows fall under our radar – we don't tend to talk about them because most people are already so familiar with them. Or sometimes the shows that happen to be really good are aired whilst the paper is out of print and covering them properly would be a bit redundant.

So here's a little space for some of our favourite recurring TV heroes, bastions of light in what is, at times, a creative wasteland.

Question Time

2011 was a year of political crisis – and what better platform to address this than BBC’s question-based political symposium, Question Time? From Ken Clarke’s blundering views on rape sentencing to the London riots, there has been plenty for policy makers and commentators to chew over. The latter provided some especially revealing moments; years of unrest and dissatisfaction eventually erupting into scenes of distressing violence, leaving politicians and the public to pick up the pieces and wonder when everything went so wrong.

Also timely given the debates earlier in the year over whether prisoners should be allowed a say in the political process was an episode broadcast from Wormwood Scrubbs Prison in May.

In an age when the democratic process is being perceived as increasingly unrepresentative to vast swathes of the population, Question Time provides a crucially accessible platform for ordinary people to air their views and grievances. And David Dimbleby is the perfect host – polite but relentless, curious yet amusingly world-weary.

Later... with Jools Holland

Essential viewing for anyone with even a vague, tenuous interest in music, Later… with Jools Holland is never anything less than ridiculously eclectic.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Jools was some sort of music-centred omnipotent god, somehow knowing about every bit of music played anywhere at any time. You could strum a shaky, isolated chord on your guitar in your room, and there he would be, tapping his foot in the corner.

This year’s highlights included the bewildering appearance of Atlanta-based heavy metal band Mastodon, who managed to look like they had just walked into the wrong venue and thought ‘Screw it, we’ll play anyway’.

The only drawback to the festivities is Jools himself, who contrives to appear infuriatingly smug at all times. His genuine passion and love of music shines through however, so perhaps he can be forgiven for being a bit self-satisfied with his lot in life.

The Graham Norton Show

Filling in the Friday night slot after the shame-faced departure of Wossy, The Graham Norton Show is never anything less than entertaining. The camp antics may not be to everyone’s taste, but the chatty format works and the guests seem to benefit from the relaxed, good-natured atmosphere.

With guests ranging from Doctor Who’s Matt Smith to the ever-boring, self-aggrandising Madonna, like many chat shows its success hinges on the stars it draws in. The couch set-up manages to alleviate some of this pressure, meaning multiple guests can be out at any one time, bouncing witticisms off each other and interacting with the audience.

Norton’s personality also helps; his well-intentioned, slightly risqué humour a nice antidote to Jonathan Ross’s increasingly desperate attempts to appeal to a mass audience. Shamelessly glittery and showbiz-obsessed, it’s a bit like having Heat magazine read to you by your inappropriately rude Nan. A guilty pleasure.

Sky Sports Football Coverage

A football fan’s attention to Sky Sports is generally directed at being angry over having to pay for most of the year’s televised matches. However, this is overlooking something very key regarding Sky Sport’s football coverage – it’s fantastic. 2011 was also a very good year for football at Sky Sports as it saw the dismissal of Andy Gray and Richard Keys, perhaps the most biased and over-rated football pundits, respectively, over their sexist remarks.

Sky Sport’s commentary on live football is the best in the business, probably the entire sports, business, and Sky’s collection of half-encyclopaedia, half-sound-bite machine pundits makes watching football on Sky thoroughly entertaining.

The crown jewel in Sky’s coverage is Football Focus, a thoroughly entertaining panel show, broadcast live as the games are going on, providing rolling coverage of every FA league game, hosted joyfully by the lovely, cheerful Jeff Stelling.

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace

Adam Curtis, the genius documentary maker, unleashed another showering of his genius upon the world this past summer. All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace is a documentary about the way humans interact with machines, how it affects the way we think, and why.

Presented in his usual ethereal, ‘great man of history’, thematic style – All Watched Over examines a range of eclectic topics, including; how Californian computer programmers were deeply influenced by the ideas of Ayn Rand, and how the notion that humans are mere servants to their genes has become all-pervasive.

Curtis’ heavy use of archive footage, liberal use of evocative music and his own authoritative narration create a documentary that does its best to make the audience feel they are experiencing the changing history. It’s documentary making at its most beautiful, artistic and interesting.