A modern-day guide to Spoiler Etiquette

Everybody likes to talk about their favourite movies and TV shows, but nobody wants to have the latest big twist ruined for them. In our fast-moving world of social media and on-demand viewing, have the rules around spoilers changed?

If you often find yourself wondering when you need to keep your mouth shut and when you can speak freely, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Keep reading as we reveal our modern-day guide to spoiler etiquette.

Are spoilers still a problem?

We surveyed the nation to uncover the truth about our experience with spoilers. And it seems like they’re still a big problem. Not only can spoilers ruin the latest movie or TV show for us, they can even go as far as to damage personal relationships.

What are we doing to avoid spoilers?

According to our research, people are taking some pretty drastic measures to avoid spoilers for their favourite TV shows and movies.

Avoided going on social media

I haven't done anything to avoid spoilers for TV shows or films

Avoided talking to a friend / family member / colleague

Muted a WhatsApp group

Avoided talking in a WhatsApp group

Unfollowed a brand / person on social media

Wore headphones to block out conversations

Deleted social media apps from my phone

Took a day off sick

Worked from home

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How long should you wait before discussing spoilers?

You need to wait 33 hours after a TV show airs before discussing spoilers

You need to wait 10 days after a film is released before discussing spoilers

The UK’s Spoiler Hotspots

You’re most likely to stumble across spoilers in Manchester, with 11.44% of Mancunians admitting to sharing spoilers online. London comes in second, with 11.28% of people in the capital having shared spoilers.

People who have shared spoilers online

11.44

Manchester

11.28

London

11.24

Newcastle

10.29

Cardiff

10.17

Sheffield

8.20

Belfast

7.55

Glasgow

7.32

Leeds

7.14

Plymouth

6.67

Liverpool

5.73

Birmingham

5.66

Nottingham

4.30

Southampton

3.92

Bristol

3.28

Norwich

3.23

Brighton

2.90

Edinburgh

It’s good news for people in Scotland, as Edinburgh comes out as the most spoiler-free city, with only 2.9% of people saying they’ve shared spoilers online, followed by Brighton with 3.23%.

Which TV shows have suffered from spoilers the most?

We analysed millions of tweets, looking at the most popular TV shows of the past decade, to see which were spoiled the most.

#	Show	No. of spoiler tweets	Most spoiled episode
1	Game of Thrones	2,351,178	S8 E3: The Long Night
2	The Walking Dead	734,794	S7 E1: The Day Will Come When You Won't Be
3	Breaking Bad	316,833	S5 E16: Felina
4	Doctor Who	289,126	S11 E1: The Woman Who Fell to Earth
5	Stranger Things	217,912	Season 2 Netflix Premiere (31/10/17)
6	House of Cards	137,922	Season 2 Netflix Premiere (14/2/14)
7	American Horror Story	75,574	S3 E13: The Seven Wonders
8	Westworld	50,210	S2 E1: Journey into Night
9	Hannibal	49,106	S3 E13: The Wrath of the Lamb
10	Black Mirror	45,865	Season 4 Netflix Premiere (29/12/17)

Data sourced from Twitter, with conversation analysed from the date the first episode of each show aired until 30th May 2019. Data looks at global conversation in English language.

Survey results based on questionnaire of 2,000 UK adults aged 16 and above, completed in May 2019.