Best of 2017: Kate Hawkesby

For me, 2017 was the year of… Weinstein and the #MeToo campaign. It felt bigger than a tipping point.. and more like a revolution.

The best thing I watched this year… Was a tie between Blacklist and The Crown. I'm obsessed with Blacklist because I'm obsessed with James Spader, he and William Shatner as Alan and Denny in Boston Legal, were my favourite on screen couple ever so basically I watch anything James Spader is in. Blacklist errs on the side of a little too freakish and scary at times so I would sometimes have to watch it through my fingers, whereas The Crown is just sheer joy and beauty. I love the sets, the costumes, the lighting, the locations, the dialogue, the actors, I'm hooked.

The show I stopped watching… House of Cards. It was getting a bit boring even before I found out Kevin Spacey was a bit of a perv. Also Designated Survivor because (1) the episodes were too long (short attention span) and (2) Keifer Sutherland's whispering did my head in.

The series I binged the fastest… Veep. Once you watch one, you can't stop. Smartest, funniest, laugh-out-loud show on TV, brilliantly scripted and acted - Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a master class in comedic genius. Each time I finish a series, I literally want to watch it back over again, it's that good.

The best thing I listened to was... Kesha's song 'Praying' which I thrashed on both my Instagram stories and in my kitchen until my entire family wanted to kill me. It's full of redemption and angst and liberation and awesome piano with just a touch of gangsta. Love it.

The best live show I saw… Matilda the musical. I'd never seen it, I took my daughter and two of her friends when it was in Auckland and we were absolutely transfixed from beginning to end. Such great storytelling and acting from the entire cast but particularly the children. It's always uplifting to watch amazing talent. Much to my daughter's embarrassment I leapt up at the end for a standing ovation whilst also yelling "wahoooo!" which doesn't happen often with Auckland audiences. (Hence my daughter's embarrassment.)

The biggest let down of the year was… Married at First Sight. I didn't even watch it for the train-wreck value as I'd already heard it was THAT MUCH of a train wreck.

And my personal highlight was… Entertainment wise? The final episode of Seven Sharp where my husband, who's widely regarded by media as having a heart of stone (fake news), showed his softer side by crying on national telly. To be fair to him I think he was taken aback by the fact Matt (Toni's husband) and I turned up with the kids and crept in behind the scenes while they were doing their live broadcast to support them as they bowed out. The girls all had little bunches of flowers for them and were just out of shot but I think it tipped him over.

• Kate Hawkesby is the host of Newstalk ZB's Early Edition, returning in January 2018.