I've done the audio, now for the visual.
Browsing all the eminent publications' end-of-year lists, there's clearly plenty of exceptional-looking stuff I've missed, but what can you do?
We're at peak streaming content saturation, although the writers and actors going on strike may have eased the load somewhat, and by this point everyone's probably worked out which services they're willing to pay for (for the record, we've currently got all but Apple TV, which annoyingly seems to have upped its game of late).
As for the cinema, I did get out to see a few things during 2023, so perhaps let's start there...
I dutifully went and watched the long ones, with a definite preference for Oppenheimer; although I've always been fascinated by anything nuclear. It definitely could have been 45 minutes shorter, but was nonetheless an impressive IMAX spectacle. As for Scorsese's swansong, Killers of the Flower Moon, it was worthy subject matter and big performances from his big stars, but I just felt like the story was squandered somewhat. It's protagonists were all so unlikeable and the whole thing never really came together in the final third - which was exacerbated by the fact each third was an hour long.
Some of the films I saw this year were on flights, but as is so often the way with the weird time-travelling process of long haul, I can only remember seeing the whimsically wonderful Marcel the Shell With Shoes On and the woozy Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream.
In opposition to much of the high-brow fare in other 2023 best ofs I've read, much of my recommendations are distinctly lowbrow, but sod it, I enjoyed the daft escapism of things like Cocaine Bear, M3GAN, Barbie and the best of the MCU: Across the Spiderverse and Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
On Netflix, I enjoyed Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl reinterpretation, the Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, much more than his feature film, and David Fincher's The Killer was pretty sold stuff; if a bit style over substance.
Onto telly then, and I found myself ploughing through more and more documentaries this year for some reason.
The peerless Storyville back catalogue on iPlayer kept my satisfied a lot of the time, while the BBC should also take a bow for the brutal but brilliant Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland - which surely needs to be part of the curriculum in the UK.
The Beeb cemented its status as home of the wildlife doc this year with both Wild Isles and the stunning Planet Earth Three, while I also enjoyed Chris Packham's brief history of Earth.
Channel 4 should also be given credit for the exceptional Evacuation, charting the botched UK and US exit from Afghanistan. Really difficult to watch at times, with the efforts of those on the ground to bring some humanity to a completely inhumane situation contrasting horribly with the decision-making by those in power. Talking of those in power, I also thoroughly enjoyed Frankie Boyle's well-timed Farewell to the Monarchy.
The vogue for star-produced docs also intensified this year, with the slight feeling of unease and knowledge that the worth bits of their stories weren't being told, being overshadowed by how generally well made and interesting they were. I'm talking about things like the Beckham, Arnold and the Wham! docs, which all had many memorable moments in.
From fact to fiction, there was also plenty of drama worth lauding during 2023.
Several big shows bowed out this year, with none more sorely missed for me than the meme-generator that was Succession. Killing off Logan fairly early on in the run - and not showing the actual incident - made for a really interesting extended finale, as the siblings squabbled their way to eventual defeat in such a brilliantly agonising way.
Almost as hard to deal with is the loss of Reservation Dogs after three seasons. I'm glad the tale of those indigenous Oklahoma teens and their adventure to the promised land of California was given the time to be told though, because it's one of the funniest and most touching shows going.
Barry also bowed out this year, but I haven't got to the final season yet, so can't comment any further, aside from saying the series appears to just be getting darker and better and funnier as it goes on. I also never got into Happy Valley, or Top Boy, so won't wade into how well - or not - they stuck the landing.
The fourth season of Atlanta was also its last, so I'd like to take a second to salute Donald Glover, LaKeith Stansfield, Bryan Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz and the brilliant Hiro Murai for one of the most singular shows in recent years. It got ever weirder and more wonderful in the latter seasons, but was always funny and a treat to look at.
I feel like maybe its rightful successor is Boots Riley's even odder I'm a Virgo, which sort of defies explanation, but must be seen to be believed. Fingers crossed for a second season, because I had so many questions at the end of the first.
Killed before its time by those brutal execs at Netflix was Joe Cornish's impressive debut TV series Lockwood & Co.
Meanwhile, new stuff that was rightly recommissioned included the brilliantly spiralling Beef, the surprisingly engaging Poker Face and the genuinely epic Last of Us. I'm definitely not the first to say it, but THAT episode of the latter with Nick Offerman and the chap from White Lotus really stayed with me.
Sticking with big budget American shows, I was recommended Yellowjackets and devoured its two seasons within about two weeks. It's pretty schlocky stuff, but done with just enough panache that it becomes compulsive viewing - and as far as I can tell, the only reason anyone would subscribe to Paramount+.
Over on the other plus, Disney's big acquisitions of Marvel and Star Wars keep on pumping out series-based content in-between movies; with admittedly mixed results.
The Mandalorian continues to be solid space cowboy stuff, but I wasn't quite as sold on Ashoka. Similarly, the second season of Loki was superlative time-bending nonsense, while Secret Invasion was a bit of a waste of talent like Samuel L and Olivia Coleman. The one-off Werewolf at Night was quite good and I also have high hopes for the festive run of more What If...? episodes.
Back on terrestrial telly, Sky's attempts at a big time travel thriller are even dafter than Loki, with the surprising second series of the Lazarus Project continuing to be held together by the massive charm of Paapa Essiedu, who also stole the show in another patchy Black Mirror run this year.
I also really liked The Gold, which dramatised the Brinks Mat robbery in some style. Its writer, the very talented Neil Forsyth, is also behind Guilt, which has managed to twist that original murder into four series of Vantablack dark humour.
A joyous surprise from down under was the equally funny Colin from Accounts, helmed by the wonderful husband and wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer.
And to finish, the irrepressible Philomena Cunk and her latest exploits, running where Brian Cox could only stumble.