Boiling Point is a four-part British television drama miniseries created by Philip Barantini, James Cummings, and Stephen Graham. Directed by Barantini and Mounia Akl, it is a continuation and standalone sequel of the 2021 film Boiling Point, also directed by Barantini and featuring many of the same cast. Starring Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, and Hannah Walters, the series premiered on BBC One on 1 October 2023, with all episodes released on BBC iPlayer on the same day. It was made for the BBC by Ascendant Fox, Matriarch Productions, and It's All Made Up Productions.
Contents
Synopsis
The series picks up six months after the film ends with Carly (Robinson) now running her own restaurant, Point North, with most of former boss Andy's (Graham) staff.
Cast
Vinette Robinson as Carly, head chef at Point North
Hannah Walters as Emily, head pastry chef
Izuka Hoyle as Camille, French chef
Áine Rose Daly as Robyn, waitress
Daniel Larkai as Jake, kitchen porter
Gary Lamont as Dean, Point North restaurant manager
Hannah Traylen as Holly, kitchen porter
Stephen McMillan as Jamie, pastry chef
Taz Skylar as Billy, bartender
Ahmed Malek as Musa, new front-of-house staff who works at the bar
Joel MacCormack as Liam Astrid, businessman behind Point North
Missy Haysom as Kit, new front-of-house staff
Shaun Fagan as Bolton
Stephen Odubola as Johnny, a new chef
Cathy Tyson as Vivian, Carly's mother
Stephen Graham as Andy, former head chef at Jones & Sons
Steven Ogg as Nick, sous-chef
Ray Panthaki as Freeman, sous-chef
Sok-Ho Trinh as Sol
Henry Meredith as Nathan
Production
The series is a sequel to the 2021 film Boiling Point, a one-shot film set in a restaurant kitchen. It itself was an expansion of a 2019 short film of the same name, also directed by Philip Barantini and starring Stephen Graham. In October 2022 it was announced that a series following on from the film with the same creative team had been commissioned by BBC One.
The series consists of four one-hour episodes, with Barantini directing the first two and Mounia Akl directing the last two. Graham Drover is the series producer and Rebecca Ferguson is executive producer for the BBC. The series is written by James Cummings with writers Dan Cadan, Alex Tenenbaum, and Nathaniel Stevens joining the team.
Walters said that the series aimed to explore both the kitchen ("the microcosm"), but also further explore the lives of the characters ("the macrocosm").
The final script of the film is a result of a collaborative approach both using the original script and improvisation.
Casting
In February 2023 Steven Ogg was revealed to have joined the cast. Graham, Robinson, and Walters all reprise their original roles from the film, as do Panthaki, Lamont, Daly, Skylar, Larkai, McMillan, Traylen, and Hoyle. An open casting was run, which is how the team found Missy Haysom, who had not acted before.
Filming
Filming began in January 2023 in Manchester.
Whilst the series does not consist of one-shot episodes, the production team endeavoured to retain some long shots which allude to this aspect of the original film, including an opening scene lasting eleven minutes in episode one. Unlike the original feature film, which was filmed in a real kitchen, the series was filmed on a set, which allowed for a broader variety of shots.
Broadcast
Episode one aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2023 in the 9pm time slot, with all four episodes becoming available on its iPlayer streaming service the same day.
BBC Studios handled international distribution.
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "A culinary drama with palpable tension simmering beneath the surface, Boiling Point generates an absorbing amount of heat."
Nick Clark of the Evening Standard gave it a five out of five stars, commenting that it "gives us just a taste of the anxiety and the adrenaline of this world. It's an extraordinary peek behind the kitchen door, and an uncomfortable one. But as a drama, the ingredients are spot on and the execution superb." Another five star review came from Morgan Cormack of The Radio Times, describing it as "a perfect example of what stellar character-driven drama is." Of the casting, Morgan opined that "the magic of having such an ensemble isn't to be taken lightly - it truly is a work of magnificence."
Dan Einav of the Financial Times awarded the show four stars, stating that "The main cast broadly rise to the challenge but there's a ready-made quality to some of the plotting and scene-setting. The point that chefs both depend on and deplore their customers is overstretched... It can also strain credulity to make each night revolve around a disaster." Another four star review came from Nick Hilton of The Independent, again praising both the “quality of the acting” and the writing. Four stars also from Emily Baker of the i, who said that the “TV version never quite matched the heights” of the feature film and bemoaned the lack of screen time afforded to Stephen Graham.
The Times critic, Carol Midgley also awarded the show four stars, as did Rebecca Nicholson at The Guardian, who also singled out the “excellent cast.” The Observer's Joel Golby lauded "a brilliant script, a phenomenal cast and some absolutely beautiful filming" and went on to state that "this hugely stressful series is one of the best things on television this year... British TV at its very finest."
The Guardian said the series "piles stress upon stress, with a garnish of extra stress...This is not a leisurely watch", and say some of the personal issues the characters face "start to veer towards the melodramatic". However, the review praises the "excellent cast".
Accolades
The series was nominated for Best Limited Series at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2024. The series was nominated for Best Drama Series, and Robinson for Best Actress, at the 2024 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.