Boiling Point (2023 TV series)

Boiling Point is a four-episode British television drama miniseries created by Philip Barantini, James Cummings and Stephen Graham. Starring Graham, Vinette Robinson and Hannah Walters, the series premiered with its first episode on BBC One on 1 October 2023 and all episodes were 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.

Boiling Point
Created by	Philip Barantini James Cummings Stephen Graham
Based on	Boiling Point by Philip Barantini James Cummings
Screenplay by	Dan Cadan James Cummings Alex Tenenbaum Nathaniel Stevens
Directed by	Philip Barantini Mounia Akl
Starring	Vinette Robinson Ray Panthaki Hannah Walters Izuka Hoyle Áine Rose Daly Daniel Larkai Gary Lamont Hannah Traylen Stephen McMillan Taz Skylar Ahmed Malek Joel MacCormack Missy Haysom Shaun Fagan Stephen Odubola Cathy Tyson Stephen Graham Steven Ogg
Theme music composer	Aaron May David Ridley
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	4
Production
Executive producers	Philip Barantini Stephen Graham Rebeccah Ferguson Hannah Walters Bart Ruspoli Hester Ruoff James Cummings
Producer	Graham Drover
Cinematography	Matthew Lewis
Editor	Alex Fountain Tommy Boulding
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Ascendant Fox Matriarch Productions It's All Made Up Productions
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	1 October (2023-10-01) – 22 October 2023 (2023-10-22)

Co-directed by Philip 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.

Synopsis

The series picks up six-months after the film ends with Carly (Robinson) now running her own restaurant with former boss Andy's (Graham) staff.^[1]

Cast

• Vinette Robinson as Carly
• Stephen Graham as Andy
• Steven Ogg as Nick
• Hannah Walters as Emily
• Ray Panthaki as Freeman
• Gary Lamont as Dean
• Áine Rose Daly as Robyn
• Taz Skylar as Billy
• Daniel Larkai as Jake
• Stephen McMillan as Jamie
• Hannah Traylen as Holly
• Izuka Hoyle as Camille
• Stephen Odubola as Johnny
• Shaun Fagan as Bolton
• Joel MacCormack as Liam
• Ahmed Malek as Musa
• Cathy Tyson as Vivian
• Sok-Ho Trinh as Sol
• Missy Haysom as Kit
• Henry Meredith as Nathan

Episodes

No. overall	No. in series	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Episode 1"	Philip Barantini	James Cummings	1 October 2023 (2023-10-01)
It is six months since Andy's heart attack. His much feted restaurant, Jones & Sons has shut down but his former sous-chef Carly has just opened a new northern-influenced fine dining restaurant called Point North, taking most of the kitchen and front of house staff with her. With Carly now head chef, Freeman has stepped into the role of sous-chef, but like Andy before her, the pressure of juggling her professional and personal life is starting to take a toll. On a night when the restaurant is full, co-owner Liam is wining and dining a group of prospective investors, but Carly abandons the kitchen staff to attend to a family medical emergency, which subsequently turns out to be a false alarm. New starter Johnny has bluffed his way into the position of chef de partie. His first task is to make a Hollandaise sauce, but having never made it from scratch he discreetly looks up the recipe, but is unsuccessful in the execution. Clearly out of his depth, the inexperienced newcomer is moved from station to station, until finally finding himself at the pass where he starts to find his feet, but when he intervenes to put out a pan fire he burns himself. When Freeman loses this temper, he is called into a meeting with Liam and Carly. On the receiving end of what he feels is an undeserved dressing down he resigns. Pastry chef Emily visits Andy at home. Seeing the shadow of the talented chef he used to be, she attempts to mediate between him and Carly, but is rebuffed.
2	2	"Episode 2"	Philip Barantini	James Cummings	8 October 2023 (2023-10-08)
Emily is attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting when Andy arrives. She reveals she started drinking to cope with a loss, but has been sober for around a decade. She agrees to become Andy's sponsor. Liam has sourced a new produce supplier in an effort to cut costs, one that has substituted frozen for fresh meat. At service that evening, a new menu is being launched and Jamie has his first dessert featuring on it. His lack of self-belief is not helped by fellow chef Bolton haranguing him throughout service and the intense pressure leads Jamie to commit an act of extreme self-harm. Thanks to his training in the army, Johnny keeps a level head when all those around him are losing theirs and administers first-aid until an ambulance arrives. Demoted to position of commis chef, Johnny is still struggling to refine his output to the level required for a fine dining establishment, but when he backs up Bolton in the dining room as Carly and Dean are dealing with a particularly rowdy couple, a mutual respect starts to develop. Carly discovers that a group of her friends are dining on one of the tables and realises how life as a restaurateur has become all-encompassing when she has a chat with them. The emotional turmoil of the evening has Emily reaching for the bottle.
3	3	"Episode 3"	Mounia Akl	James Cummings	15 October 2023 (2023-10-15)
Jake, struggling to make ends meet is working a second job, doing night shifts in a warehouse, so when Carly decides to reduce the kitchen porters to one per shift in another attempt to reduce overheads, Holly offers to leave so that Jake can be kept on full time. Carly, unwilling to put all her eggs in one basket for a seven-days-a-week position, declines Holly's offer. Liam asks Carly if they can do a completely different menu as Point North is stepping in to host his brother's friend's wedding reception. Despite Carly's reservations, new sous-chef Nick is enthusiastic and offers to develop a menu. Emily confesses to Carly that she has fallen off the wagon. She meets with Andy for a chat in the park, where he receives a call from former Jones & Sons maitre d' Beth asking him to drop by. Returning to his old restaurant, now trading under a new name, Andy is asked to sign a legal document transferring his shares in the business over to Beth, as her father has paid off Andy's loan from Alastair Skye. He discovers Freeman working in the kitchen and the two reconcile. Discovering the level of Jake's debt and his inability to provide for his family, Holly suggests she runs an errand for her Uncle Charlie; a simple delivery that will pay a couple of grand, cash in hand. Jake reluctantly agrees on the condition that he accompanies her and they split the money, although this means both of them will miss service. Andy drops in on Point North, has second thoughts and leaves immediately, but not before he is spotted by Carly.
4	4	"Episode 4"	Mounia Akl	James Cummings	22 October 2023 (2023-10-22)
Waitress Robyn attends an audition but nerves and discomfort get the better of her and she walks out. The day of the wedding reception has arrived and the restaurant is transformed for the one-off private booking with all hands on deck including the return of Jamie. Robyn arrives late and still in some discomfort, struggles to concentrate culminating in some ruined deserts. Andy pays a visit to Carly's flat, only to find that she is at work. Invited in by Carly's mother for a cup of tea, Andy learns that Carly has remortgaged the flat. Carly's mother suggests her daughter could use some help. Whilst most of the staff go out clubbing, Carly has a rather awkward date with a male lawyer which she cuts short to join her staff at the club. Andy arrives at Point North to find only Nick still there and leaves a message with him. When Liam shows up at the club, and accidentally reveals the restaurants finances are in dire straits and drops the bombshell that he has filed for insolvency, Carly finds solace in the arms of Holly and they share a passionate kiss. Robyn confides to Dean that she has Crohn's disease. Carly finally pays Andy a visit and the two have a heart to heart. When she reveals her restaurant has failed Andy offers his support when she needs it most.

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 Barantini and starring Graham.^[2][3] In October 2022 it was revealed that a series following on from the film with the same creative team had been commissioned by BBC One.^[4] The series consists of four one-hour episodes with Barantini directing the first two and Mounia Akl directing the last two.^[5][6] 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.^[7][8]

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.^[9]

Filming

Filming began in January 2023 in Manchester.^[10]

Broadcast

Episode one aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 1 October 2023 in the 9pm time slot,^[11] with all four episodes becoming available on its iPlayer streaming service the same day.^[12]

BBC Studios is handling international distribution.^[13]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 12 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."^[14]

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."^[15] 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."^[16]

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."^[17] Another four star review came from Nick Hilton of The Independent, again praising both the “quality of the acting” and the writing.^[18] 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.^[19]

The Times critic, Carol Midgley also awarded the show four stars,^[20] as did Rebecca Nicholson at The Guardian, who also singled out the “excellent cast.”^[21] 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."^[22]

References

1. "Line of Duty and Sherlock stars announced for Boiling Point TV adaptation". Digital Spy. from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
2. Boyce, Laurence (23 August 2021). "Karlovy Vary 2021: Philip Barantini talks filming 'Boiling Point' in one take". Screen Daily. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
3. Aftab, Kaleem (31 August 2021). "Philip Barantini • Director of Boiling Point". Cineuropa. from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
4. "Boiling Point' TV series to be made with original creative team for the BBC (exclusive)". Screen Daily. from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
5. "Boiling Point TV Series Confirms Cast As Shooting Begins". Empire. from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
6. "First look at Boiling Point TV series starring Stephen Graham". RadioTimes. from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
7. "Full casting announced for Boiling Point, as filming begins on the brand new BBC drama series". BBC.co.uk. from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
8. "First look at Boiling Point TV series starring Stephen Graham". RadioTimes. from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
9. "Walking Dead' Star Steven Ogg Boards BBC 'Boiling Point' Sequel". Deadline. 23 February 2023. from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
10. "BBC's Boiling Point TV series based on movie starring Stephen Graham begins filming in Manchester". Manchester Evening News. from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
11. Glanfield, Tim (2 April 2023). "The best TV shows still to come in 2023". The Times. from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
12. "Boiling Point - Series 1: Episode 4", BBC iPlayer, from the original on 23 October 2023, retrieved 2 October 2023
13. "BBC Series 'Boiling Point' Reveals Full Cast, Commences Filming". Variety. from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
14. "Boiling Point". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
15. Clark, Nick (26 September 2023). "Boiling Point on BBC One: ingredients and execution are *chef's kiss*". Evening Standard. from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
16. "Boiling Point review: Stephen Graham takes a backseat in this stellar slice of TV". Radio Times. from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
17. Einav, Dan (29 September 2023). "Boiling Point TV review — sequel to the single-shot restaurant drama arrives on BBC1". Financial Times. from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
18. "Boiling Point's TV series takes us back inside the turbulence of the kitchen – review". The Independent. 2 October 2023. from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
19. Baker, Emily (1 October 2023). "Stephen Graham's Boiling Point TV sequel turns down the heat". inews.co.uk. from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
20. Midgley, Carol (8 October 2023). "Boiling Point review — a feast of realism, camaraderie and claustrophobia". ISSN 0140-0460. from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
21. Nicholson, Rebecca (1 October 2023). "Boiling Point review – TV that asks what if The Bear isn't stressful enough?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
22. Golby, Joel (30 September 2023). "Boiling Point: this nailbiting kitchen drama is British TV at its finest". The Observer. ISSN 0261-3077. from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.

External links

• Boiling Point at BBC Online
• Boiling Point at IMDb