Kitchen drama Boiling Point to return as five-part series

Fans of the feature film Boiling Point will be pleased to learn that a new drama series is in the works. 

The five-part spin-off will pick up six months on from where the film left off, with sous chef Carly (Vinette Robinson) head chef at her own restaurant.

Many of Boiling Point’s original cast will also be reprising their roles, including Stephen Graham as Andy and Hannah Walters as Emily.

‘To be able to explore and go on a journey with our established and new characters will be a rollercoaster of feelings and emotions, but a rollercoaster you will want to keep getting back on,’ said Graham and Walters, both also executive producers of the show, in a joint statement. 

‘Our aim is to make a powerful drama which reflects social realism, raising real-life issues which have an effect on each and every one of us.’

Boiling Point received critical acclaim upon its release in January this year, earning four BAFTA nominations.

Chefs were divided. Most admired the acting – undeniably good – and praised the concept, but some viewed the kitchen stereotypes as outdated and cooking tropes a little confused.

In a roundup of opinions by Time Out, this comment from a pastry chef in Covent Garden is worth a note: ‘Who holds a spoon like that to taste lemon curd? I’ve been a pastry chef for eight years and I’ve never seen anyone hold a spoon like that. Honestly, that’s the bit that ruined the film for me.’ 

Ultimately, Boiling Point returns to the kitchens of Marco and Bourdin, so it might require a pinch of salt in 2022. 

Another certainty is that the ‘cult of the chef’, as pointed out by the writer Elise Bell, is very much back. Boiling Point the series is joined by The Bear, another show depicting, among other things, the freneticism and pain of kitchen life.

Rebecca Ferguson, executive producer for the BBC, said of the news: ‘Like many others, I was stunned by the absolute thrill ride that was Boiling Point. 

‘The opportunity to expand this break-out hit into five new unmissable episodes of television was too good to miss’. 

The series will reunite the film’s co-writer and director Philip Barantini, who will be in charge of the first two episodes, and co-writer James Cummings. Its producers are Hester Ruoff and Bart Ruspoli.

It will be released on BBC One and iPlayer. Filming begins in early 2023.

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