— This article mentions some plot points of the original Boiling Point movie. We suggest watching it now if you'd prefer to avoid spoilers —
Cooking can be stimulating, rewarding, fun – particularly if the stakes are relatively low. Road-testing a new recipe, for instance, or whipping up an old favourite for loved ones. Preparing meal after meal for paying customers, however? Customers whose palates are prepared for a dish better than they could make themselves? Customers who may well pass snap judgements on a meal where the unseen ingredients are stress and sweat? That can be downright gruelling. Rewarding in many ways, sure, but gruelling. It’s high-stakes, high-emotion, go-go-go action – which makes for great viewing in Boiling Point, the four-part series using the 2021 film of the same name as its launch pad.
A single-take, real-time, white-knuckle ride through a working night in the life of London chef Andy (Stephen Graham), whose culinary acumen was offset by addiction issues and barely checked rage – the film culminated in Andy suffering a massive, non-fatal heart attack – Boiling Point lived up to its title, jacking up the tension and putting its viewers through an emotional and psychological boot camp (hey, some of us are into that).
The film reflected the rise of the celebrity chef, and the audience’s appetite for going behind the scenes: the rise of , who took diners behind closed doors to reveal confidential kitchen secrets; the legend of the rock & roll chef, the mavericks with Michelin stars, rough diamonds like Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay, whose passion for preparing food manifested itself not only in magnificent meals but hot tempers.
It would be a mistake to tar all professional chefs with the same brush, of course. It’s not hard to imagine many are pretty chill or Zen about the whole thing. (Check out this for proof that not every food-related experience is stressful.) But we have enough evidence to surmise that working in a restaurant’s kitchen, especially one that has attained acclaim and holds itself to the highest of standards, is going to be a hotbed of potential conflict, both personal and inter-personal, which as we all know is the essence of drama. And that brings us to Boiling Point, the series.
The series, which reunites many of the film’s original creative personnel from both sides of the camera, wisely recognises that while the chaos of Boiling Point was its secret sauce, four whole hours of it may be too rich for the blood for most viewers.
New team members include Bolton (Shaun Fagan, previously seen in 'The Responder'). Credit: James Stack / Boiling Point TV
So while this continuation of Boiling Point conveys the pressure inherent in preparing, presenting and putting out into the world high-end meal after high-end meal (in a wink to the movie, the series even begins with an unbroken, single-take shot), and constantly puts its crew of characters through their paces, it also depicts the kitchen staff’s pride in a job well-done, joy in creating something delicious and distinctive, and camaraderie found in working (and partying) alongside people with a complementary style of crazy.
Boiling Point picks up some months after the events of the film, with much of Andy’s former team – led by Carly (Vinette Robinson), now head chef – in the kitchen of a new venture named Point North, specialising in upmarket renditions of Northern English cuisine. Carly is intent on running a calmer operation than Andy but that was never going to be an option, it appears, given that she’s working with colleagues who have short fuses, big egos or a lack of workplace experience that could result in an inedible meal or a third-degree burn. And that’s before taking into account the need to obtain financing from boorish investors, as well as Carly’s own personal issues, such as a demanding mother who’ll pull her daughter away from a hectic shift for the most minuscule of reasons.
Carly (Vinette Robinson) at work. Credit: James Stack / Boiling Point TV
Carly is Boiling Point’s focal point, and Robinson’s taut, vibrant performance as a woman struggling to tie together the various strands of her life gives the series a strong foundation and a solid point of differentiation from the movie (Graham appears in a supporting role as Andy, sidelined by damage to his health and reputation and stewing in self-pity, and his work is, as ever, top-shelf – he’s reminiscent of the late, great Bob Hoskins). But the series does well in expanding its view to take in the professional and personal lives of its characters (in a savvy move, the production sought out actors with a background in catering), which occasionally gives Boiling Point a familiar taste but also adds a human touch and a necessary break from the mayhem.
That mayhem, however, remains key to Boiling Point’s appeal, and the series dishes up just the right amount for a single serving. All four hour-long episodes of the series are available on SBS On Demand now if you wish to binge – may we suggest, though, that this is something to savour.
Four-part series Boiling Point will be streaming at SBS On Demand from 27 February. Episodes will also air weekly on SBS Thursdays 9.30pm from 27 February. The Boiling Point movie is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Upcoming On Demand
Boiling Point
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
Stream free On Demand
Boiling Point
