Boiling Point

“It is mesmerising, particularly at the height of another service in which the worst can and inevitably does happen. You end up rooting for them all to get it together and triumph over every single bit of adversity that falls in their path, and there is a lot of adversity.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“The sauce bubbles at such a frenzied simmer that occasionally the scales tip from refined to gloopy. But above all, the quality of the acting – from the stations of the kitchen to the bartenders and waitresses out front – saves Boiling Point from becoming a mess. The writing from Philip Barantini and James Cummings (who also co-wrote the film version) keeps proceedings on the right side of melodrama and sermonising, and cinematographer Matt Lewis retains the visual dynamism. It’s a knife-edge, but it works.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“There were times when I wasn’t sure whether I was enjoying watching these excruciatingly tense scenes or hating them. I think it was the former, because the performances were almost faultless. From Gary Lamont as front of house Dean, to Stephen McMillan’s Jamie, the pastry chef on the edge, to Shaun Fagan as Bolton, the gobby Scouser with terrible bowels — they all deserve huge credit for creating such authentic tension that you’ll need to watch it with a bottle of liquid Gaviscon. It could do with a dash more Stephen Graham, though.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Graham appears intermittently, a lonely figure brooding at home in his dressing gown and thinking wistfully of the career he has lost. But it’s a sign of Boiling Point’s quality that it can sideline Britain’s best actor and still prove to be one of the best shows of the year.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“You don’t need to have watched the original film to enjoy Boiling Point (flashbacks to pivotal scenes do the job of catching up any clueless viewers). In fact, perhaps you’ll like it more without the previous masterpiece to compare it to: the programme is fervid, moreish and arresting. I almost wish I had come to it with fresh eyes. Perhaps I would have been able to appreciate how genuinely brilliant the series is on its own merits.”
Emily Baker, The i

“For about 40 minutes, Boiling Point appeared to have been misnamed. The restaurant drama didn’t so much boil as simmer gently over a warm heat. It was obvious during the slow build-up that something would happen eventually and at last, Point North exploded into life. So there is definite promise of drama to come.”
Roland White, Daily Mail