How to watch Stephen Graham’s new BBC drama Boiling Point

As if a feature-length, one-take, anxiety-inducing movie wasn’t enough to endure, the award-winning Boiling Point is heading to the small screen for a new four-part mini-series.

Directed by Philip Barantini and released in 2021, this restaurant-set drama took viewers inside the sleek London eatery named Jones & Sons where we met its perpetually-fraught owner and head chef Andy, played by the always stellar Stephen Graham.

Throughout the next 92 minutes, audiences tried desperately to hold on for dear life as Andy and his team of chefs endure a busy night of feeding hungry (and often rude) punters while avoiding catastrophes and trying to stay sane. With so much on the line both professionally and emotionally, things don’t always go to plan as all involved struggle to keep their head above water.

Read more: The best UK TV to watch this week

Nail-biting for those in front of the camera and also for those watching it play out, Barantini’s movie was completed in one continuous shot, a style that only added to its tension. The struggle was worth it though, with Boiling Point bagging tonnes of critical acclaim with side orders of award nominations and wins, not to mention a second life streaming on Netflix.

Now — hot on the heels of the success of The Bear — a sequel series is heading to the BBC to offer viewers four new episodes set in this highly-strung world. Will this second serving be sweeter than its predecessor or can we expect more intellectual indigestion?

Here’s everything you know about the Boiling Point TV series…

When is Boiling Point on the BBC?

All four episodes of the Boiling Point TV series are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now, along with the 2021 film of the same name.

The first episode aired on BBC One on Sunday, 1 October at 9pm, with the remaining three instalments set to be shown at the same time on 8 October, 15 October and 22 October. Watch the trailer below:

What are the reviews like?

The tense spin-off show has already garnered a positive reception from critics, including Yahoo TV’s Martin Carr, who called it “one of the most watchable BBC dramas in recent years” and praised Graham’s “understated performance”.

Meanwhile, The Independent hailed the series as “exhilarating” and The Guardian called it “mesmerising”. Read some of the verdicts below.

Yahoo TV: BBC restaurant drama serves up a treat (3-min read)

The Independent: Exhilarating TV spinoff takes us back inside the turbulence of the kitchen (3-min read)

The Guardian: TV that asks what if The Bear isn’t stressful enough? (4-min read)

The Telegraph: Compliments to the chef, Boiling Point is Michelin-starred TV drama (3-min read)

What happens in Boiling Point?

The BBC’s four-part Boiling Point series was written by James Cummings, the same screenwriter who penned the movie alongside Barantini. Barantini helmed the show’s first two episodes before handing the reigns to filmmaker Mounia Akl for episodes three and four.

According to the show’s official synopsis, the series will pick up after the events of the movie which - spoilers - saw Graham’s head chef Andy suffer a heart attack after a particularly trying shift.

Eight months later, we find Andy’s protege Carly operating her own restaurant Point North with a familiar crew while trying to carve out a name for herself and her brand in a competitive landscape.

“We follow the team as the stresses of keeping the restaurant running bear down on them amidst a hospitality industry in crisis,” says the show’s official description.

“With the pressure to draw in new, hungry customers and the financial squeeze to keep the business profitable, the team must find a way to manage their complicated personal lives whilst creating quality food day in, day out.”

Meanwhile, Andy’s presence is still featured — however, judging by the show’s first-look pictures, it doesn’t look like he’ll be stepping foot inside a kitchen anytime soon.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Vinette Robinson, who plays Carly, explained that the series aims to “concentrate on Carly’s emotional journey and the psyche of the character”.

She added: “It’s amazing to be able to flesh it out. You do all your work, your backstory and all of that for a film and you only see a little bit of it. But with this, we’re able to expand it more.

“One of the things that people said about the film was that all the characters or the little vignettes that you had, the windows into those characters, you wanted to know more. So we get the opportunity to do that with a TV series.”

Boiling Point TV series cast

As mentioned above, Robinson is back and centre stage as chef Carly, stepping into the shoes of her old mentor Andy. Graham also returns to the Boiling Point world but looking at his first official picture confirming his presence, he doesn’t seem to be in a great place.

Slumped on a sofa — beer can in hand — Andy looks like he’s hit rock bottom. Will the show serve him a slice of redemption? Only time will tell.

Other familiar kitchen assistants will return for this BBC sequel series, including Daniel Larkai’s Jake, Hannah Walters’ Emily, Taz Skylar as Billy and Stephen McMillan as Jamie.

Newcomers to the story include Kate & Jake actor Shaun Fagan as Bolton and The Swimmers star Ahmed Malek as a character named Musa.

The Boiling Point TV series is out on BBC iPlayer now