There’s a lot happening in the world of British TV. Here’s just a smattering of it.
Boiling Point
Seriously, Stephen Graham is one of the finest actors on the planet right now. His work in Accused, Boardwalk Empire, Help, The Irishman, Line of Duty, Little Boy Blue, Save Me, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Time, The Virtues, and other works have earned him numerous award nominations and wins.
Graham’s performance as a head chef in the multi-award-winning 2021 feature film Boiling Point — a role he initially brought to life in the 2019 short film of the same name — brought him even more accolades. And he is set to reprise the role again in the newly-commissioned five-part BBC drama series Boiling Point.
The movie, filmed in one shot, follows the goings-on in the kitchen of a posh London restaurant on their busiest night of the year. From the results of the health and safety inspection and the evening’s service being overbooked, to conflicts in the kitchen and dining room and a diner’s major medical incident, the pressure on the front- and back-of-house staff is relentless.
Boiling Point the series will pick up the story six months on where the film left off. Cast members who will reprise their roles include Stephen Graham as Andy, Hannah Walters (Time) as Emily, and Vinette Robinson (The A Word) as Carly, the Sous Chef who is now the Head Chef at her own restaurant.
Said Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham, executive producers for Matriarch Productions, which is producing the series for the BBC with Ascendant Fox and Made Up Productions:
“Matriarch Productions are beyond thrilled to be bringing Boiling Point the film to the small screen. The incredible reaction to the film, its story and specifically the characters along with the huge desire to know more and delve deeper into their worlds has led us to create a drama series with the BBC in which we will keep the audience gripped, intrigued and involved in each of the characters’ journeys. Although we have hung up our feature-length one-shot boots, our audiences can still be excited by extraordinarily lengthy shots and camera techniques that will complement the pure naturalism that was the essence and soul of the film.
“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. Our aim is to make powerful drama which reflects social realism, raising real-life issues which have an effect on each and every one of us.
“Bringing the production teams back together for this project is truly wonderful and to be able to assist in the encouragement and development of talent both in front and behind the camera is paramount to Matriarch, Ascendant Fox and Made Up Productions.”
Boiling Point will be written by James Cummings, with Philip Barantini directing the first two episodes. It will be executive produced by Hester Ruoff and Bart Ruspoli for Ascendant Fox, Hannah Walters and Stephen Graham for Matriarch Productions, Philip Barantini for Made Up Productions, Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC, and James Cummings. The series producer is Graham Drover. International distribution will be handled by BBC Studios. Filming on the series will start early next year.
Doctor Who
Spoilers follow for folks who haven’t watched “The Power of the Doctor” yet.
Whovians around the world got the surprise to end all surprises when, at the conclusion of Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor…
Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor regenerates into the 14th Doctor, whom we now know is…
Yup, the 10th Doctor himself, David Tennant (with his trademark “What? What?! What?!?”), who will play the 14th Doctor in three specials.
Then came news today that Disney+ will be the exclusive home for new seasons of Doctor Who outside the UK & Ireland — an announcement made by none other than the upcoming 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Folks on the other side of the pond need not concern themselves about the switch to Disney+. The BBC will continue to be the exclusive home for Doctor Who in the UK.
And there was even more Doctor Who news today, albeit of the strictly visual kind: The new Doctor Who logo was revealed. Whaddya think of it?
Former and now-returning Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies — who revived the series in 2005, is credited with propelling the show into one of TV’s biggest hits, and takes control of the TARDIS again in 2023 — said:
“I love this show, and this is the best of both worlds – with the vision and joy of the BBC and Disney+ together we can launch the TARDIS all around the planet, reaching a new generation of fans while keeping our traditional home firmly on the BBC in the UK.”
For fans the world over, new episodes of Doctor Who will premiere on the BBC (in the UK and Ireland) and Disney+ (everywhere else) beginning in late 2023 to coincide with the show’s 60th anniversary.
Industry
HBO announced today the renewal of Industry, the critically-acclaimed Gen Z drama, for a third season. Said Kathleen McCaffrey, Senior Vice President, HBO Programming:
“Industry reached new heights in season two, cementing its status as a buzzy hit with addictive storytelling, layered characters, a breakneck pace, and keen observations about contemporary workplace dynamics…”
The series follows a group of young bankers in the pressure cooker environment and sex-and-drug-fueled blitz of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office. Season 1 follows them as new graduates who, fueled by ambition, youth, romance and drugs, begin to forge their identities within Pierpoint’s trading floor, where meritocracy is promised but hierarchy is king. In Season 2, Pierpoint’s back-to-work-or-else mandate has the junior bankers more charged up and paranoid than ever, and the new US management lights a fire under each and every employee.
The first two seasons of Industry are currently streaming on HBO Max. For folks who aren’t subscribers, you can get them on Prime Video and Apple TV, amongst other outlets.
Never Let Me Go
First Never Let Me Go, the critically-acclaimed novel by Nobel Prize-winning British author Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day), was adapted for the 2010 feature film starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley. Today FX announced it is adapting the hugely-popular book for a new TV series that will stream on Hulu in the US. Only it won’t be a a sci-fi romantic drama like the film; rather, FX is billing it as a thriller, one with a similar set-up but different characters.
Starring in the new series is Viola Prettejohn (The Nevers), who plays Thora, a rebellious teenage clone who escapes from her boarding school, where she and other clones are kept hidden from society. As she starts living undercover in the outside world, she unwittingly sets in motion events that will spark a revolution and test the boundaries of what it means to be human.
The cast includes Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America), Kelly Macdonald (The Victim), Aiysha Hart (A Discovery of Witches), Spike Fearn (The Batman), Shaniqua Okwok (Small Axe), Gary Beadle (Grantchester), Kwami Odoom (Death in Paradise), Susan Brown (It’s a Sin), Keira Chansa (The Capture), and Edward Holcroft (The Undeclared War).
Stay tuned for updates.
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