Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet
A documentary series on the Iceland supermarket chain.
Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet is a British documentary television series about the Iceland supermarket chain. It first aired on BBC Two on 21 October 2013. The three-part series was co-produced with the Open University.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Factual
- Director
- James Rogan; Max Shapira
- Starring
- Malcolm Walker
- Narrator
- Ashley Jensen
- Composer
- Mat Davidson
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 1
Facts from the source article.
Production
Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two, announced the series on 6 June 2013 alongside other documentaries. Filming lasted about a year and covered the supermarket's response to the 2013 meat adulteration scandal. Executive producer Lucy Hillman noted that Films of Record, with 30 years in business, is trusted for unlimited access to portray organisations responsibly.
Reception
The first episode drew 2.06 million overnight viewers on BBC Two, rising to 2.43 million in official ratings, with an 8.7% audience share. The second and third episodes achieved 9.7% and 9.8% audience shares respectively. Gerard Gilbert of The Independent called Malcolm Walker "a television natural." Andrew Collins of The Guardian described the series as a "reasonably fair-minded, hierarchically democratic and only quasi-promotional snapshot of Iceland's working life." Time Out gave the first episode three stars out of five, noting it creates tension and intrigue but warning that without examining uncomfortable issues it risks being "little more than a three-hour advert." The Metro's Keith Watson also awarded three out of five stars, saying it "would have made a fine sketch show." Sam Wollaston of The Guardian wrote that the programme feels dated, like a docusoap from at least ten years earlier, and found Malcolm Walker lacking the personality to carry it, calling him "too grey." Radio Times stated Walker "doesn't build himself up as a personality." Emma Willis, head of documentary commissioning at the BBC, said this documentary was one to look out for. The Independent remarked there "won't have time to fully explore the relationship between food and class in the coming episodes." New Statesman contributor Rachel Cooke found the details "fascinating and funny" and said the series "blazed with real pathos and insight."
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