Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Production  





2 Episode list  





3 Reception  



3.1  Ratings  





3.2  Critical reception  







4 References  





5 External links  














Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet







Add links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Iceland Foods:
Life in the Freezer Cabinet
GenreFactual
Directed by
  • James Rogan
  • Max Shapira
  • StarringMalcolm Walker
    Narrated byAshley Jensen
    ComposerMat Davidson
    Country of originUnited Kingdom
    Original languageEnglish
    No. of series1
    No. of episodes3(list of episodes)
    Production
    Executive producers
    • Lucy Hillman
  • Samantha Anstiss
  • Producers
    • Alisa Pomeroy
  • Max Shapira
  • Running time60 minutes
    Production companyFilms of Record
    Original release
    Network
  • BBC Two HD
  • Release21 October (2013-10-21) –
    4 November 2013 (2013-11-04)

    Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet is a British documentary television series about the Iceland supermarket chain that was first broadcast on BBC Two on 21 October 2013. The three-part series was co-produced with the Open University.

    Production[edit]

    On 6 June 2013 Janice Hadlow, controller of BBC Two, announced the series along with several other documentaries.[1] Filming took place for around a year and includes the supermarket's reaction to the 2013 meat adulteration scandal.[2]

    Lucy Hillman, an executive producer for the series, said:

    Films of Record has a strong reputation for obtaining exclusive access to the subjects of its documentaries, and after 30 years in the business the company is trusted more than ever with unlimited access to organisations to portray them responsibly.[3]

    Episode list[edit]

    # Title Directed by Original air date UK viewers
    (millions)[4]
    1"Episode 1"James Rogan21 October 2013 (2013-10-21)2.43
    Malcolm Walker, the CEO of Iceland, shows the importance of a happy workforce to Iceland. He delivers a £10,000 prize to the best-performing stores.[5][6]
    2"Episode 2"James Rogan28 October 2013 (2013-10-28)2.34
    Iceland deals with the 2013 meat adulteration scandal. A new store opens in Treorchy, Wales, and Alastair Crimp tries to come up with a good name for his product.[7]
    3"Episode 3"James Rogan4 November 2013 (2013-11-04)2.39
    Iceland embarks on 'refresh' to boost sales following a slow start to the year. The company attempts to create a new advert but are undecided which line to take. Malcolm tries to simplify the stores and a couple get married, serving an Iceland buffet.[8]

    Reception[edit]

    An Iceland store in Jersey

    Ratings[edit]

    Overnight figures show that the first episode was watched by 2.06 million viewers on BBC Two.[9] Official ratings raised the figure to 2.43 million.[4] It was watched by 8.7% of the television viewers during broadcast.[9] The second and third episodes had 9.7% and 9.8% audience shares respectively.[10][11]

    Critical reception[edit]

    Gerard Gilbert, writing for The Independent, called Malcolm Walker "a television natural."[12][13] Andrew CollinsofThe Guardian called the series a "reasonably fair-minded, hierarchically democratic and only quasi-promotional snapshot of Iceland's working life".[14] Time Out gave the first episode three stars out of five and said: "It’s a successful structure that creates tension and intrigue, but unless forthcoming episodes look at potentially uncomfortable issues, this is in danger of being little more than a three-hour advert."[15]

    The Metro's Keith Watson said it "would have made a fine sketch show" and also gave it three out of five stars.[16] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian wrote in his review:

    I think I'm making it – the programme – sound better than it is. This kind of docusoap about an institution – with a hint of sarcasm in the actor's narration (Ashley Jensen here) to ward off accusations that it's little more than a promotional film – feels very (at least) 10 years ago. The recent call centre one maybe just got away with it because the boss there, Nev Wilshire, was so colourful and appalling [sic]. Malcolm Walker simply doesn't have the personality to carry it. Too grey, like Alastair's prawns in bacon.[17]

    Radio Times said Walker "doesn't build himself up as a personality".[18] Emma Willis, the head of documentary commissioning at the BBC, said this documentary was one to look out for.[3] The Independent said there "won't have time to fully explore the relationship between food and class in the coming episodes."[19] New Statesman contributor Rachel Cooke said she found all the "details fascinating and funny. But beyond the comedy, this series has blazed with real pathos and insight."[20]

    References[edit]

    1. ^ "BBC Two announces return to Modern Times alongside raft of new documentaries". BBC. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  • ^ Douglas, Joanne (21 October 2013). "Grange Moor supermarket boss Malcolm Walker swaps store for TV screens with fly-on-the wall documentary". Examiner. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ a b Considine, Pippa (21 October 2013). "Iceland Foods BBC2 obdoc from Films of Record". Televisual. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ a b "BARB Top 30s".
  • ^ Butcher, David. "Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  • ^ Crawford, Carena (21 October 2013). "Monday's TV pick: Iceland Foods: Life In The Freezer Cabinet". Reveal. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Butcher, David. "Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  • ^ Rackham, Jane. "Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  • ^ a b Eames, Tom (22 October 2013). "'Doc Martin' finale attracts over 7 million on ITV". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Eames, Tom (29 October 2013). "'Ripper Street' return thrills over 5 million on BBC One". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  • ^ Eames, Tom (6 November 2013). "David Tennant's 'Escape Artist' drops nearly 1 million on BBC One". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  • ^ Gilbert, Gerard (21 October 2013). "What to watch tonight: TV choices - Monday 21 October". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Gilbert, Gerard (18 October 2013). "Television choices: Setting the gold standard for drama and treachery at the National Theatre". The Independent. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  • ^ Collins, Andrew (19 October 2013). "Iceland: Life In The Freezer Cabinet - yet more real-life TV from the BBC". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  • ^ Zappaterra, Yolanda (14 October 2013). "Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet". Time Out. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  • ^ Watson, Keith (22 October 2013). "Iceland Foods: Life In The Freezer Cabinet revealed the food snobbery at the heart of Britain". Metro. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Wollaston, Sam (22 October 2013). "Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet – TV review". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Edworthy, Sarah (21 October 2013). "Iceland's founder on running his business like Apple's Steve Jobs". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Jones, Ellen (22 October 2013). "TV Review: Iceland Foods: Life in the Freezer Cabinet, BBC2". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  • ^ Cooke, Rachel (14 November 2013). "Life in the Freezer Cabinet: The strange tale of Iceland food". New Statesman. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  • External links[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iceland_Foods:_Life_in_the_Freezer_Cabinet&oldid=1218389076"

    Categories: 
    2013 British television series debuts
    2013 British television series endings
    BBC television documentaries
    British English-language television shows
    Business-related television series in the United Kingdom
    Food and drink in the United Kingdom
    Television shows set in the United Kingdom
    Hidden categories: 
    Use dmy dates from November 2015
    Use British English from November 2015
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    BBC programme template using Wikidata
     



    This page was last edited on 11 April 2024, at 12:51 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki