Hot Picks: The Heat

Dating and cooking have dominated the format world for decades, but few shows have successfully combined the two.

The Heat is looking to change that.

Created by ITV Studios-backed Twofour, the reality show takes a group of ambitious young chefs and follows them as they live, work and compete together in Barcelona.

“We were talking about how we are always drawn to the drama that naturally exists in restaurant kitchens, both in scripted and unscripted TV, and we wanted to create a premium reality show that really lives in that world,” says David Clews, executive producer and chief creative officer at Twofour.

The idea was to capture the energy and storytelling of a fast-paced, high-pressure kitchen, Clews adds, while putting relationships front and centre. “Kitchens are intense, emotional places where bonds form quickly, sparks fly and tensions run high, which makes them the perfect setting for rivalries and connection.”

Reality is at the heart of the show, but a competition element was also layered in, although Clews is keen to point out this was not done in “the traditional, food-challenge sense”.

There are no cook-offs or set-piece tasks; instead, each chef must deliver a high-pressure lunchtime service to real diners and in a real kitchen, with the ambition to create a show that feels more contemporary and authentic.

“Add the fact they’re living together, and the show naturally sits in a space where cooking, relationships and attraction collide. It’s a rich, emotional world – returnable, scalable and adaptable for any territory.”

The format was developed for ITV2’s reality strip tender in summer 2024 and production took place last year. “We were effectively delivering an episode a day, which is incredibly efficient but leaves very little margin for error,” Clews says.

“The biggest challenge was balancing two very different worlds within the same schedule. During the day, we had to capture a full, high-pressure cooking service and competition; at night, the focus shifted to the reality and relationship storylines.”

The crew took over a restaurant, while locating the series in Barcelona allowed contestants to visit the beach or enjoy the urban setting “with a level of glamour and aspiration that matched the tone of the show”, Clews says. He adds that because the chefs took the competition seriously, there is real jeopardy and momentum.

“At the same time, they brought a huge amount of energy and fun to it too, very much in keeping with the life of a chef. It’s such an aspirational world, and what was really striking was seeing a genuinely relatable cast – people who don’t fi t the usual reality TV mould – thriving within it. The result felt authentic, earned and, ultimately, really meaningful.”

Clews is confident that the format is unique because it’s not trying to be just another cooking or dating show. “There are no shiny cook-offs or manufactured challenges. The drama comes from something much more immediate: a real restaurant, real customers and a lunchtime service that has to work, every single day. That’s what hooks viewers. The stakes feel real because they are.”

Mike Beale, managing director of ITV Studios’ creative network, adds that the show will engage buyers. “In this format you see the workplace competition boil over into the social lives of the chefs and vice-versa. It is young, aspirational and real.”