'Uncomplicated fun' or a 'shameless dud' - the first reviews are in for new Sheffield-filmed Netflix drama Zero Chill

The ice skating series, which was shot at iceSheffield and other locations around the city, left one reviewer distinctly cold as it was branded a ‘shameless dud’, but another critic thought it was ‘uncomplicated fun’.

The 10-part teen drama follows the fortunes of 15-year-old figure skater Kayla MacBentley, played by Grace Beedie, who is upset at being uprooted from Canada to England when her twin brother Mac (Dakota Benjamin Taylor) wins a place at a legendary ice hockey academy.

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Featuring real skaters, it has been brought to the small screen by the makers of Hollyoaks, Doc Martin and double Emmy award-winning children’s drama Free Rein.

Zero Chill received just two stars out of a possible five from critic Daniel Hart, writing for the website Ready Steady Cut.

He called it a ‘shameless dud’, which he said ‘feels like having the same tasteless dinner every night’, and criticised the ‘lifeless’ dialogue and lack of genuine drama.

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The show fared better on the Fangirlish website, where critic Lisette Lanuza Saenz found plenty to enjoy if viewers accept it for what it is – a ‘cheese-fest’.

She said it was ‘just too pretty, the actors were too into it, and the whole thing was truly uncomplicated fun’ for audiences not to find something to enjoy.

“If you want something light and simple that will keep you entertained, you could do worse than this,” she concluded.