Phoenix Rise is a British television series made by BBC Studios and Sinking Ship Entertainment that follows the stories of six students who form an unbreakable bond as they navigate the trials and tribulations of school life in the Midlands.
[14] The pupils are played by up-and-coming actors from across the West Midlands with show co-creator Matt Evans saying they wanted to find 'local talent and authentic voices' through an extensive casting process.
[15] In September 2023, the BBC announced that Fleur East would join the cast as music teacher Miss Meesha for series three and four.
[20] The soundtrack, featuring 17 original tracks by West Midlands artists, was released by Demon Music Group on September 29, 2023.
[21] Phil Harrison in The Guardian described the show as "a big-hearted coming-of-age drama", adding that the characters "don’t have any supernatural entities to fight; instead, they’re battling with more profound but universal problems such as absent parents, bullying and anger management" and that they were "easy to root for".
[23] Barbara Ellen in The Observer concluded that the show "neatly captures the theatre of cruelty that is the school corridor" [24] whilst Orla Thomas in the Radio Times highlighted "the touching relationship between Billy (Alex Draper) and his younger sister Rihanna (Orla McDonagh)" before adding that "the snappy dialogue really brings this to life".