Ackley Bridge

Ackley Bridge is a British television drama series set in a multi-cultural academy school of the same name, broadcast on Channel 4 from 7 June 2017.^[2] The school is set in the fictional Yorkshire mill town of Ackley Bridge.^[3] A second series of twelve episodes was announced on 30 June 2017, due to air in two parts in 2018.^[4]

Ahead of the series premiere, additional content from the show has been shared on social media for "high school age characters to tell their stories in the way young people are" to introduce the characters. Further episodes will "be subsidised with additional videos that will help build the world outside of the allocated TV broadcast."^[5]

Overview

In early 2017, Channel 4 announced The ABC, a new six-part school drama.^[3] The series follows the merger of two schools in a segregated British and Asian community due to budget cuts, exploring "the turbulent school experience, covering the challenges of prejudice and cultural issues in the school environment, as well as the humour, relationships and conflict had by the pupils, teachers and parents."^[6][7][8] St Catherine's Catholic High School in Halifax is used as Ackley Bridge College.^[9] The show was later renamed Ackley Bridge.^[10]

Prior to airing, following the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, the first episode was re-edited as there were scenes showing "a troubled student strap a fake bomb to himself in order to disrupt the merging of a predominantly white and a predominantly Asian school."^[11] A spokesperson said "In light of the tragic events in Manchester, the first episode of forthcoming drama series Ackley Bridge is being re-edited."^[11]

Cast

Staff

• Jo Joyner as Mandy Carter
• Paul Nicholls as Steve Bell
• Sunetra Sarker as Kaneez Paracha
• Liz White as Emma Keane
• Tom Varey as Will Simpson
• Arsher Ali as Samir Qureshi
• Lorraine Cheshire as Lorraine Bird
• Adil Ray as Sadiq Nawaz
• Anneika Rose as Lila Sharif

Students

Others

Episodes

Series 1 (2017)

Series 2

A second series of twelve episodes was announced on 30 June 2017, due to air in two parts in 2018

Production and casting

Former EastEnders actors Jo Joyner and Paul Nicholls received the parts of married couple Mandy Carter, the headteacher of Ackley Bridge College and Steve Bell, a PE teacher. Joyner describes Mandy as "career driven", who has "worked so hard over the years to get to the level she's at. Joyner adds she likes the fact her character is not interested in having children. Despite her character being "organised and driven in her business life [...] she’s not at all organised or in control at home."^[12]

Maariah Hussain and Sam Bottomley, both students at Yorkshire School of Acting in Bradford, were cast as Alya Nawaz and Jordan Wilson respectively. Hussain described her character as "super intelligent, fiercely righteous, and a bit of a mean girl. Underneath, she's as insecure as any teenage girl. She has ambitions to run her own business, like her father, but struggles to make him see she's capable of it" while Jordan is "badly behaved and not fazed by getting into trouble. He’s bright and a talented artist, but thinks school is pointless." Matt Zina, principal of Hussain and Bottomley's acting school said Ackley Bridge is Hussain's first role and "she has taken to it like a duck to water. She has loved being part of a major TV series and was excited to be working with some of the big-name actors involved. Sam is such an exciting young actor."^[13] Students from Trinity Academy, North Halifax Grammar School, The Crossley Heath School and Calderdale College feature in the series.^[14]

Reception

Since the show's announcement, Ackley Bridge has been compared to BBC's long-running school drama, Waterloo Road, with Duncan Lindsay from Metro opining that "Channel 4 have been crying out for a solid drama to fit into the early night slot" and that there has been a lack of a "solid school based drama. Thank heavens for brand new series Ackley Bridge which follows the trials and tribulations of an academy which has merged two different communities together."^[15]

Sam Wollaston from The Daily Telegraph said the character of Jordan Wilson, played by Sam Bottomly, "is the best character at Ackley Bridge – smart, offensive to everyone, the school wind-up merchant, who also represents a pessimistic but realistic view that such attempts at integration are futile." He added that the "teachers aren’t a whole lot better than they kids" due to the situations, such as the love triangle between Mandy Carter, Steve Bell and Sadiq Nawaz, played by Jo Joyner, Paul Nicholls and Adil Ray respectively and Steve hitting Jordan, but said it "was a teeny bit justified." He described Liz White's character, Emma Keane, as "a hippy-dippy flippy-floppy backpacker." The show has also been thought of as a Waterloo Road and Shameless mix and the social media aspect is seen as "savvy." He also added that the show raised questions "about whether total integration is possible, even necessary, both in school and out of school. That side of things is handled carefully and sensitively. Real issues aren’t avoided, cultural differences aren’t denied; at the same time, obvious and boring stereotypes are avoided. If that makes it sound worthy, it really isn’t. It’s pleasingly loud and mischievous. Well, it’s school, of course it is. As well as boobs, Ackley Bridge has balls. And a heart."^[16]

Poppy Lee Friar received praise from viewers in the fourth episode of series one, where the episode revolved around Missy dealing with the death of Julia Booth, played by Rita May, which leads to Hayley Booth, played by Cody Ryan, being placed in care.^[17]

References