Ackley Bridge press pack

Ackley Bridge is a Yorkshire mill town, home to largely divided white and Asian populations. Like the communities, the school systems have also become segregated. However as two formerly isolated comprehensives are merged into a brand new academy, Ackley Bridge College, the lives and cultures of each are set to collide. Lessons are about to be learnt in and out of the classroom, even if education isn’t the first thing on the agenda…

Starring Jo JoynerPaul NichollsArsher AliLiz WhiteSunetra SarkerAdil RayPoppy Lee Friar and Amy Leigh Hickman. Ackley Bridge, (6x60’), heralds Channel 4’s return to 8pm week night drama. Created by Ayub Khan Din (East is East), Kevin Erlis (Shameless) and Malcolm Campbell (Shameless, What Richard Did) it’s directed by Penny Woolcock (Tina Goes Shopping, Mischief Night, The Death of Klinghoffer, 1 Day) and written by Malcolm Campbell, Anya Reiss, Ishy Din, Suhayla el-Bushra and Ayub Khan Din.

Episode One

It’s the first day at the newly integrated school, Ackley Bridge College, and best friends and neighbours Missy and Nas are now attending the same school for the very first time. Nas’ more conservative school friends take against Missy. Nas sides with her school friends and Missy, fuelled by anger, decides to play dangerous liaisons. Meanwhile English teacher Emma Keane gets the surprise of her life when she finds out that she’ll be working with ex-boyfriend Sami. She then gets a further surprise when her 15 year old daughter Chloe bursts into her classroom drunk, having caught an Uber from Peckham. Elsewhere Head teacher Mandy has problems of her own and puts her husband, PE teacher Steve, in charge of troubled pupil Jordan, but Jordan might prove too much for him to handle - especially when he crudely points out how close Mandy’s getting to school sponsor Sadiq Nawaz.

Episode Two

Jordan finds himself in charge of a baby that he has to sneak into school. It’s harder to conceal than he anticipated, and he blackmails Steve into helping him out. Unable to return it to its mother a stumped Steve ends up taking Jordan and baby back to his house which causes further issues to his already strained marriage to Mandy, leading her to fall into the ready arms of her boss, Sadiq. Missy agrees that if Cory sleeps with Nas she’ll sleep with Cory. However she soon discovers Cory has a loose tongue and that the whole school thinks this is an open opportunity. Missy calls the deal off and blows it open to Nas. Missy and Nas are brought together when Nas is inadvertently drawn into helping Missy recover money that Simone stole. Firm friends again Nas sides with Missy over Alya and confesses to Missy that she’s got a crush on someone Missy doesn’t expect.

Ackley Bridge Character Biographies

Missy Booth – trapped in Year 11 as she missed a year, 16

Played by Poppy Lee Friar

Missy is a survivor. A real product of Ackley Bridge. She keeps her family together, despite the erratic and destructive visits of her troubled mum, Simone. Three years ago, Missy and Hayley were removed from Simone’s care by Social Services and placed with Simone’s mother, Nana Booth. At home, Missy self-sacrifices, cares for their elderly Nana and makes sure her kid sister Hayley has a normal life as possible. However, there’s also a rebellious side to Missy. Her toughness and opinionated streak means that she gets herself into trouble. A LOT. Her mouth can run away with itself and once she’s said something she’ll never retract it. The boys think Missy is amazing and she knows how to get what she wants when it comes to them. Missy has huge potential. She might not be academic but she is full of street smarts and, given the right opportunities could make a real success of herself despite her circumstances.

Nasreen (Nas) Paracha – Year 12, 16.

Played by Amy-Leigh Hickman

Nas is the yin to Missy’s yang and she’s been Missy’s neighbour and best friend for years,. While Missy is the smart mouthed one, Nas is the brains. She’s academic, intelligent and has a questioning mind. Kaneez’s eldest, Nas is the apple of her mum’s eye and is destined to make something of herself. Sometimes quiet and introspective, she privately hopes to go to uni but is terrified of the debts. However, Nas also wants to live in the moment. She is a respectable girl in the community but does enjoy going out with Missy and putting the world to rights. Nas is opinionated and surprisingly well-informed. She can astonish Missy about the things that she knows. She might be from a small town but it doesn’t mean she has to have small thoughts.

Mandy Carter – Head Teacher, 36.

Played by Jo Joyner

Working class girl made good, Mandy swears by the power of education. It’s made her the woman that she is today. Ambitious Mandy’s been promoted quickly through her career and sometimes is out of her depth. However, she covers her insecurities with gusto. She can be a bulldozer at times. She’s relentlessly driven which means that her relationship with husband Steve sometimes has to take a back seat. Mandy clearly loves Steve, there’s a real chemistry between them, they make each other laugh, they fancy the pants off each other and they can be a great team, but she can be frustrated by him. To be a super head, Mandy knows that she’s going to have to make sacrifices and though she almost always plays things by the book, Mandy can take risks. Once she’s on a plan of action it’s difficult to sway her off it.

Kaneez Paracha – Dinner Lady, 39

Played by Sunetra Sarker

Heart of gold but tough as old boots, Kaneez is a force of nature. Pakistani born, Kaneez came to Ackley Bridge when she was 16 to marry her husband Iqbal. However, Kaneez has raised her family almost single-handedly as her unreliable husband works away in Pakistan often for months on end. Self-educated, Kaneez enjoys her independence and running her family without a man around. Highly intelligent, colourful and fearless, feet first Kaneez is lippy and opinionated and will never shy away from an argument. Actually she quite likes them. Nevertheless, if there’s work to be done she’ll settle any row and roll her sleeves up and get on with things. She is an eternal pragmatist making the most of what she’s got and telling other folk to do the same. Kaneez is God fearing but ploughs her own furrow. She’s definitely a woman that you want to have on side.

Steve Bell – Sports Science Teacher, 37.

Played by Paul Nicholls

A charismatic ‘man’s man’, Steve is a big presence at Ackley Bridge College. Well-liked by the students and the teachers, Steve is always on hand to break up a fight or settle a discussion but he’s also more than up for a kick about on the school field. Steve isn’t a career teacher like his wife Mandy but he does have a vocation and is particularly good at working with kids – especially lads from challenging backgrounds. He knows how to handle himself, and normally how to keep his temper in check, and his charm and banter can get him out of a sticky situation. Steve likes his ale, his football and his wife, though Mandy’s relentless ambition can sometimes cause arguments between the couple.

Emma Keane – English Teacher, 36.

Played by Liz White

Emma’s funny, a thrill seeker and a survivor who can look after herself. She is an original and inspiring teacher who tends to make it up as she goes along. Charming and fun to be around, Emma is a laugh. You’d want to go on a night out with her but you might struggle to keep up. Free spirited but still very opinionated, Emma is an authority-figure who has issues with authority. A natural teacher, but not a natural mum, Emma got pregnant in her first year of university and delayed her degree to give birth. The relationship didn’t work out and her daughter Chloe lives with her dad and sees Emma for one weekend a month and half of the school the holidays. She loves her daughter but she also loves her space, her freedom and the pupils that she teaches. Emma will go above and beyond in her commitment to her students’ academic but also emotional needs.

Sadiq Nawaz – School Sponsor and Head of Academy Trust. 40 

Played by Adil Ray

Head of a thriving middle-class family, Sadiq is a big name in Ackley Bridge. Local boy made good, Sadiq has grafted for everything he’s got and is proud of what he’s achieved. His factory employs a good swathe of the town and he has high hopes for the community, his reputation and his bank balance. Sadiq is a consummate negotiator and charmer but with a roguish, amoral edge. He appears to be a pillar of the community but there’s something else about him. He can be a bit of a git. He enjoys women’s company and his wife Farida turns a blind eye as long as no scandal reaches the family home. Sadiq loves his children and hopes for a better, more privileged life for them but isn’t averse to making them work for it like he is.

Samir Qureshi – Community Liaison, 36.

Played by Arsher Ali

Good looking and well dressed, Sami can appear serious and introspective but once you get to know him he has a sharp sense of humour and an easy charm. Born and bred in Ackley Bridge, Sami fell in with a crew of bad boys in his late teens and became a bit of a jack the lad, drinking, smoking and playing the field. Eventually, Sami found himself on the wrong side of the law which landed him in prison for a five year stint. He found Allah on the inside and is now a reformed man and far different to the chaotic troublemaker of his youth. He’s hardworking and really makes an effort to engage with the pupils he supports on their level – maybe he can make sure some of them don’t make the mistakes he made… He and Emma were an item a million years ago before Emma left for university and he’s just as surprised to see her as she is to see him…

Lila Shariff – NQT Biology, 23.

Played by Anneika Rose 

Dedicated to her job, Lila is a hardworking teacher who wants to do well in her career. Lila enjoys teaching and is a teacher who kids enjoy spending time with, though she knows how to discipline them if needs be. She comes from Glasgow and struggles to understand the segregated world of Ackley Bridge and the traditional Muslim British Pakistani families in the town, though she’s worked in Ackley Bridge for a term at the old majority Asian school. There’s a naiveté to Lila that is both refreshing but also frustrating. Maybe she’s not quite as sorted as she seems?

Will Simpson – NQT PE, 23. 

Played by Tom Varey

Taking to his new career like a duck to water, Will enjoys teaching. However, sometimes the kids run rings around him, as to be honest, wide-eyed Will, isn’t the sharpest tool in the box. He loves a bit of banter and can get on with most people and is friendly with teachers and pupils alike. However sometimes the teenage girls can be a bit full on and Will can struggle to negotiate how he’s meant to handle them. Happy being just a PE teacher, Will’s not too bothered about his career and, though he believes in the ethos of the new college, he’s far more at home in the pub or out on the pull.

Jordan Wilson - Year 11, 15.

Played by Samuel Bottomley

Jordan is the naughty kid in school, a contemptuous wind-up merchant; he isn’t fazed at the thought of getting into trouble or afraid to push his luck. He’s bright, but thinks school is pointless: why play the game and work your butt off to get qualifications, when there are no opportunities for kids in town? Jordan has fire in his belly, he’s a constant thorn in big brother Cory’s side and a headache for his father. Jordan is a talented artist, and he loves comic books.

Riz Nawaz – Year 12, 16

Played by Nohail Mohammed

Sadiq’s son, sporty and attractive Riz has a real presence amongst his peers and is very easy on the eye. Riz is a loyal person and feels personal integrity, especially his own, is very important. There is magnetism to him that’s not too dissimilar to his father and he’ll probably be a heartbreaker one day. He’s a good footballer and is a potential poster boy for the school, much like his sister, Alya, who already has that role covered.

Alya Nawaz – Year 12, 16

Played by Maariah Hussein

Riz’s twin and future head girl. Alya is fiercely righteous and an academic snob, super intelligent she can be judgemental – a bit of a mean girl. However, underneath it all she is just as insecure as any normal teenage girl. Alya idolises her father and is ambitious, one day she would like to take on his business. If only she could make her dad see that she is capable of it – and not just a girl.

Cory Wilson – Year 12, 16

Played by Sam Retford

Popular and excellent at sports, Cory is not the brightest academically, however he is staving off the inevitable hunt for non-existent jobs by attending sixth form. Successful with the girls, Cory is a ‘player’ but he gets away with it due to his easy charm. Despite a hard upbringing, Cory’s upbeat and not prone to introspection against all the odds. The only issue Cory has is younger brother Jordan, he can’t understand Jordan’s propensity to stir the pot.

Chloe Voyle – Year 11, 15.

Played by Fern Deacon

Emma’s daughter. Fiercely intelligent and, like her mum, a bit of a wild child too. Chloe has always lived with her dad in London and sees Emma every other weekend and for half the school holidays. She is used to life in London and Ackley Bridge is a foreign land to her. Chloe’s difficult but it’s just a tool to mask insecurity. Deep down she would like a better relationship with her mum.

Hayley Booth – Year 11, 15.

Played by Cody Ryan

Missy’s little sister, Hayley just wants to have fun despite her hard home life. She appreciates the efforts Missy goes to keep the family together but would like to be able to focus on her friends and BOYS. She has a LOUD voice but also low self-esteem. In all she’s a sweet girl with a big heart and is best pals with Razia Paracha.

Razia Paracha – Year 11, 15.

Played by Nazmeen Kauser

Kaneez’s second daughter, Razia is bright, opinionated and keen to learn. Her enthusiasm endears her to her teachers though sometimes her forthright personality can be a bit abrasive. She’s confident, but it’s all a front, as she decides who she is and what she wants to be in the future. Hayley and Razia are inseparable.

Lorraine Bird – Mandy’s PA, 47.

Played by Lorraine Cheshire

Lorraine is good at her job mostly because she is a right nosey parker. Efficient gatekeeper to her head teacher, Lorraine believes that she runs the school herself and that without her the entire place would fall apart. Lorraine is the keeper of secrets and the spreader of gossip but she is extremely loyal to Ackley Bridge College – even if she doesn’t entirely believe in what she thinks is all this happy-clappy integration nonsense!

Nana Booth – 67

Played by Rita May

Nana to Missy and Hayley, Julie (Nana) Booth has been living on her street for years. Actually she has been living on her sofa for years – as she only leaves her house once a week to get her cash from the post office. Riding on her clapped-out mobility scooter, Nana is a lady with a lot to say for herself. She’s fed up of all the Asians that live on her street and still reckons that one day they’ll all bugger off back to Pakistan. Nana’s had her fill of her daughter Simone. She tried at first to get her off of drugs but now she can’t be bothered. It’s too much effort and leads to too many heartaches. Nana guards her granddaughters fiercely and the destructive and manipulative Simone is banned from the house.

Simone Booth – 36

Played by Samantha Power

Simone is Missy and Hayley’s chaotic mum but the girls were taken away from her three years ago because of her struggles with addiction. She occasionally parachutes into her daughters’ lives and usually causes chaos. She loves her family but is manipulative and selfish, constantly betraying them which has caused huge tension.

Saleem Paracha – Year 9, 13.

Played by Esa Ashraf

Kaneez’s youngest, Saleem, is the man of the house. He’s 13 going on 30 and seen it all before. He’s an entrepreneur in the making and always got a scam on the go at school.

Iqbal Paracha – 45.

Played by Narinder Samra

Nice but a little hopeless, Iqbal has struggled to provide for his family over the years. He’s come up with various money making schemes, the latest of which is building in Pakistan. Like the others, this hasn’t proved hugely profitable. Iqbal struggles to match his firebrand of a wife and he and Kaneez repeatedly come head to head.

Read the interviews with cast and creators here.

May 27, 2017 2:01pm ET by Channel 4  

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