David Farnor | On 25, Aug 2018

Class will be back in session in 2019, with Ackley Bridge returning to Channel 4 for a third season.

The broadcaster has officially renewed the school drama for Season 3, with 8 brand new episodes commissioned from The Forge.

Ackley Bridge was created by Ayub Khan Din (East is East), Kevin Erlis (Shameless) and Malcolm Campbell (Shameless, What Richard Did). The show was inspired by schools in Lancashire and Yorkshire that were set up to integrate the white and Asian communities in some of the most divided towns in the country. It has won praise for the way it explores the lives of pupils and teachers alike with irreverence, wit, close to the knuckle humour and punchy, big hearted stories.

Directed by Penny Woolcock (Tina Goes Shopping, Mischief Night, The Death of Klinghoffer, 1 Day) with Joe Stephenson (Chicken, Mckellen: Playing the Part), Tina Gharavi (I am Nasrine) and Robert Quinn (No Offence), the first season was nominated for an RTS Award for Best Drama Series and won Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Director Fiction and Best Music and Use of Music at the RTS Yorkshire Awards. Season 2, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, starred Jo Joyner, Paul Nicholls, Sunetra Sarker, Liz White, Adil Ray, Arsher Ali, Poppy Lee-Friar, Amy Leigh-Hickman and Sam Bottomley.

“The cast are all more settled into their roles, the script has found its groove, and the blend of humour and serious moments is well judged,” we wrote in our review of Season 2. “Two seasons in and Ackley Bridge is on course to score top marks.”

The sophomore run concluded on Tuesday 21st August. Now, within a week of that finale, Channel 4 has commissioned another run.

Manpreet Dosanjh, Commissioning Editor, says: “We’re thrilled that our beloved Ackley gang are returning to Channel 4 next year for what is sure to be another joyful, outrageous and unmissable series. This bold and ballsy show reflects modern Britain in all its diverse glory and does so with wit, grit and its heart firmly in the right place.”

George Ormond, Executive Producer, adds: “Making Ackley Bridge gives us the chance to tell stories about a part of multicultural Britain that doesn’t get seen on TV very often, and do it with humour, guts and a big heart. We’re particularly proud to have given six writers their first hour of television drama in the first two series, five of whom are from diverse backgrounds.”

Ayub Khan Din, Executive Producer, comments: “I’m so pleased to be given continued support by Channel 4. The Ackley Bridge curriculum gives you the three “R’s” Race! Religion! and Rioting! Like a good Chicken Tikka Massala it has all the best ingredients with just the right amount of spice!”

Season 3 will film in Halifax next year.

Add to Watchlist