Ackley Bridge

              The series Ackley Bridge is definitely a wild ride.  I’m saying this after watching only the first two seasons!  With so much to talk about with this show, I’m just going to get started.            

                A new school has been created in the community of Ackley Bridge.  It is a school that unites the white British students and the students with Pakistani heritage from the area into one school.  Not everyone is for this integrated idea, nor do they believe it will work.  For best friends Missy (Poppy Lee Friar) and Nasreen (Amy-Leigh Hickman), two cultures coming together isn’t much of a change.

Image provided by Acorn TV.

                That’s because Missy is white and Nasreen is a British-born Pakistani.  These two girls think going to the same school will be exactly the same as when they hang out together on the street or at each other’s houses.  The first day of school shakes the girls out of this belief as Nasreen’s friends refuse to accept Missy.  This, of course, infuriates Missy, but it also makes Nasreen doubt herself about who she is.

Image provided by Acorn TV.

                Thankfully, it does not take too long for Nasreen to remember who she is and who her true friends are.  That does not mean her problems are over, though.  Nasreen must also deal with the fact that she is a lesbian in a community that has a hard time with homosexuality.  Missy doesn’t have a problem with Nasreen’s sexual orientation, but that doesn’t mean no one else will.  Her family is especially a concern.

                Nasreen does eventually tell her mother, Kaneez (Sunetra Sarker), about her sexuality.  At first Kaneez is upset, but after her initial disbelief she tries to understand.  She then comes up with a plan she thinks will make everyone happy.

                Kaneez believes that if she finds a gay boy for Nasreen to marry, everything will be okay.  When they are in front of family, they will be a happily married couple.  At home, they will each have their own partners.  It is a solution Kaneez thinks is perfect.  She even finds a boy to help with this: Naveed (Gurjeet Singh).

                Nasreen goes along with the plan until she reaches a point where she can’t do it anymore.  It doesn’t feel right. 

            After the engagement is broken, Nasreen meets Sam (Megan Parkinson).  It looks like things are going to go well between the two of them until Nasreen finds out Sam is anti-Muslim.  As Nasreen is Muslim, she does not see how their relationship can go on.

Image provided by Acorn TV.

                Missy has a lot of her own problems to deal with.  When her Nana (Rita May) dies, Missy has to fight to keep her younger sister, Hayley (Cody Ryan), in her custody.  It is a fight she loses until her drug-addicted mother, Simone (Samantha Power), returns to the scene.

                For a while things go well for Missy and her family.  Then Simone goes back to her old ways.  Fortunately, Missy’s boyfriend, Aaron (Adam Fielding) (Nasreen’s brother from her father’s secret family), is of age and they are able to keep Hayley in their custody.

                After this, Missy intentionally gets pregnant and drops out of school.  School has always been a struggle for Missy, but once she drops out, she wonders if she has done the right thing.

                While Nasreen, Missy, and the other teenagers all deal with their problems, the adults of the school make plenty of their own.

Image provided by Acorn TV.

                Headmistress, Mandy Carter (Jo Joyner) is doing her best to get the school running the way it had been envisioned.  To do this, she must spend a lot of time with the school’s sponsor, Sadiq (Adil Ray).  It is a situation that makes her husband, Steve (Paul Nicholls), a teacher at the school, jealous.  Mandy does eventually sleep with Sadiq, giving Steve’s concerns merit.

                The thing is, Steve is not exactly innocent.  He had an affair with a woman who became pregnant and had his child.  It is a fact and situation Mandy must deal with every day.

                Another teacher at the school is Emma (Liz White).  Emma is not one to follow any sort of rules, something Mandy battles against all the time.

                At home and at school Emma must deal with her daughter Chloe (Fern Deacon).  Chloe used to live with her father, but after an incident with her pregnant step-mother, she moves in with Emma.  It is a situation that does not go at all smoothly.  Chloe acts out and feels greatly unwanted.  She especially has problems when she thinks her mother cares more about her students than her.  Missy in particular.

                Another problem Emma has is the fact she’s having an affair with one of her fellow teachers, Samir (Arsher Ali).  She even kisses him on his wedding day.

Image provided by Acorn TV.

                The adult with the least self-created problems is Nasreen’s mother, Kaneez.  Kaneez is supportive of everyone.  She takes care of everyone.  She takes care of them with a firm hand.  What I mean by that is Kaneez does not tolerate stupidity.

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                This is probably why it is so surprising for everyone to find out Kaneez knew about her husband’s secret life.  When the secret comes out into the open, Kaneez begins to experience a new life.  One with a science teacher who is madly in love with her.

                These are just some of the main characters of this show.  There are all sorts of more characters with their own difficulties and problems.  From going hungry to being nearly paralyzed on the rugby field, one student or another (or teacher) is always going through something.  And the teachers are always there if help is needed.

                That’s because in the end, no matter what, the teacher’s care.  They will go above and beyond and help if they can.  It is really only the deputy headmaster, Javid Shah (Jay Saighal), who doesn’t.  An act first, never ask questions person, Javid is all too willing to give up on and cast aside students.  He is all about numbers and doesn’t care who he hurts along the way.

                With as many problems as there is with Javid, there is one thing he does bring to the school.  That is more of a sense of discipline.  Unfortunately, he has a tendency to take this to the extreme.

                I mention this because the discipline in the school is very uneven.  Take Jordan (Sam Bottomley) for example.  Jordan attacks teachers, walks out of school, skips school, and nearly burns down a building with little to no official repercussions, while other with far lesser “crimes” get much more severe punishments. 

The same can be said for a group of boys who antagonize everyone, in front of the teacher, but again get little punishment.  It is the ones who get fed up at their antics and retaliate who get into trouble. 

Then there is Sadiq’s daughter, Alya (Maariah Hussain).  A girl who thinks she is better than everyone else, and receives a lot of preferential treatment.

                Despite these disparities in treatment, this show shows that everyone has more than one side to them.  Well, almost everyone.  Alya gets only about five seconds of caring about anyone other than herself.  Otherwise, everyone at some point shows there is a caring person under the hard exterior.

                With a third season already made, and I believe a fourth season in progress, I am very curious to see where all the storylines are going to go.  Many of the students will graduate soon.  Plus, the school is going to be run differently since Sadiq lost his money and can no longer support it.  This means Mandy may or may not be the headmistress.  If she is, the school will still be without her as she will go on maternity leave.

             There are so many questions about what will happen to these characters, and so many possibilities.  The second season was lighter and cheerier than the first one, despite the serious topics, and I am curious what tone the show will have moving forward.  I look forward to finding out.

                

Note: For those who have the Acorn TV streaming service, season three of Ackley Bridge is already available for you.