SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
THERE ARE TESTING TIMES AHEAD FOR THE STAFF AND PUPILS OF ACKLEY BRIDGE, AS A NEW TERM BEGINS…
It’s the start of a new term at Ackley Bridge this week, as the drama set around a recently integrated multicultural academy in Yorkshire returns for a second series.
It’s also a new start of sorts for Nasreen Paracha, who – after coming out to her mother Kaneez in the first series – has reached an uneasy compromise about her sexuality that involves a sham engagement to Naveed, who’s also in the closet. Nas’ storyline struck a chord with viewers last year, as Amy-leigh Hickman, who plays her, discovered…
“I was a little worried to begin with,” admits the star. “I think I was naive to how much of an issue it still is – but coming up to Yorkshire, we spoke to people and got a feel for it, so I was a bit concerned about how some communities were going to react. It was amazing, though – I’ve had endless tweets, and people have come up to me when I’ve been out and literally said, ‘Thank you for telling this story’.”
When she discovers that faking a relationship at school invites just as many questions as it answers, Nas begins to doubt whether the plan is such a good idea – and the arrival of a stranger with a bombshell to drop on the Parachas leaves her reeling...
“She finds out her dad has a second family – which was before this one – so we see her dealing with that as well in episode one,” reveals AmyLeigh. “She has a brother who comes looking for her, and that’s how she finds out.”
Life is no easier for the teachers at Ackley Bridge, particularly head teacher Mandy Carter. Admissions figures are down, and she doesn’t want the naysayers who didn’t believe the school would succeed proved right.
“Mandy is concentrating on everybody getting really good results, so that people will want to come to this school,” explains Jo
Joyner, who plays her. “And Sadiq [the school sponsor] is putting a lot of pressure on her. He’s numbers-driven, and not impressed with the way that she’s a bit more like a social worker sometimes. It’s that kind of battle.”
To get underperforming students to improve their grades, Mandy decides to pull them out of non-core subjects – a decision that’s very unpopular with the pupils, and also with her friend Emma Keane, Ackley Bridge’s English teacher and resident revolutionary…
“Emma thinks it’s ludicrous – and I agree,” shares Liz White, who plays her. “If you take away the subjects that the kids are good at, where will their sense of self-esteem go if they’re just presented with subjects they’re going to struggle with? So she and Mandy come at loggerheads…”