Television viewers have said Channel 4′s new school drama Ackley Bridge is just “a budget version of Waterloo Road”.
The drama depicting the merging of two segregated schools – one predominantly white, one predominantly Asian – debuted on Wednesday night.
Well, this looks like a bit of a dump. #AckleyBridge @PoppyLFx pic.twitter.com/jM6GZTdrCf
— Channel 4 (@Channel4) June 7, 2017
But viewers were largely unimpressed, declaring that it was a poor imitation of the award-winning BBC series Waterloo Road, which wrapped in 2015.
So basically it’s the Poundshop version of Waterloo Road #AckleyBridge
— Zoe{SJ}♂️ (@ZoeMitchell0708) June 7, 2017
“So far this is like a budget version of waterloo road,” said another, while one disgruntled viewer deemed it “cheap and weird”.
#AckleyBridge scriptwriter is the easiest job in the world, just sift through the bins at the Waterloo Road studios
— Matt Stephens (@Run_Bike_Matt) June 7, 2017
Others said the series was only different in that it had a race issue thrown in.
Waterloo Road but with race wars #AckleyBridge
— James Robertshaw (@JammyBantam) June 7, 2017
1st ad break of #ackleybridge and i do think its a waterloo road copy just with my racism and tensions . but it got Adil Ray so thats good
— Karthic Sinnadurai (@karthic180) June 7, 2017
The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire mill town of Ackley Bridge, features several television newcomers as well as established stars such as Jo Joyner and Sunetra Sarker.
But it was former EastEnders actor Paul Nicholls who proved to be one of the high points for viewers.
Watching #AckleyBridge just so I can perv on my teenage crush Paul Nicholls
— Michelle (@MishKoff7) June 7, 2017
Paul Nicholls makes this worth watching #AckleyBridge
— becky (@beckyy_hall_xo) June 7, 2017
One even said that having Paul in the cast gave Ackley Bridge the edge: “Waterloo road didn’t have Paul Nicholls though did it? #AckleyBridge for the win!!!”
Former EastEnder Paul plays PE teacher Steve Bell; he is married to headteacher Mandy Carter.
She has been placed in charge of running Ackley Bridge academy and ensuring the transition runs smoothly – which, of course, it promises not to.
Jo says of the role: “It was nice to have a woman at the head of the school and she is completely career driven.
“She has worked so hard to lead this new venture that she has neglected her home life.
“She is determined, organised and possibly a little bit fierce at work but at home and relationship life is less in her control.
“You see that contradiction in a lot of great women – and I like that about her.”
Jo has been reunited with actress Sunetra, who plays mum and dinner lady Kaneeza Paracha.
They worked together on classic noughties Channel 4 drama No Angels.
Amy-Leigh Hickman – who recently played Linzi, the under-age schoolgirl that got Jay into trouble in EastEnders – stars as school pupil Nazreen, Kaneeza’s daughter.