Ackley Bridge to return to filming in September

\'Ackley Bridge\' is set to resume filming in September.

The Channel 4 school drama will return for a fourth series in 2021 and is to adopt a new format. Ten half-an-hour episodes will air across two weeks in an earlier evening slot, as opposed to the hour-long episodes in the previous series. The show had been due to air in September but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A number of new faces have joined the cast for the new series, such as Kayla (Robyn Cara) a funny, mixed-race pupil torn between the family of her white mother and her father\'s traditional Pakistani family and her fiercely intelligent best friend Fizza (Yasmin Al Khudhairi).

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Ryan Dean also joins the cast as Johnny, a cocky, good-looking member of the travelling community who suspicious of school. Former \'Coronation Street\' star Conor McIntyre will make a guest appearance as Johnny\'s grandad.

Further new pupils include Marina (Carla Woodcock), Kayla\'s \'mean girl\' sister and smooth-talking Tahir (Shobhit Piasa).

They join returning cast members including Jo Joyner, Sunetra Sarker and Rob James Collier.

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Rebecca Holdsworth, Channel 4 Commissioning Executive, said: "Refreshing the format to half hours not only reflects the viewing habits of our young audience, but gives the show a new look and feel as we welcome a brand new cast of characters to our screens."

George Ormond, Executive Producer at programme makers The Forge, added: "We are thrilled to be starting this new chapter in the Ackley Bridge story and we can\'t wait to introduce our new characters to the audience."