Steve Bell (Ackley Bridge)

Last updated

Steve Bell
Ackley Bridge character
Steve Bell (Ackley Bridge).jpg
First appearance Episode 1
7 June 2017
Last appearance Episode 18
21 August 2018
Portrayed by Paul Nicholls
In-universe information
Full nameSteven Bell
OccupationPE teacher
Spouses Mandy Carter (wife)
Children
  • Zak Bell (son)
  • Oliver Carter (son)

Steve Bell is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge , portrayed by Paul Nicholls. Steve first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. Steve was initially introduced as the PE teacher of the fictional Ackley Bridge college and his storylines in the series have included his previous affair with Claire Butterworth (Kimberly Walsh), the breakdown of his marriage to Mandy Carter (Jo Joyner), helping student Jordan Wilson (Samuel Bottomley) prove he isn't the father of Candice Murgatroyd's (Emily Pyzer) child, and trying to start a rugby team for the school. Nicholls left the role in 2018, with the character making his final appearance in the final episode of series 2, broadcast on 21 August 2018.

Contents

When Nicholls auditioned for Steve, he was impressed by the script, which he noted had funny dialogue. Steve is shown to be a "charismatic man's man", and "a big presence at Ackley Bridge College". He is "well-liked" by both students and teachers and is "always on hand to break up a fight or settle a discussion". His relationship with Mandy is referred to as "very back and forth" and that the two have obstacles to overcome.

Storylines

Steve is introduced as a PE teacher of the multicultural academy school Ackley Bridge, a newly formed school built from the merging of a majority-white school and a majority-Asian school. Steve is married to headteacher Mandy Carter (Jo Joyner). Their marriage is strained from Steve previously having had an affair with netball teacher Claire Butterworth (Kimberley Walsh), whom he also has a son with.

When Jordan Wilson (Samuel Bottomley) is accused of being the father of Candice Murgatroyd's (Emily Pyzer) child, Steve helps Jordan buy a paternity test to help him disprove the allegations. When Mandy begins working with school sponsor Sadiq Nawaz (Adil Ray), Steve becomes wary that she will have an affair, particularly because of their history. Mandy later reveals that she has had sex with Sadiq, and the pair eventually agree to continue their marriage. During an open night for the school, Sadiq's daughter Alya (Maariah Hussain) exposes the affair to the school's sponsors.

When student Cory Wilson (Sam Retford) is nervous about a rugby match against his friend Riz Nawaz (Nohail Mohammed), Steve encourages him by saying "Destroy him". Cory accidentally breaks Riz's neck in a tackle, and Steve is blamed for the accident. He is accused of inciting violence, and an investigation is opened to see if he can teach. Mandy tries to stay neutral due to her personal connection to Steve, and he feels she is being unsupportive. After Steve is suspended from his job, Claire tries to make a move but is rejected. Mandy later informs Steve that she is pregnant with his baby, and he proposes getting back together to support the child. However, Mandy tells him that despite their love for each other, they are too incompatible. Steve is replaced by Hassan Hussein (Hareet Deol) when the Valley Trust takes over Ackley Bridge College.

Development

Paul Nicholls's casting as Steve was announced on 26 May 2017. [1] Nicholls was attracted to the role due to the script, which he noted had comedy that made him laugh. [2] Nicholls was also excited to work alongside Jo Joyner again as the two previously appeared on Candy Cabs together. Both portrayed characters on EastEnders , Joe Wicks and Tanya Branning, respectively. [3] [4] Prior to accepting the role, Nicholls had not had a role for two years, and he explained that he sometimes feels he has to take a job purely for the payment. However, he stated this role was different, and that he was "lucky" to come across Ackley Bridge. [2] When Nicholls was taking his nephews to school, he saw his former music teacher and asked if he could observe a year 11 class, in order to portray a teacher accurately. He stated that he "got a lot out of it". [4] When asked how he finds working with the teenagers on the series, Nicholls stated that he finds it "hilarious", and the experience makes him feel 16 again. [2] Nicholls left the role after Series 2 for unknown reasons. [5]

Steve is described as a "charismatic man's man", and it is noted that he has "a big presence at Ackley Bridge College". He is "well-liked" by both students and teachers and is "always on hand to break up a fight or settle a discussion". [6] Steve is less of a "career teacher" than Mandy since he sometimes breaks the rules for the interest of the students. Steve is also "particularly good at working with kids, especially those from challenging backgrounds". [6] Talking about his character, actor Nicholls opined that Steve is "an old school PE teacher" who is "stuck in the 1990s". [2] Nicholls based his portrayal of Steve on his own PE teacher, who he described as a "bit tough". [2] Nicholls also asked his music teacher if he could observe a teacher doing their job teaching to help understand how teachers talk to students. [4] He also researched schools around Oldham, Blackburn, and Burnley, surprised that they merged like Ackley Bridge College. [5] He stated that he "personally wouldn't have [Steve] as a friend", and that Steve is not his "cup of tea". He explained that Steve is "a bit rough and ready, a bit of a lad's lad", and very different to him in real life. [2] He stated that he is "still very much a kid himself inside", despite not looking like it. He said that Steve "has a bit of a temper on him", and accredited his actions to having "too many feelings", adding that he is not s "bad guy". [4] Nicholls then touched upon Steve not being a "career teacher". He explains that due to coming from a working-class background, Steve is not concerned with "public image", as he understands certain aspects of the student's lives. He added that Steve can see aspects of himself in certain children. [2] Nicholls stated that this is why Steve became a teacher, and opined that he is "very good" at his job. Nicholls described Steve's relationship with Mandy as "very back and forth" since they have "issues and obstacles to overcome". Steve sometimes feels emasculated as Mandy is his boss, [2] with her "relentless ambition" being the source of many of the couple's arguments. [3] [7] Despite this, he states that there is love in their relationship, and Steve "likes that she's a strong woman". [4] The pair eventually separate, and Nicholls explained that there will always be "such a physical attraction and an emotional connection between them" that makes them gravitate towards each other. He hinted that the pair could only stay together for a limited amount of time as they struggle to "make it work". [2]

Reception

Louis Hindle of Fan Prejudice called Steve's character "lovely", praising the character's dedication to his job and the fact that he avoids being a "stereotypical tough guy" like other male teachers in the series. [8] He also called Steve's relationship with Jordan Wilson "touching", like many other teacher-student dynamics of the series. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jo Joyner</span> English actress (born 1977)

Joanne Mary Joyner is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and Mandy Carter in Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge. From 2018, she has starred as Luella Shakespeare in the BBC crime drama series Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Nicholls (actor)</span> English actor

Gerard Paul Greenhalgh, known professionally as Paul Nicholls, is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Joe Wicks in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, DS Sam Casey in the ITV drama Law & Order: UK, and Steve Bell in the Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge.

<i>No Angels</i> (TV series) British television comedy drama series (2004–2006)

No Angels is a British comedy-drama television series, produced by the independent production company World Productions for Channel 4, which ran for three series from 2004 to 2006. It was devised by Toby Whithouse.

<i>Ackley Bridge</i> British television drama series

Ackley Bridge is a British comedy-drama series set in a multicultural academy school of the same name. The series is filmed in Halifax, West Yorkshire and it began broadcasting on Channel 4 on 7 June 2017. In the fourth series, Ackley Bridge saw a major overhaul, including different time slots, a shortened runtime, several new characters to replace cast exits and moving the series onto streaming platform All 4.

<i>Ackley Bridge</i> series 1 Season of television series

The first series of the British television drama series Ackley Bridge began broadcasting on 7 June 2017 on Channel 4, and ended on 12 July 2017. The series follows the lives of the staff and pupils at the fictional multi-cultural academy school Ackley Bridge College, in the fictitious Yorkshire mill town of Ackley Bridge. It consists of six sixty-minute episodes.

<i>Ackley Bridge</i> series 2 Season of television series

The second series of the British television drama series Ackley Bridge began broadcasting on 5 June 2018 June 2018 on Channel 4, and ended on 21 August 2018. The series follows the lives of the staff and pupils at the fictional multi-cultural academy school Ackley Bridge College, in the fictitious Yorkshire mill town of Ackley Bridge. It consists of twelve sixty-minute episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Retford</span> British actor

Sam Retford is an Australian-English actor, known for portraying the role of Cory Wilson on the Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge. As well as starring in various stage productions, he has also made appearances in television series such as Casualty and Death in Paradise. In 2021, he joined the cast of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Curtis Delamere.

<i>Ackley Bridge</i> series 3 Season of television series

The third series of the British television drama series Ackley Bridge began broadcasting on 18 June 2019 on Channel 4, and ended on 6 August 2019. The series follows the lives of the staff and pupils at the fictional multi-cultural academy school Ackley Bridge College, in the fictitious Yorkshire mill town of Ackley Bridge. It consists of eight sixty-minute episodes.

Samuel Bottomley is an English actor. He began acting at the age of nine, when he made his professional debut in the 2011 film Tyrannosaur. After portraying Brandon Kelleher on the CBBC series Rocket's Island, Bottomley went on to appear as Jordan Wilson on the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, followed by roles on Kiss Me First and Ladhood. He then played Dean Paxton in the 2021 film adaptation of Everybody's Talking About Jamie, after which he was cast in television series including The Teacher and Somewhere Boy. Appeared in The Last Rifleman as Rory alongside Pierce Brosnan a film about a WW2 Veteran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasreen Paracha</span> Fictional character from Ackley Bridge

Nasreen Paracha is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Amy-Leigh Hickman. Nasreen first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. Nasreen is introduced as one of the programme's two protagonists, alongside best friend Missy Booth. Her lifelong friendship with Missy is a major theme in the series, despite the differences in culture between the pair. Another aspect of Nasreen's life that is explored in Ackley Bridge is her sexuality, as she navigates coming out as a lesbian in a Muslim community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missy Booth</span> Fictional character from Ackley Bridge

Missy Booth is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Poppy Lee Friar. Missy first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. She is introduced as one of the programme's two protagonists alongside best friend Nasreen Paracha. Due to growing up with numerous responsibilities including being the carer of her family, Friar described her character as a "fighter". Despite this, Missy is also seen to be a rebellious and opinionated character who is popular at school, especially with the male students. One of the main themes explored throughout the series is her friendship with Nasreen, which Channel 4 billed as the "heart of the show". Both Friar and Hickman have accredited this to their real-life friendship, which they felt mirrored their onscreen friendship.

<i>Ackley Bridge</i> series 4 Season of television series

The fourth series of the British television drama series Ackley Bridge began broadcasting on Channel 4 on 19 April 2021. The series follows the lives of the staff and pupils at the fictional multi-cultural academy school Ackley Bridge College, in the fictitious Yorkshire mill town of Ackley Bridge. When the commissioning of the series was announced, it was announced that Ackley Bridge would face an overhaul, including cast changes, a shortened runtime and a revised timeslot. The series consists of ten thirty-minute episodes, whereas episodes in the previous three series were double the duration. Unlike the first three series, the timeslot was moved to 6pm to appeal to a younger audience. Following the premiere of the first episode on 19 April, the series was made available to stream as a boxset on All 4.

Mandy Carter (<i>Ackley Bridge</i>) Fictional character from Ackley Bridge

Mandy Carter is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Jo Joyner. Mandy first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. Mandy was initially introduced as the headteacher of the fictional Ackley Bridge school, and her storylines in the series have included the breakdown of her marriage to Steve Bell, trying to help her mother escape from an abusive marriage to her father, trying to save her school and becoming pregnant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaneez Paracha</span> Fictional character from Ackley Bridge

Kaneez Paracha is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Sunetra Sarker. Kaneez first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. Kaneez is the mother of protagonist Nasreen, as well as Razia and Saleem. Kaneez's storylines in the series have included ending her arranged marriage with her husband Iqbal, pursuing a relationship with science teacher Rashid Hyatt and becoming a student support officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadiq Nawaz</span> Fictional character from Ackley Bridge

Sadiq Nawaz is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Adil Ray. Sadiq first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. Sadiq is introduced as the school sponsor of the fictional Ackley Bridge College, as well as a local businessman. His storylines in the series include having an affair with headteacher Mandy Carter, losing his business due to financial struggles and discovering he has a third child.

Emma Keane (<i>Ackley Bridge</i>) Fictional character from Ackley Bridge

Emma Keane is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Liz White. Emma first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. She is introduced as an English teacher at the fictional Ackley Bridge College. Her storylines in the series include her tumultuous relationship with daughter Chloe Voyle, supporting student Missy Booth through her life struggles and having an affair with colleague Samir Qureshi.

Characters of <i>Ackley Bridge</i>

Ackley Bridge is a British television drama series that follows the lives of the staff and pupils at the fictional multi-cultural academy school Ackley Bridge College. Series one features the debuts of friends Missy Booth and Nasreen Paracha, headteacher Mandy Carter and her husband Steve Bell, school cook Kaneez Paracha, English teacher Emma Keane and her daughter Chloe Voyle, school sponsor Sadiq Nawaz and his children Alya and Riz, brothers Jordan and Cory Wilson, school receptionist Lorraine Bird, science teacher Lila Shariff, head of pastoral care Samir Qureshi, PE teacher Will Simpson, Missy's mother Simone and grandmother Julie 'Nana' Booth and students Hayley Booth, Razia and Saleem Paracha, Candice Murgatroyd and Naveed Haider. Series two sees the introduction of science teacher Rashid Hyatt, Nasreen's half-brother Aaron Turner, deputy headteacher Javid Shah and student Sam Murgatroyd.

Mandy Carter may refer to:

<i>Waterloo Road</i> series 11 Season of television series

The eleventh series of the British television series Waterloo Road originally aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 3 January and 14 February 2023. The series follows the staff and pupils of the fictional Waterloo Road High School in Greater Manchester. Co-produced by Wall to Wall and Rope Ladder Fiction, the series was executively produced by Cameron Roach, Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan. It was commissioned as part of a revival for the show, following its 2015 cancellation, and served as a replacement to Holby City. The revival was announced in September 2021. The decision to revive the drama was inspired by the high viewership figures of the original series after it was made a box set on the BBC iPlayer.

References

  1. "Bolton actor Paul Nicholls to star in Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge". The Bolton News. 26 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Wilson, Victoria (26 June 2018). "Ex EastEnders actor and Ackley Bridge star Paul Nicholls: 'I still feel like a 16-year-old kid!'". What's On TV. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 Hamaiz, Iqbal (7 June 2017). "Ackley Bridge: Everything you need to know about the new school drama tipped as the new Waterloo Road". Heatworld. Archived from the original on 3 November 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Interview with Paul Nicholls who plays Steve Bell in Ackley Bridge". Channel 4. 24 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 Debnath, Neela (30 November 2020). "Ackley Bridge: Why did Paul Nicholls leave Ackley Bridge as Steve Bell?". Express. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 Allen, Aliyah (6 June 2017). "Ackley Bridge: Who's who in Channel 4's latest drama". Royal Television Society. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023.
  7. Cooper, Louise (7 June 2017). "Meet the cast of new Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge". YorkshireLive. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 Hindle, Louis (20 July 2017). "'Ackley Bridge' season 1 review: Delightful. No more, no less". The Coherent Fanboy. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024.