Ackley Bridge

[Quincey]

Anyone else watching Ackley Bridge? Starting to get into it. Is it wrong to fancy Nas?

[Gulftastic]

Yes, as I still think of her as the care kid from 'Tracy Beaker Returns/The Dumping Ground'.

[Malcy]

It's ok. I like the cast, that's what interested me it in the first place. Will keep watching.

[Ambient Sheep]

This post contains mild spoilers for the first two episodes.

Anyone else watching Ackley Bridge? Starting to get into it.

Yes, just caught up with the first three episodes.  Really enjoyed it.  So refreshing to watch a drama in which so many clichés you thought you saw coming were subverted, e.g. the bit where you thought Sadiq was going to throw his weight around after they put his daughter into isolation, only for him to turn round and back the teachers instead (and his later put-down of her behaviour to Nas outside the front of the school was glorious).  See also the storyline with Jordan and Mr Bell after their little altercation - some shows would have pumped that for all they were worth, but this took it only so far and then sensibly dropped it.

Talking of which, seems the first episode originally had Jordan strapping a fake suicide bomb to himself and then revealing it in assembly, showering everyone with confetti when he pulled the cord.  After the Manchester bombing, hasty re-editing took place; I assume that was replaced by the poster stunt.  I think that actually worked better than the cut idea would have, tbh.

My only real criticism was that the first episode was a little bit harshly-written; the second and third episodes had a much warmer touch.  After watching the first, I debated whether to carry on for the sake of my blood pressure, but by the second, I was hooked and went straight on to watch the third, no questions asked.

Is it wrong to fancy Nas?

I asked myself this very question during the scene where she was standing in the lunch hall chatting to her crush.  So I looked her up: the actress is 19; will be 20 in September.  So no, it's perfectly fine, even if you're gout_pony.

Luckily, it seems, I've never seen Tracy Beaker so I don't have that context to be disturbed by.

[Malcy]

Really enjoyed tonight's episode. Well written and well acted.

[Ambient Sheep]

Maybe so, but I just came here to say how much I disliked the multiple hideous turns the plot took tonight.  Fucking miserable nasty shite that can fuck right off.

And if I find myself yelling at Nas's crush "Why don't you just say to her 'BECAUSE I WILL GO TO JAIL!!'" one more time, I swear I'm gonna stop watching.

Although given the way that Nas's plot seems to be developing (more hateful crap), it seems that that won't be an issue anyway.

Really don't want to watch any more of this now; if I ever want to subject myself to depressing shite like this then that's what Eastenders is for.

[Gulftastic]

According to the urn at the end, Nana was only 67. Yeah, right.

[Ambient Sheep]

Yeah, I thought that too.  At least ten years on that, but then I guess that wouldn't fit very well with the character of her daughter.

There doesn't appear to be a D.o.B. for the actress.  She was in Threads, though!

[George White]

She was in her forties in Threads, - playing the mother of a twentysomething and two early teens, and she was about the same age as Jack Duckworth in the Street.

[Malcy]

Second 12 ep series of this has been commissioned.

[George White]

According to the urn at the end, Nana was only 67. Yeah, right.

Reminds me of the fact that Cliff Twemlow, the Mancunian exploitation auteur/composer of the theme from Crown Court lied about his age for decades, claiming to be born in 1933 when he was actually born in 1938, having done this since he was a teenager, and never dropped it to the point he died because he overdosed on steroids, so he could enter a Grandad Universe competition for the over 60s. When he was only 55. His gravestone has 1933 on it, not 1938.
Maybe, Nana knocked 15 years off her age, like Doris Speed did. "I was born in1914." she insisted.

[Quincey]

Maybe so, but I just came here to say how much I disliked the multiple hideous turns the plot took tonight.  Fucking miserable nasty shite that can fuck right off.

And if I find myself yelling at Nas's crush "Why don't you just say to her 'BECAUSE I WILL GO TO JAIL!!'" one more time, I swear I'm gonna stop watching.

Although given the way that Nas's plot seems to be developing (more hateful crap), it seems that that won't be an issue anyway.

Really don't want to watch any more of this now; if I ever want to subject myself to depressing shite like this then that's what Eastenders is for.

What did you find hideous and hateful about the episode? I though Nas's plot was quite well handled.

It's interesting that Missy and Nas seem to be the only Asian/Caucasian friendship (aside from perhaps the tall Asian lad with earrings and some of the blokes).

That funeral parlour was a bit grasping. 

[Quincey]

What did people think of last night's episode? The schoolkids (aside from Chloe) all seem pretty well behaved. More well behaved than that caricature of a receptionist "Let's hope it hasn't got your brains".

[Malcy]

What did people think of last night's episode? The schoolkids (aside from Chloe) all seem pretty well behaved. More well behaved than that caricature of a receptionist "Let's hope it hasn't got your brains".

Yeah enjoyed it again. I hadn't realised until last week that this is written by the same person who wrote East Is East.

[Quincey]

Found this week's episode a bit dull really, not enough Naz. Bit confused as to why the ice skating bit at the end of the episode before that was never mentioned again. Wasn't her mum trying to set her up with a man despite Naz saying she was a lesbian?

[Ambient Sheep]

What did you find hideous and hateful about the episode? I though Nas's plot was quite well handled.

Errrrmmm, how about the bit where Missy and Hayley's much-beloved Nan died, and as a result Hayley was taken away into care more-or-less kicking and screaming, whilst Missy was left to organise the funeral pretty much on her own against, as you pointed out,
a grasping funeral parlour?  Was that not bleak enough for you?!

Nas' plot was indeed quite well-handled, as most of the show has been on a proficiency level, but considering the episode (S01E04, in case anybody's lost track) ended with Nas agreeing to go off to a miserable arranged heterosexual marriage in Pakistan rather than being a happy lesbian in the UK, I'd say that was another pretty miserable plot development.

Luckily that was resolved in S01E05, which I was forced to watch, and am glad I did as it was ace.

Found this week's episode a bit dull really, not enough Naz. Bit confused as to why the ice skating bit at the end of the episode before that was never mentioned again. Wasn't her mum trying to set her up with a man despite Naz saying she was a lesbian?

Errrrmmm, because he was gay too (not quite sure how you missed that, they even said it out loud), so she could be his beard and he could be her merkin... just as with the family Nas's Mum met in the café in Hebden Bridge.

But yeah, felt that last night's episode (S01E06, the last until next year) was a bit lacklustre despite various layers of shit hitting various fans.  Perhaps that was the problem: too much to get in, because I very much liked the previous episode done by that writer (Anya Reiss).

[Quincey]

Errrrmmm, how about the bit where Missy and Hayley's much-beloved Nan died, and as a result Hayley was taken away into care more-or-less kicking and screaming, whilst Missy was left to organise the funeral pretty much on her own against, as you pointed out,
a grasping funeral parlour?  Was that not bleak enough for you?!

Bleak, but not "hideous and hateful" though. Seems pretty much par for the course in these kind of shows, and was handled a lot better than your average soap (although I wouldn't call Ackley Bridge a soap).

I don't recall them saying the ice skating man was gay, must have missed that. I pretty much zoned out once they started ice skating. I presume the beard is to keep her more conservative friends happy and perhaps her sleazy father? Nas would look hot even with an actual beard.

[George White]

Yeah, I thought that too.  At least ten years on that, but then I guess that wouldn't fit very well with the character of her daughter.

There doesn't appear to be a D.o.B. for the actress.  She was in Threads, though!

Rita May, born 1942.

[Ambient Sheep]

Thank you very much!  So the actress was about 74-75 then, rather than the 67 she was playing.

How did you discover her D.o.B., btw?

[George White]

Wikipedia, but she was about 40 in Threads.

[Ambient Sheep]

It must have been added since, as neither Wikipedia nor IMDb had it when I originally checked.

Fake EDIT: Yeah, it was added on 4th July, five days after I originally posted about her.  Intriguing coincidence.

[George White]

Wikipedia, but she was about 40 in Threads.

At least until the bomb dropped.

[Malcy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCO9_tJKYa4

Trailer for Series 2, says Coming Soon.

[Malcy]

2 episodes in now. This is such a well written and acted show. Really enjoying it. I think there are more episodes this year than there was in the last series which is a good thing.

[Gulftastic]

2 episodes in now. This is such a well written and acted show. Really enjoying it. I think there are more episodes this year than there was in the last series which is a good thing.

I think they're splitting the series into two, and only airing half now.

I do roll my eyes at the 'tearaway having hidden talents' cliche.

[Malcy]

I think they're splitting the series into two, and only airing half now.

What is this? America? Hate that shit.

[pigamus]

I just saw this trending on Twitter. Is it any good?

[Ambient Sheep]

Not seen any of this series yet (it's all stacked up on the box waiting for me to get round to it) but the first series was very good and the second one mostly good.

I would probably recommend watching the earlier ones first if you can wangle it; character development etc.


EDIT: Although having re-read the thread I'm laughing now at the sheer hatred I had for S01E04, I guess that shows though how deeply invested I already was in the characters that early on, which I suppose is a good sign.  Luckily S01E05 rescued it.