Channel 4 has announced that comedy-drama Ackley Bridge, will return to screens for a fourth series but with a revised format.
Instead of 60-minute weekly episodes, the new ten-part series will now be 30 minutes.
Ackley Bridge was inspired by real-life Lancashire and Yorkshire schools, which had been set up to help integrate white and Asian communities in some of the most divided towns in the country.
The RTS award-winning series has been praised for tackling real-life issues with intelligence and sensitivity, creating hard-hitting and thought-provoking stories.
The returning cast includes Sunetra Sarker (The Informer), Jo Joyner (EastEnders), Rob James Collier (Downton Abbey), Charlie Hardwick (Emmerdale), Tony Jayawardena (The Tunnel), Fern Deacon (Hetty Feather), Phoebe Tuffs-Berry, Cody Ryan, Nazmeen Kauser and Zara Salim.
Channel 4 commissioning editor, Rebecca Holdsworth, commented: “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.”
The upcoming series will be produced by The Forge and filming will begin in Halifax in March 2020, with the series returning in September 2020.
