Channel 4 has announced the award-winning Yorkshire school drama Ackley Bridge will not be returning to screens for a sixth season.
The show, produced by The Forge, is filmed in Halifax and has been running for five seasons since first airing in 2017. Channel 4 has announced that season five, which aired earlier this year, was the last.
During its run, the show, which is set in the multicultural academy school of the title, received praise for its handling of sensitive and controversial issues. It also received critical acclaim and won several awards, including from the Royal Television Society.
Channel 4 wrote in a statement: “As a broadcaster, we’re immensely proud of Ackley Bridge, which over the last five series has received praise for the way in which it has tackled real-life situations and issues in an irreverent and insightful way.
“However, Channel 4 has a responsibility to continuously look for new and innovative ideas and we have made the difficult decision to not greenlight another series.
“We’d like to thank The Forge, the wonderful cast and all those involved in the show’s success over the years and we look forward to working with them again on future projects.”
The show’s star Jo Joyner, who played headmistress Mandy Carter took to Twitter to share the news, noting stoically that “all good things must come to an end.”
Over and out! Very proud to have been a part of the fantastic #AckleyBridge Some incredible years, fantastic memories and wonderful friends. All good things must come to an end ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nW4QWkDjUb
— Jo Joyner (@dollyjoyner) November 14, 2022
