List of Ackley Bridge characters

Overview

Main characters

• Missy Booth is the older sister of Hayley Booth, and the daughter of Simone Booth. Missy retook Year 11, due to previously dropping out of school. She was the best friend of Nasreen Paracha, and in the second series, she was in a relationship with Aaron Turner, Nasreen's half-brother. In series three, Missy and Nasreen were hit by a car. At first, both of them were suspected to be fine, but Missy later died in her sleep due to an internal bleed.
• Nasreen Paracha is the older sister of Razia and Saleem Paracha, and the daughter of Kaneez and Iqbal Paracha. In series one, it was revealed that she is a lesbian. She kissed her teacher, Lila Shariff, while on a night out with Missy. After coming out to her mother, she engaged in a fake arranged marriage with Naveed Haider, who was also secretly gay until series two. Nasreen began a relationship with Sam Murgatroyd in series two. In series three, she takes her A Levels, and despite initially not qualifying to get into Oxford University, Kaneez persuades the education officers to allow her to study there.
• Mandy Carter is the wife of Steve Bell, and the headteacher of Ackley Bridge College. In series two, it was revealed that she's pregnant, and in series three she gave birth to a baby boy.
• Steve Bell is the husband of Mandy Carter and a former PE teacher at Ackley Bridge College.
• Samir Qureshi is the former head of pastoral care at Ackley Bridge College. In series two, Samir began an affair with Emma Keane, but was later murdered by Khadim Afzal in a stabbing incident.
• Emma Keane is the mother of Chloe Voyle and an English teacher at Ackley Bridge College. In series two, she began an affair with Samir Qureshi, who was later stabbed.
• Kaneez Paracha is the mother of Nasreen, Razia and Saleem Paracha, and the separated wife of Iqbal Paracha. In series two, she begins a relationship with Rashid Hyatt. Formerly a dinner-lady, she becomes a student support officer in series three.
• Sadiq Nawaz is the father of Alya and Riz Nawaz, and the husband of Farida Nawaz. He was the former sponsor of Ackley Bridge College. In series three, it's revealed that he is also the father of student Kacey Gartside.
• Razia Paracha is the sister of Nasreen and Saleem Paracha, and the daughter of Kaneez and Iqbal Paracha. In series two, she bleached her skin in an attempt to look white. When her science teacher, Rashid Hyatt, sees her struggling in lessons, he makes her aware that she suffers from dyspraxia.
• Hayley Booth is the younger sister of Missy Booth, and the daughter of Simone Booth. After the death of Julie Booth, her grandmother, she is taken into care. However, Missy managed to get her back, with the help of headteacher Mandy Carter. In series two, Hayley begins a relationship with Riz Nawaz.
• Saleem Paracha is the brother of Nasreen and Razia Paracha, and the son of Kaneez and Iqbal Paracha.
• Jordan Wilson is the brother of Cory Wilson, and the son of Kevin Wilson. In series two, he was abused by his father, and later left Ackley Bridge College to attend art college.
• Will Simpson is a former PE teacher at Ackley Bridge College. He showed interest in Lila Shariff, until he discovered that she is a lesbian. He was then a love interest of Emma Keane.
• Alya Nawaz is the sister of Riz Nawaz, and the daughter of Sadiq and Farida Nawaz. In series two, she posted photos of Cory Wilson at a food bank, which she got in trouble for. In series three, Alya gets an A* in all of her A Level exams and leaves for university.
• Lorraine Bird is the school receptionist.
• Cory Wilson is the brother of Jordan Wilson, and the son of Kevin Wilson. After a one-night stand with Candice Murgatroyd, it's revealed that he is the father of her child. In series two, Cory kissed Naveed Haider, and went on to break Riz Nawaz's neck in a rugby match. Cory then had a one-night stand with Naveed, leading him to question his sexuality. In the third series, Cory enters an illegal relationship with temporary headteacher Sian Oakes; due to it disrupting his progress at school, he decides to retake the year.
• Riz Nawaz is the brother of Alya Nawaz, and the son of Sadiq and Ferida Nawaz. In series two, Riz got his neck broken by Cory Wilson during a rugby match.
• Chloe Voyle is the daughter of Emma Keane and Nik Voyle. Originally living in London, she moved to Ackley Bridge to live with Emma. When Chloe discovers Nasreen is a lesbian, she spreads it across the school.
• Lila Shariff is a former science teacher at Ackley Bridge College. After kissing Nasreen, she decides to stop teaching at Ackley Bridge College.
• Simone Booth is the daughter of Julie Booth, and the mother of Missy and Hayley Booth. In series three, she converts to Islam to help with her drink and drug addictions.
• Candice Murgatroyd is the cousin of Sam Murgatroyd. She has a son with Cory Wilson.
• Naveed Haider is the son of Mujahid and Sadia Haider. He was introduced as the fake arranged husband of Nasreen, but later publicly came out as gay. In series two, Naveed kissed Cory Wilson and had a one-night stand with him. Naveed aspires to be a comedian, and in series three, he moves to Manchester to attend drama college.
• Rashid Hyatt is a science teacher at Ackley Bridge College. In series two, he begins a relationship with Kaneez Paracha.
• Aaron Turner is the son of Sandra Turner and Iqbal Paracha, and the half-brother of Nasreen, Razia and Saleem Paracha. In series two, he was in a relationship with Missy.
• Javid Shah is the former deputy headteacher at Ackley Bridge, brought on by Sadiq to rein Mandy in. He is later sacked for going behind Mandy and Sadiq's back to leak confidential information, in an effort to oust Mandy as the headteacher.
• Sam Murgatroyd is the cousin of Candice Murgatroyd. Sam began a relationship with Nasreen in series two. In the third series, she is kicked out of her home, which leads to her staying at a youth centre.
• Martin Evershed is the new deputy headteacher at Ackley Bridge College. On his first day, he clashes with Nadine Murgatroyd, who sets his car on fire. He becomes interim headteacher following Sian Oakes' suspension.
• Sue Carp is the director of pupil behaviour at Ackley Bridge College.
• Pawel Nowicki is a transfer student from The Valley.
• Rukhsana Ibrahim is a transfer student from The Valley, and the sister of Yusef Ibrahim. She befriends Kacey 'Spud' Gartside.
• Younis Iqbal is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Kacey 'Spud' Gartside is a student at Ackley Bridge College, who becomes friends with Rukhsana Ibrahim. It is revealed that Kacey's father is Sadiq Nawaz.
• Hassan Hussein is a PE teacher at Ackley Bridge College who is reprimanded by Martin Evershed due to his questionable teaching methods.
• Sian Oakes is the temporary headteacher at Ackley Bridge College. She begins an illegal relationship with a student, Cory Wilson, and is suspended.

  Recurring characters

• Julie "Nana" Booth was the mother of Simone Booth, and the grandmother of Missy and Hayley Booth. She died in the first series, but later appeared in series three, welcoming Missy to the afterlife after her death.
• Amin Abad is the brother of Tahira Abad, and a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Tahira Abad is the sister of Amin Abad, and a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Zain Younis is a student at Ackley Bridge College. His father, also named Zain Younis, is introduced in the third series.
• Amira Gill is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Shireen Siddiqui is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Mo Akhtar is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Waqar Abdelrahman is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Shannon Burns is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Neil Sykes is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Jake Earnshaw is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Dan Fairfax is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Kevin Wilson is the father of Jordan and Cory Wilson. In series two, he abused Jordan. After getting cautioned for this, he went to the top of his house roof as a suicide attempt, but fell, resulting in him being taken to hospital.
• Iqbal Paracha is the ex-husband of Kaneez, and the father of Nasreen, Razia and Saleem Paracha. In series two, it was revealed that he had a second family; Sandra Turner and her children; whom he had before he had met Kaneez.
• Granny Paracha is the mother of Kaneez, and the grandmother of Nasreen, Razia and Saleem Paracha. When Nasreen reveals that she's a lesbian in series two, Granny Paracha is unexpectedly accepting of it.
• Aneesa Sahota is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Maryam Quereshi is the wife of Samir Qureshi, who didn't know about the affair between Samir and Emma.
• Reece Murgatroyd is the cousin of Sam Murgatroyd. In series three, he joins his relatives in attacking Anwar Wazir, following the death of Missy Booth.
• Clint Northwood is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Sandra Turner is the first partner of Iqbal Paracha, and the mother of Aaron Turner.
• Claire Butterworth is the ex-partner of Steve Bell, with whom she shares a child.
• Grandpa Murgatroyd is the grandfather of Sam and Candice Murgatroyd. In series two, he is shown to be part of a far right movement against Muslims.
• Anwar Wazir is a resident of Ackley Bridge who runs Nasreen and Missy over when speeding.
• Debbie Gartside is the mother of Kacey 'Spud' Gartside.
• Ken Weaver is a teacher from The Valley, who becomes Mandy's boss at Ackley Bridge College.
• Nadine Murgatroyd is the mother of Sam Murgatroyd. In series three, she is released from prison. Upon being released, she clashes with Martin Evershed and later sets his car on fire. After Sam reports her post-prison crimes to the police, she is arrested again.
• Zaffar Iqbal is a student at Ackley Bridge College.
• Gaynor Evershed is the wife of Martin Evershed.
• Zain Younis Senior is the father of Zain Younis.
• Tim Collins is the husband of Sian Oakes.

  Guest characters

Introduced in series one

• Chris Abe as Police Officer
• Jamie Dorrington as Jack Murgatroyd
• Stuart Manning as Nik Voyle
• Sebastian Shaw as Adam Smith
• Noorul Choudhary as GP
• Wendy Patterson as Funeral Director
• Simon Lowe as Darren Critchall
• Jag Singhera as Karim
• Anastasia Ryan as Lady in Hebden Bridge
• Julian Kay as Gary Williams
• Alexandra D'Sa as Sita Kapoor
• Kate Baines as Solicitor
• Mark Chatterton as Judge
• Michael Forrest as Chair of Governors

  Introduced in series two

• Halima Ali as Amy Turner
• Kelli Hollis as Loan Shark Linda
• Alec Hewes as Jazz Band Member #1
• James Brown as Jazz Band Member #2
• Jonathan Enser as Jazz Band Member #3
• Kriss Dosanjh as Moeen Qureshi
• Beth Hunter as Megan Redhead
• Julia Nelson as Brenda Webster
• Alex Dobson as Mel Normal
• Keicha Greenidge as Shalika Phillips
• Amita Suman as Sameera
• Lloyd Lai as Martin Rose
• Christine Brennan as Dr Olivia Allen
• Tigga Goulding as Wendy Jefferson
• James Midgley as Darren Haddock
• Madison Brown as Ashley Currier
• Maya Soraya as Meesha Peerzada
• Anthony Lewis as Tony Potts
• Huni Jalaf as Imam Fazal Hameed
• Tahreen Iqbal as Mrs Younis
• Andonis Anthony as Simon Zindillis
• Judy Flynn as Barbara Hammer
• Alexis Platt as Danny Critchall
• Melanie Ash as Sarah Mather
• Rick Carr as Ian Orem
• Dee Hamilton as Sonographer
• Menyee Lai as Irene Girvan

  Introduced in series three

• Declan O'Connor as Pete Day
• Kammy Darweish as Mujahid Haider
• James Schofield as Thomas Padgett
• Emily Coates as Lucy Pellow
• Sophie Young as Maris Cooper
• Annie Cowan as Dr Marielle Conway
• Martin Wenner as Dr Harry Brown
• Fahriya Ali as Farah Iqbal
• Parsa Ahmed as Sakina Iqbal
• Jake Hayward as Kyan Murgatroyd
• Sebastian Shaw as Adam Smith
• Ahmad Sakhi as Mani Busra
• Faraz Ayub as Umar Masood
• Jeff Mirza as Akram Hussein
• Anu Hasan as Farida Nawaz
• Moey Hassan as Karim Abad
• Alfie Wilson as Charlie Evershed
• Sukai Morton as Isla Evershed
• Christine Barton-Brown as Janet Crabbe
• Jordan Jessup as Police Officer
• Vanessa Pound as Gemma Hunt
• Bikram Gurmit as Bimilinder Singh
• Luke Bayer as Matthew Barnes
• Buckso Dhillon-Woolley as Tasnim Ibrahim
• Jumana Patel as Hanifa Ibrahim
• Anisha Azam as Safiyah Ibrahim
• Arian Nik as Yusef Ibrahim
• Wass Javed as Adeel Ibrahim
• Hayley Mason as Mrs. Wright
• Charlotte Sowerby as Dirty Donna
• Dean Colebourne as PC Sexy Bod
• Steve Garth as Gordon Carp
• Rory Gallagher as Custody Sergeant