New Cast Members Announced For Season 3 Of 'Ackley Bridge'

New cast members have been announced for season 3 of Channel 4 drama 'Ackley Bridge'.

Emmerdale's Charlie Hardwick and Robert James-Collier, known for his role as Thomas Barrow in 'Downton Abbey', have joined as new teaching staff at Ackley Bridge College.

Series 3 of the show has begun filming in Halifax and will return to screens for 8x60 new episodes later this year.

With the school being taken over by The Valley Trust it's a new era with deputy head teacher Martin Evershed (Robert James-Collier) and director of behaviour Sue Carp (Charlie Hardwick) being brought in to whip the pupils into shape. Mandy (Jo Joyner) just about remains at the helm of the school and is once again joined by returning cast members Sunetra Sarker, Poppy Lee-Friar and Amy Leigh-Hickman.

Robert James-Collier said: "I am thrilled to be asked to play the part of Martin Evershed, the new Deputy Head At Ackley Bridge. Such fearless and talented young actors bring a special spirit and energy on set and I hope I can learn from that and add to it in my own way."

Charlie Hardwick commented: "I'm absolutely over the moon to be joining Ackley Bridge, I was already a fan. It has fantastic characters and brilliantly sharp story-telling which tackles the desires and concerns of a diverse school of young people and their community head on, in full-beam. It's funny and moving in equal measures and has a huge heart. Unlike the new director of behaviour Sue Carp. She is belligerent and unwilling, and instead of dedicating her time to the well-being and development of her teenage students, she appears to be solely concerned with counting down the next ten years to her retirement. She is unwittingly witty though, and somewhat unintentionally anarchic, which gets the school into deep doodoo and herself into dangerously sackable situations. I can't wait to play her!"

Series 3 of the show has begun filming in Halifax and will return to screens for 8x60 new episodes later this year.