Channel 4 to strip Ackley Bridge double bills

Channel 4’s school drama Ackley Bridge is to air as a stripped double bill in a 10pm slot.

The fifth series of The Forge’s 10 x 30-minute drama returns on Monday 11 July and will air across a single week with double episodes from Monday to Thursday with the final two episodes playing from 11pm on Friday. The full series will be made available as a boxset on All 4 from 11 July.

The series was reimagined as a 30-minute show for its fourth run in April 2021, with its 10 eps stripped at 6pm across a fortnight to a consolidated average of 653,000 (4.4%).

Previously the show was an hour-long show, which played weekly in an 8pm slot.

The scheduling decision is designed to bring the linear TX into line with its All 4 boxset release, with the majority of viewers understood to consume the show via the on-demand platform.

In February, C4 unveiled plans for Lime Pictures’ soap Hollyoaks to make its debut on All 4, ahead of its linear transmission on E4 after becoming the broadcaster’s most-streamed scripted show. At the time, head of drama Caroline Hollick said the move was a natural step.

“With this new ‘stream-first’ approach we are serving a much broader range of viewers,” she said.

C4 is bidding to double All 4 viewing under its Future 4 plans.

The fifth series of Ackley Bridge was ordered by Rebecca Holdsworth, commissioning editor of drama at C4.

It is exec produced by George Ormond, George Faber, Suhayla El Bushra and Kim Revill.

It also marks the directorial debut of Top Boy actor Ashley Walters, who will be helming five episodes, while Reza Moradi directs the other half of the series.