Interview with Jo Joyner who plays Head Teacher Mandy Carter

24 May 2017

Tell us about Ackley Bridge?!

It's a new 6 part drama set in a school in Yorkshire that has been set up to integrate the community by being part Asian and part white. It's got some great young actors leading the cast!

What drew you to the series?

The integration theme, joining the community together and the opportunity to have such a diverse cast was definitely a pull to the show. For me in particular I liked the idea of a show that was set in a school where we follow not just the kids but the teachers just as much and show them as real, fallible people. 

You play Mandy Carter, the Head Teacher at Ackley Bridge College, can you tell us a bit about her?

Mandy is hard working and has dedicated the last few years to getting this school off the ground, working closely with the schools sponsor Sadiq. She's possibly neglected other areas of her life, like having fun and her husband, in favour of her career. She's a perfectionist and relishes the chance to do something great for the community and truly believes in the opportunities that good education can bring. She's strong and capable when it comes to leadership and work but can often be the complete opposite when it comes to her own personal life. I love that contradiction; it's what makes her fully rounded. 

What’s her relationship with her husband Steve like?

When we first meet them they're getting on well but it's clear that they have had some issues that they've been dealing with from the past. There is clearly history there and although Steve is Mandy's rock, there is resentment from the past on her part and he's feeling quite insecure about all the time that Mandy's been spending with Sadiq in order to get the school up and running.  They're a bit of a roller coaster really. Steve's no push over and time will tell if their relationship can withstand the dynamics of Mandy being his boss, Steve's past misdemeanours and Mandy's friendship with a Sadiq....

You’ve worked with Paul Nicholls before on Candy Cabs, was it nice to be reunited?

It was really great, you never think you'll get paired together again with someone after you've worked with them before. I count myself lucky to have worked with some really great leading men so far and Paul is no exception. We work really well together, he makes the job easy for me by bringing something different to the table on every take. My twins were 5 months old when I last worked with Paul, so through the fog of no sleep and weaning I don't remember much of the job! 

You’re also reunited with your No Angels cast mate Sunetra Sarker, what was that like?

Heaven! Sadly we had about one scene together in the whole job, but that was probably for the best as we'd only have ended up in stitches. We moved in together and basically behaved like we were back doing No Angels again, talking all night and working all day. We worked together for three years when I was 25 and she really is one of my closest friends. So, yes, working and living with Sunetra was one of the highlights of the job. She's not only one of my dearest friends; she's a favourite actress of mine too! 

Many of the younger characters in the show were street cast from the local community, what was it like filming with them?

They were. I think it's a great thing, finding fresh, natural talent and Penny, our first director, is great at that. Sadly, as is true for most head teachers, I wasn't in the classroom teaching much! So my time with the younger guys was mostly spent telling them off! But I did spend some time filming with them all out on the rugby pitch and their energy and enthusiasm was really great to have around.

Much of the show is about the cultural difficulties in the town of Ackley Bridge, and the merging of two schools into a new academy, were such schools something you were aware of before taking on the part?

I think I assumed that most schools were already in this day and age. I wasn't aware that there was a need for such schools I suppose; I didn't know that some areas had become so divided. I think that having lived in London for so many years, which is particularly such a multicultural city, I was possibly a bit ignorant of the fact that people might be not accepting of other cultures... I'm an actor, we're generally a pretty open minded, sociable bunch! So I suppose it's sometimes hard to believe that anyone would be racist, homophobic or not accepting of other faiths... That's why it's such a great show. Not only so that the young people from those communities can identify with it and see themselves represented, but also so that those people who are maybe less knowledgeable of other cultures can appreciate the differences and more than that, the similarities between us all. 

What were you like at school?

I liked school.  Mainly for the social side! I was lucky to have some great teachers and generally I was one of those kids that liked learning about new things. That's not to say I was perfect! I may have got caught having a ciggie round the bike sheds! 

Your husband’s a teacher, did you speak to him or anyone else as research for the show?

He is and my best mate is, in fact a lot of my friends are teachers. I didn't ask their advice because ultimately we are all playing people, characters. We're not writing the show. Mandy was never seen in a teaching role, like most teachers who get to head status, they spend more time running the show and less time in the classroom, which I'm sure is a shame for them.  I've taken workshops and been in classrooms myself in the past, so I guess I had experience from that. When I was researching for No Angels I spent a day shadowing a nurse in Leeds. She was such a great nurse, kind, caring and hardworking. I felt really guilty when I left because she said she was looking forward to seeing herself in the show and I knew I was playing Beth, who was lazy, tough and not half as kind as her! So as much as I like to do research, there's a limit to what control you have over what goes in to the show and so it's best to focus on the human element, the characters and the relationships rather than the work environment.