Missy Booth

Missy Booth
Ackley Bridge character
Woman with blonde hair in a bun looking at the camera, wearing a pink fluffy coat and a pink fluffy jumper
First appearanceEpisode 1
7 June 2017
Last appearanceEpisode 20
25 June 2019
Portrayed byPoppy Lee Friar
In-universe information
OccupationStudent
Fast food worker
Relatives

Missy Booth is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Poppy Lee Friar. Missy first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 7 June 2017. She is introduced as one of the programme's two protagonists alongside best friend Nasreen Paracha (Amy-Leigh Hickman). Due to growing up with numerous responsibilities including being the carer of her family, Friar described her character as a "fighter".[1] Despite this, Missy is also seen to be a rebellious and opinionated character who is popular at school, especially with the male students. One of the main themes explored throughout the series is her friendship with Nasreen, which Channel 4 billed as the "heart of the show".[2] Both Friar and Hickman have accredited this to their real-life friendship, which they felt mirrored their onscreen friendship.

Friar received praise from critics for her portrayal of the character, whose storylines included her grandmother's death, her sister being taken into foster care and getting an abortion. Missy appears in the series until the second episode of the third series, when Friar left to pursue other acting projects. Missy's final scenes see her die after being hit by a car; fans have voiced their disappointment in her death, with many stating that the series has not been the same since her departure. Despite this, they felt that her death allowed for numerous powerful storylines to commence, such as Nasreen's grief and the students of the fictional school mourning for her. Critics were disappointed to see her departure from the series, but commended the "bold decision" to kill a centric character.[3] In 2021, Missy's death was described as "one of the most harrowing moments of the series" to date.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fighter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference C4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference HITC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference MSN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).