Sam Murgatroyd

**Samantha "Sam" Murgatroyd** is a former year 11 pupil at Ackley Bridge, who joined the school later in the second series. Sam is open with her sexuality, but finds interest in Nasreen Paracha, who is not.

## Throughout The Series

### Series Two

In episode 2.7, Sam Murgatroyd is first introduced when Nasreen Paracha and her family visit the Mosque. Sam is dressed up outside, as a chicken, hanging out flyers for a 'halal chicken shop'. After Nas has entered, Sam follows and takes a pair of shoes from the entrance. Nasreen chases her, but fails to catch up as she speeds off on a motorbike.

Later in the episode, Sam is seen in Ackley Bridge school, following with Candice Murgatroyd, her cousin. Nasreen confronts her about this, going up to her and describing her as 'the chicken at the mosque'. Sam defends herself, saying it wasn't her. This causes a brawl between the two, as Nasreen's sister, Razia, exclaims 'Let the lezzer have it'. Nas and Sam fight, as Missy and Candice try to break it up, which leads to them also arguing. Miss Keane comes over, attempting to break up the fight but ends up getting punched in the face by Sam. Sadiq comes over to comfort Miss keane, as the new deputy head, Mr.Shah, comes over and breaks up the fight, asking the two to go to his office.

Nas tries to defend herself, claiming that Sam stole her sisters trainers, and Sam goes right back, saying her sister called her a lezzer. Miss Keane notices this, and asks Nasreen if it is okay for her sister to use 'language like that', subtly hinting towards the fact that Nas is a lesbian. Sam gets given another chance, instead of getting kicked out for fighting, and apologises to Nasreen. She gets put on report, and the pair get put in isolation for the rest of the school day.

Later, Sam runs into Raz and her friends in the toilets, they proceed to jump her, writing slurs on her forehead before Candice comes and defends her and they run off. After that, Sam runs into the canteen, screaming about what has happened, claiming she 'doesn't care' who knows that she is a lesbian. She goes up to Razia's table, and flips all their food trays up.

After, Sam and Nas run into each other in the toilets, and Sam thinks Nas has caused this. Sam declines this, saying it wasn't her and offers to help her with the situation, giving her a paper towel. She asks if she has done what happens in the canteen has happened before, and she says no. She says Nas should try it, hinting that she knows she is a lesbian. Nasreen denies this, and Sam says 'Yeah, right.', this leads to her claiming that Sam is full of herself. Sam kisses Nasreen, (Nasreen, unwilling) and she says to get lost.

At 16 minutes in the episode, you see Nas, walking towards the room where the newly founded LGBT club is. She looks through the door, as Sam, the only one there, speaks with Miss Keane, saying they should wait for more people to arrive as it is only the first meeting. After, they meet in the toilets again, Sam rushing her into a cubicle claiming she wanted to go to the meeting, and she should learn to take a risk sometime. Sam pulls out a pen, writing her phone number on Nas' arm, saying to text her when she is ready to take the risk before she leaves.

Afterwards, Nas and Missy go to Missy's engagement party. Nas is not as involved in this, and is seen sitting on the stairs. She pulls out her phone, and begins texting the number she had earlier acquired. She texts a chicken emoji, before being interrupted by someone going up the stairs. She quickly recieves a text back, and is told a joke by Sam. They later meet up at a house, one with English flags hung up outside, which foreshadows Sam's later racist views. Nas goes into the garage, where Sam is, which seems to be private, as the bike, chicken costume, and stolen trainers are seen sitting atop the dirtbike. Sam says that the trainers are what she came for, and she can go now after. Nas denies this, saying she might have some more 'rubbish chicken jokes' for her. They get into a conversation, which later leads to them kissing, then ending up having sex before Nas leaves. Nas later goes to town, meant to go with Missy, who claims she can't come, due to her feeling unwell. When she is in town, she sees Razia and her friends, with some eggs, getting ready to egg an anti muslim parade. Nas sees this, asks her not to, before she spots Sam in the parade, holding an English flag and joining in. She thinks, before throwing an egg at Sam's head, then running off. She gets chased by 2 men from the parade, but ends up losing them. Nasreen gets a call from Missy, who she is ready to tell what happened, upset, before Missy interrupts her and says her mum has ran off, and she needs to come, now.

Afterwards, Nas returns home, and Sam is waiting outside her door for her. Nas claims she cannot be here. Sam goes inside, saying she has 'Never been inside an Indian house before'. Nas corrects her, saying it is Pakistani. She exclaims about her parade, and how they are racist views and that they say Muslims cannot be in 'their' country. Nas says this is her town too, and Sam says that she is alright, and she just doesn't want the extremists in the town, saying Halal food funds terrorism and that they want to keep England, English, claiming that brown people cannot be possibly English. Sam claims Nasreen's family to be homophobic, and Nas replies that her racist grandpa wouldn't be pleased that she is sleeping with a 'Dirty Pakistani'. Sam claims that she sleeps with her, because she likes her, despite her views. Nas returns that she can't be with her if her views are like this. She says that she wants nothing to do with Sam, due to her being on the anti-Muslim parade, and Sam leaves, telling her to get lost.

In school, Sam and Candice are seen getting called racists because they were at the anti-Muslim march. Candice defends Sam by saying, 'If she's racist, why'd she sleep with one of your lot, then'. Sam does not throw Nasreen under the bus, and doesn't say that they slept together. She later gets hassled in the canteen, and again, says that she isn't going to say who it is. They meet in the toilets, and Nas thanks her for saying not saying it was her in the canteen. They go up a hill, on Sam's dirt bike, and converse, Sam saying how she is the first Pakistani she has spoke to before. Nas says it would be easier if she didn't like her, due to Sam's family's views about Muslims, and Pakistani's. Sam says they could to get to know her, and Nas claims it is not enough. and suggesting they can't be together, before walking away.

**Episode 2.9**

In episode 2.9, Sam and Razia get in a disagreement in the science lab, this leads to them arranging a fight, after school. The word gets spread around, and alot of people turn up to the fight. As the fight begins, Sam claims that she does not want to fight Raz. Razia still tries to initiate the fight, as Nasreen watches from behind her. Sam tells everyone to go home, and that she is not fighting Razia. She begins to walk off, and Razia runs after her, Nasreen tries to stop Raz, but this ends up with Razia accidently stabbing Nas with a scalpel she had took from the science lab, instead of Sam. Sam gets accused for the stabbing as she had picked up the scalpel off the floor after it had been used.

After Nasreen had been to hospital, Her, Razia, Her mother, Sam, and her grandfather, are in the headteachers office, explaining how Sam will be transferred to a different school for the fight, and for stabbing Nas. Sam's grandfather begins to say racist comments towards Nasreen and her family, and sam begins to defend them. Eventually, Nasreen sticks up for Sam, and explains how Razia stabbed her. Raz storms out, and is quickly followed by her mother.

## Relationships

> Nasreen Paracha
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> Candice Murgatroyd
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