Steve Bell is a fictional character from the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge, portrayed by Paul Nicholls.

Steve was initially introduced as the PE teacher of the fictional Ackley Bridge college and his storylines in the series have included his previous affair with Claire Butterworth (Kimberly Walsh), the breakdown of his marriage to Mandy Carter (Jo Joyner), helping student Jordan Wilson (Samuel Bottomley) prove he isn't the father of Candice Murgatroyd's (Emily Pyzer) child, and trying to start a rugby team for the school.

Their marriage is strained from Steve previously having had an affair with netball teacher Claire Butterworth (Kimberley Walsh), whom he also has a son with.

When Mandy begins working with school sponsor Sadiq Nawaz (Adil Ray), Steve becomes wary that she will have an affair, particularly because of their history.

When student Cory Wilson (Sam Retford) is nervous about a rugby match against his friend Riz Nawaz (Nohail Mohammed), Steve encourages him by saying "Destroy him".

Steve is replaced by Hassan Hussein (Hareet Deol) when the Valley Trust takes over Ackley Bridge College.

[6] Talking about his character, actor Nicholls opined that Steve is "an old school PE teacher" who is "stuck in the 1990s".

[4] He also researched schools around Oldham, Blackburn, and Burnley, surprised that they merged like Ackley Bridge College.

He explains that due to coming from a working-class background, Steve is not concerned with "public image", as he understands certain aspects of the student's lives.

[4] The pair eventually separate, and Nicholls explained that there will always be "such a physical attraction and an emotional connection between them" that makes them gravitate towards each other.

[8] He also called Steve's relationship with Jordan Wilson "touching", like many other teacher-student dynamics of the series.