The eleventh series of the British television series Waterloo Road originally aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 3 January and 14 February 2023. This series marks the first series of Waterloo Road since the show was cancelled after the tenth series in 2015. The series follows the staff and pupils of the fictional Waterloo Road High School in Greater Manchester. Co-produced by Wall to Wall and Rope Ladder Fiction, the series was executively produced by Cameron Roach, Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan. The revival was announced in September 2021. The decision to revive the drama was inspired by the high viewership figures of the original series after it was made a box set on the BBC iPlayer.
Approximately 130 people worked on the series: 50 cast members and 80 members of the production team. Four actors reprise their roles from the original series, bridging the two iterations of the drama. A six-month production development training scheme was created to support entry into television production, with 20 trainees produced as a result. Seven hour-long episodes were commissioned for the series. It was promoted through trailers, promotional images and a red carpet premiere held in Stockport. In addition to weekly broadcast, the series was released as a box set on BBC iPlayer. A podcast, consisting of nine episodes, was also launched.
The series explores a range of topical issues facing schools, pupils and parents in Britain following the COVID-19 pandemic. These issues were deemed perfect for exploration through Waterloo Road. The series also established opportunity to provide visibility for underrepresented groups. Multiple stories were explored in each episode of the series. The death of Chlo Charles (Katie Griffiths), a surprise twist in the opening episode, serves as a catalyst for several stories in the series. In addition to the school-centric plots, writers also explored attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the cost of living crisis in the UK, bulimia nervosa, amongst other stories.
The show's revival attracted a mixed response upon its announcement. Many praised the decision and thought it would be a good platform for young talent, however Jim Waterson of The Guardian did not believe it justified the axing of Holby City. Charlotte Moore, the chief content officer at BBC, defended the revival against criticism and felt it was "reimagined for the modern day". Whilst the show attracted poor overnight ratings, it was reportedly popular with a younger audience on BBC iPlayer. Like the announcement, the actual series received a mixed reception from television critics and viewers alike. In particular, Chlo's death was heavily criticised with Hannah Van De Peer of The Tab deeming the choice "random". Contrastingly, Kelly Jo's ADHD story was highly praised by critics and special needs organisations; Eleanor Noyce from the Radio Times called Kelly Jo's ADHD story "a particular standout" of the revival.
Cast
Main cast
Supporting cast
Recurring cast
Guest cast
Production Conception and development In September 2021, it was announced that Waterloo Road had been revived, after its cancellation in 2015. The new series is co-produced by Wall to Wall and Rope Ladder Fiction, and is executively produced by Cameron Roach, Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan. It is set, filmed and produced in Greater Manchester. Piers Wenger, the director of BBC Drama, commissioned the new series as part of plans from the BBC to make more programming across the country with the intention to better reflect it. This initiative led to the cancellation of Holby City in June 2021, with Waterloo Road replacing it. Wenger was pleased to reprise the show and praised it for "its thrills and spills, unmissable characters and high drama". On the drama's revival, Roach commented, "Waterloo Road will continue its reputation for kickstarting, supporting and enabling careers both in front of and behind the camera, in a truly inclusive way, from our base in Greater Manchester."
The decision to revive the drama was inspired by the high viewership figures of the original series after it was made a box set on the BBC iPlayer. In 2021, it became the fourth most popular series of the year, with 45 million streams. Roach opined that the drama is a popular and well-loved brand, which made it "ripe for reinvention". Original cast member Katie Griffiths was surprised by the show's popularity through these boxsets and thought it was "exciting" that they opted to revive the show. Additionally, a revival for the drama would create relatable content for young viewers, who BBC executives were seeking to add to their viewership.
Angela Griffin, one of the show's leading cast members, felt the revival would maintain some of the qualities of the original Waterloo Road, but it would be more relevant to modern day. Actor Vincent Jerome also thought this and observed that "the fun, energy, excitement and telling of real world stories" would continue into the revival, but with more representation through its cast. The show features a range of characters, which Jerome felt meant that "anybody can relate to any one of our characters", even if not in the traditional sense. Young actor Adam Ali felt that the characters were "reflections of society" and provided an opportunity to see "people from different walks of life coming together and dealing with the world". Griffin wanted the audience to feel a sense of belonging in the series and hoped the characters could provide comfort to those watching. Cast member Adam Thomas echoed this thought and believed that the show's revival would open the door for conversations surrounding some of its "difficult subjects". He felt it was important they made these conversation accessible and hoped the show would spark discussion in schools too. Roach wanted the drama to be "a real celebration of what it is to be British today". He hoped to continue some of the core values of the original series: the "larger than life", "big hearted, quick witted and iconic" characters and stories. Echoing this, he wanted the revival to spark important conversation between friends and colleagues. Griffin wanted the primary purpose of the series to be entertainment; she commented, "ultimately, I want [the audience] to just really bloody enjoy it and I want them to fall in love with the characters".
Filming for the series took place at the former site of St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School in Wardley, Greater Manchester. Filming commenced on 21 February 2022. Working on the series are approximately 130 people: 50 cast members and 80 members of the production team. The show's series producer was Lindsay Williams, and it was produced by Adam Leatherland. The show's story producer is Diane Ferrier, who heads up a story team consisting of: Yasmin Ali, Amy Coombes, Ethan Deplitch, Georgia Ince, Nana-Kofi Kufuor, Hannah Lee and Joe Morris. The story team also worked closely with the BBC Writersroom on a shadow scheme for writers and directors. Liz Lake, Neil Jones and Lisa Holdsworth were responsible for writing the first episodes. Kat Rose-Martin was also hired to write two episodes of the series. The lead director is Jesse Quinones, with other directors from the series including Paulette Randall and Makalla McPherson. On 21 April 2022, Amanda Mealing revealed, via social media, that she would direct on the series. Griffin confirmed in a January 2023 interview with Armand Beasley of Great British Life that she would be directing two episodes of Waterloo Road.
Production training scheme Roach and the BBC wanted to use the drama to create "a training ground for new and diverse writers", and in December 2021, a six-month production development training scheme was announced. Eight trainee positions were created with the job based in Salford. Applications were open for residents of Greater Manchester. The show's production companies worked with Screen Manchester and HOME Manchester for the scheme. Roach explained that they wanted to "build a reputation for encouraging and educating individuals" in different areas of television production. Elli Metcalfe of Screen Manchester thought the scheme would support crew shortages in the industry. Leanne Klein from Wall to Wall Media looked forward to training "the next generation of crew in the north".
Griffin liked the promotion of Northern talent and how the show increased behind-the-scenes representation of class and gender. Following a successful first scheme, the production companies decided to reopen applications for a second six-month programme, commencing in August 2022. The initial training scheme, which lasted from February 2022, produced 20 trainees for working on the drama. Two trainees from the original scheme - Zane Igbe and Sabbina Aslam - were then hired onto the production team. Speaking to Rachael Hesno from Prolific North, Igbe and Aslam both praised the scheme for creating a gateway into television production.
Casting
It was reported on 30 November 2021 that Adam Thomas, who portrayed Donte Charles in the first four series, would return. Thomas' return was confirmed on 24 January 2022, alongside that of original cast members Angela Griffin and Katie Griffiths, in their respective roles as Kim Campbell and Chlo Charles. Kim is now the school's headteacher. All three cast members spoke of their delight at reprising the role and exploring their characters again. This marks Thomas's return to acting following his departure from Emmerdale in 2018. Thomas admitted that he was washing up in his restaurant when he got a call from the casting director inviting him to discuss reprising the role with Roach. He was excited about the idea of a revival, but tried to "act cool" in front of Roach. Afterwards, he then had to wait for the revival to be green-lit. Griffin accredited the show's stories and Roach's commitment for finding new talent to her decision to return to Waterloo Road.
In February 2022, it was reported that Chelsee Healey was in discussions with producers to reprise her role as Janeece Bryant, a role she portrayed across six series. Healey is a regular cast member in Hollyoaks, which sparked rumours she may leave the soap. A Hollyoaks spokesperson confirmed she would not be leaving Hollyoaks but may also appear in Waterloo Road. Despite not being officially announced, the character returned for a cameo appearance in the second episode of the series.
Nine additional regular cast members were announced on 10 February 2022, portraying members of the school's staff. The announcement was made via a video on the show's social media channels. Roach expressed his excitement at announcing the cast and commented, "we're creating some new iconic characters for the next generation of Waterloo Road". Kym Marsh was cast as Nicky Walters, a school canteen worker and mother to two schoolchildren. Marsh was pleased to return to Manchester to film the series. Vincent Jerome and James Baxter joined the show as co-deputy headteachers Lindon King and Joe Casey, respectively. Jo Coffey plays Wendy Whitwell, the headteacher's personal assistant. Shauna Shim and Neil Fitzmaurice were cast as music teacher Valerie Chambers and history teacher Neil Guthrie, respectively. Rachel Leskovac portrays Coral Walker, the head of English, and Katherine Pearce appears in the role of Amy Spratt, an early careers teacher (ECT). Sonia Ibrahim also joins the show as Jamilah Omar, a social worker.