# Waterloo Road (TV series)

Waterloo Road is a British television drama series set in a comprehensive school of the same name, first broadcast on BBC One on 9 March 2006, and concluding its original run on 9 March 2015.
In September 2021, the show was recommissioned for an eleventh series, with production returning to the Greater Manchester area.

## Premise

Waterloo Road is set in a failing comprehensive school of the same name and focuses on the professional and personal lives of the students and staff.
Ann McManus, the show's cocreator, devised the series in response to the BBC requesting a drama pertinent to "ordinary people in Britain today". She used the programme to explore many topical issues that occur within Britain, applying them to an educational setting.

## Production
### Development

The first series of Waterloo Road contained eight episodes and was first broadcast from 9 March to 27 April 2006 on BBC One. The show was renewed for a second series that was twelve episodes long, airing from 18 January to 26 April 2007. Series 3 to 6 each contained twenty episodes. The third series aired between 11 October 2007 and 13 March 2008, and the fourth series between 7 January and 20 May 2009. Series 5 was the first to be recorded in HD, and began airing on Wednesday 28 October 2009 (the previous Sunday for BBC One Scotland). The final episode aired on 15 July 2010.
The show was filmed and set in the English town of Rochdale from the first series until the end of seventh series, and the Scottish town of Greenock from the beginning of eighth series until the end of its original run, the tenth series. The first episode was broadcast on BBC One on 9 March 2006, and the final episode of the original run was broadcast on BBC Three on 9 March 2015.
Production was meant to move locations in 2009, with storylines in the fourth and fifth series designed to coincide with that move. However, these plans did not go ahead, so the show remained in Rochdale until series 7. The filming of the fifth and sixth series was back-to-back, from 2009 to 2010. The sixth series ran from 1 September 2010 to 6 April 2011.
The seventh series began airing on 4 May 2011 and ended on 25 April 2012. The series lasted for 30 episodes. As part of a BBC initiative to produce more shows out of England, in August 2011 the show was commissioned for fifty episodes, constituting the eighth and ninth series, in a new location in Greenock, Scotland. The Rochdale site was demolished in 2013 and is now a housing estate. For most of the eighth series, the school was a non-fee charging independent school, as opposed to a comprehensive school as it was for the first seven series. The eighth series, again 30 episodes long, started on 23 August 2012 and concluded on 4 July 2013. Starting on 5 September the same year, the ninth series ran until 12 March 2014.

### Cancellation and return

On 2 April 2014, the BBC announced that series 10 would be the show's last. The final scenes were recorded on 22 August 2014, and the series premiered on 15 October. On 11 December, it was announced that the last ten episodes of the show would be aired first on BBC Three, with a repeat on BBC One later in the evening. The final episode was the show's 200th and aired on 9 March 2015, exactly nine years after the first episode. In the story, the school remains open following a lengthy battle against a school merger. In September 2019, the entire series was made available on BBC iPlayer.
On 23 September 2021, the BBC announced that it had commissioned 22 new episodes with Waterloo Road returning to BBC One. The series' production returned to Greater Manchester, with the school set being at the former St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School in Swinton. Filming commenced in February 2022, and the eleventh series of 7 episodes aired between 3 January and 14 February 2023. Series 12, containing seven more episodes aired on BBC one between 16 May and 27 June 2023. Series 13 was confirmed by a trailer attached to the final episode of series 12. On 21 August 2023 it was announced by the BBC that series 14 and 15 had been commissioned, with the three forthcoming series to contain eight episodes each. Filming for series 14 commenced in autumn 2023 with the new Greater Manchester Academy setting for Waterloo Road filmed in a former Manchester College campus.
In August 2024, the BBC announced that the show had been recommissioned for series 16 and 17, with the show's future secured until 2026. It was also confirmed that Series 14 would premiere in September 2024, and Series 15 would premiere in early 2025. Filming for series 16 and series 17 commenced in Summer 2024.

### Cast

The show utilises an ensemble cast led by the school's staff members. The longest-running cast members were Philip Martin Brown (Grantly Budgen, series 1–9), Jason Done (Tom Clarkson, series 1–8) and Chelsee Healey (Janeece Bryant, series 1–4 and 6–8, 11).
The original teaching characters consisted of Headteacher Jack Rimmer (Jason Merrells); Deputy Headteacher Andrew Treneman (Jamie Glover); Art teacher and Head of Pastoral Care Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin); Head of English Grantly Budgen (Philip Martin Brown); English teachers Lorna Dickey (Camilla Power) and Tom Clarkson (Jason Done); Head of French Steph Haydock (Denise Welch); and Head of Drama Izzie Redpath (Jill Halfpenny). The student characters included Donte Charles (Adam Thomas), Chlo Grainger (Katie Griffiths), Janeece Bryant (Chelsee Healey), Yasmin Deardon (Rhea Bailey), Mika Grainger (Lauren Drummond) and Lewis Seddon (Craig Fitzpatrick).
Series 2 introduced pupil Brett Aspinall (Tom Payne), his father and sponsor governor Roger Aspinall (Nick Sidi) and school secretary Davina Shackleton (Christine Tremarco). Other new pupils included Leigh-Ann Galloway (Holly Matthews).
Series 3 introduced new deputy head Eddie Lawson (Neil Morrissey) and, in the seventh episode, new Headteacher Rachel Mason (Eva Pope). Other staff arrivals include NQT English teacher Jasmine Koreshi (Shabana Bakhsh) and Head of Music and Drama Matt Wilding (Chris Geere). Pupils introduced in the third series include Aleesha Dillon (Lauren Thomas), Danielle Harker (Lucy Dixon), Karla Bentham (Jessica Baglow), Paul Langley (Thomas Milner), Bolton Smilie (Tachia Newall) and Michaela White (Zaraah Abrahams).
Series 4 introduced the Kelly family, consisting of mother Rose Kelly (Elaine Symons) and her five children: Marley (Luke Bailey), Earl (Reece Noi), Sambuca (Holly Kenny), Denzil (Reece Douglas), and baby Prince. The series features new Head of PE Rob Cleaver (Elyes Gabel), who is sacked when it transpires he is giving Bolton pills to help him win an important match. Rachel's sister Melissa Ryan (Katy Carmichael) and nephew Phillip (Dean Smith) are also introduced.
Series 5 introduced Executive Head Max Tyler (Tom Chambers), Deputy Headteacher Christopher Mead (William Ash), Head of Food Technology Ruby Fry (Elizabeth Berrington), newly-qualified English teacher Helen Hopewell (Vinette Robinson) and Head of Modern Languages Jo Lipsett (Sarah-Jane Potts). New pupils included Emily James (Shannon Flynn) and her sister Lindsay James (Jenna-Louise Coleman), Siobhan Mailey (Phoebe Dynevor), Ros McCain (Sophie McShera), Luke Pendle (Richie Jeeves), Amy Porter (Ayesha Gwilt), Josh Stevenson (William Rush) and Finn Sharkey (Jack McMullen).
In series 6, Amanda Burton joined the cast as new Headteacher Karen Fisher. Karen's family included children Jess (Linzey Cocker) and Harry (Ceallach Spellman) and her husband and supply teacher Charlie (Ian Puleston-Davies). Lucien Laviscount was cast as rebellious teenager Jonah Kirby and Chelsee Healey also reprised her role as Janeece Bryant as the new school secretary. On 21 December 2009, the arrival of new pupils Bex Fisher (Tina O'Brien) and Kyle Stack (George Sampson) was announced; Kyle joined in episode 11. Also introduced in episode 11 were pupils Nate Gurney (Scott Haining), Ronan Burley (Ben-Ryan Davies), Ruth Kirby (Anna Jobarteh). Other additions included Ronan Burley's father (Martin Kemp), Head of Spanish Francesca "Cesca" Monotya (Karen David), Head of Pastoral Care Adanna Lawal (Sharlene Whyte) and Geography teacher and father of Jonah and Ruth, Marcus Kirby (Wil Johnson).
Series 7 introduced new Headteacher Michael Byrne (Alec Newman), science teacher and Deputy Headteacher Sian Diamond (Jaye Jacobs), school site manager Rob Scotcher (Robson Green), maths teacher Daniel Chalk (Mark Benton), new Head of English Linda Radleigh (Sarah Hadland), school canteen worker Maggie Croft (Melanie Hill), school benefactor Lorraine Donnagan (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and pupil Jodie "Scout" Allen (Katie McGlynn). Guest stars in the seventh series included: Gemma Atkinson, Dominique Jackson, Alicya Eyo, Margi Clarke, Jodie Prenger, Lisa Riley, Tupele Dorgu, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Kai Owen and Jane Asher.
Series 8 marked the start of Waterloo Road in Greenock, and introduced English teacher Christine Mulgrew (Laurie Brett), History teacher Audrey McFall (Georgie Glen), Languages teacher George Windsor (Angus Deayton), and Deputy Headteacher Simon Lowsley (Richard Mylan).
Series 9 introduced new science teacher Sue Spark (Vanessa Hehir), and new PE teacher Hector Reid (Leon Ockenden).
Series 10 introduced an extensive set of new characters, including new headmaster Vaughan Fitzgerald (Neil Pearson), his partner and Art teacher Allie Westbrook (Nicola Stephenson), his ex-wife and Geography teacher Olga Fitzgerald (Pooky Quesnel), and Olga and Vaughan's children Justin Fitzgerald (Max Bowden) and Leo Fitzgerald (Zebb Dempster). Other new staff introductions included Deputy Headteacher Lorna Hutchinson (Laura Aikman), GPD Teacher Guy Braxton (Regé-Jean Page), Science teacher Marco D'Olivera (Stefano Braschi). New pupils Kenzie Calhoun (Charlotte Beaumont), Scott Fairchild (Andrew Still), Carrie Norton (Tahirah Sharif), Bonnie Kincaid (Holly Jack), Dale Jackson (Finlay MacMillan) and Abdul Bukhari (Armin Karima), alongside existing pupils Rhiannon Salt (Rebecca Craven), Lenny Brown (Joe Slater), Lisa Brown (Caitlin Gillespie), Darren Hughes (Mark Beswick), Shaznay Montrose (Je'Taime Morgan Hanley), .
Adam Thomas, Katie Griffiths and Angela Griffin reprised their roles in series 11 as Donte Charles, Chlo Charles and Kim Campbell respectively, with Campbell now as the Headteacher. Staff members included Lindon King (Vincent Jerome), Joe Casey (James Baxter), Wendy Whitwell (Jo Coffey), Valerie Chambers (Shauna Shim), Neil Guthrie (Neil Fitzmaurice), Coral Walker (Rachel Leskovac), Amy Spratt (Katherine Pearce), Nicky Walters (Kym Marsh), Jamilah Omar (Sonia Ibrahim) and Mike Rutherford (Ryan Clayton). New senior pupils included Danny Lewis (Adam Abbou), Samia Choudhry (Priyasasha Kumari), Preston Walters (Noah Valentine), Kai Sharif (Adam Ali), Kelly Jo Rafferty (Alicia Forde), Dean Weever (Francesco Piacentini-Smith), Noel McManus (Liam Scholes), and Caz Williams (Lucy Eleanor Begg). Junior pupils included Izzy Charles (Scarlett Thomas), Tonya Walters (Summer Violet Bird), Verity King (Ava Flannery), Dwayne Jackson (Thapelo Ray), Zayne Jackson (Inathi Rozani), Shola Aku (Chiamaka (ChiChi) Ulebor) and Norrulah Ashimi (Sahil Ismailkhil).
Series 13 introduced new students Libby Guthrie (Hattie Dynevor), Schumacher 'Schuey' Weever (Zak Sutcliffe), Stacey 'Stace' Neville (Tillie Amartey), Portia Weever (Maisie Robinson), Molly 'Mog' Richardson (Aabay Noor Ali), Jess Clarke (Zanele Nyoni), and Declan Harding (Teddy Wallwork).
Series 14 introduced Jason Manford as Steve Savage, Waterloo Road's new Headteacher, and Saira Choudhry as Nisha Chandra, Head of Maths. New students included Billy Savage (Olly Rhodes), Boz Osbourne (Nathan Wood), Aleena Qureshi (Sonya Nisa), Lois Taylor-Brown (Miya Ocego), Luca Smith (Danny Murphy), and Jared Jones (Matthew Khan).
Series 15 introduced Lindsey Coulson as Dame Stella Drake, the new Headteacher of Waterloo Road, and Lauren Patel as new early career teacher Jas Sharma. New students included Agnes Eccleston (Niamh Blackshaw), Cat Guthrie (Lucy Chambers), and Ashton Stone (Cory McClane).

## Transmissions and ratings

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released (UK) | Originally released (UK) | Average viewership (in millions) |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released | Average viewership (in millions) |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | 9 March 2006 (2006-03-09) | 27 April 2006 (2006-04-27) | 4.6 |
| 2 | 12 | 12 | 18 January 2007 (2007-01-18) | 26 April 2007 (2007-04-26) | 4.3 |
| 3 | 20 | 20 | 11 October 2007 (2007-10-11) | 13 March 2008 (2008-03-13) | 5.0 |
| 4 | 20 | 20 | 7 January 2009 (2009-01-07) | 20 May 2009 (2009-05-20) | 4.7 |
| 5 | 20 | 20 | 28 October 2009 (2009-10-28) | 15 July 2010 (2010-07-15) | 4.8 |
| 6 | 20 | 20 | 1 September 2010 (2010-09-01) | 6 April 2011 (2011-04-06) | 4.9 |
| WRR | 6 | 6 | 2 March 2011 (2011-03-02) | 6 April 2011 (2011-04-06) | N/A |
| 7 | 30 | 30 | 4 May 2011 (2011-05-04) | 25 April 2012 (2012-04-25) | 5.1 |
| 8 | 30 | 30 | 23 August 2012 (2012-08-23) | 4 July 2013 (2013-07-04) | 4.4 |
| 9 | 20 | 20 | 5 September 2013 (2013-09-05) | 12 March 2014 (2014-03-12) | 4.1 |
| 10 | 20 | 20 | 15 October 2014 (2014-10-15) | 9 March 2015 (2015-03-09) | 3.6 |
| 11 | 7 | 7 | 3 January 2023 (2023-01-03) | 14 February 2023 (2023-02-14) | N/A |
| 12 | 7 | 7 | 16 May 2023 (2023-05-16) | 27 June 2023 (2023-06-27) | N/A |
| 13 | 8 | 8 | 2 January 2024 (2024-01-02) | 26 February 2024 (2024-02-26) | N/A |
| 14 | 8 | 8 | 10 September 2024 | 29 October 2024 | N/A |
| 15 | 8 | 8 | 11 February 2025 | TBA | TBA |
* ↑ Series 2 began airing on BBC One Scotland on 14 January 2007 and in the rest of the UK on 18 January 2007.
* ↑ The second half of series ten was moved to BBC Three.
The final episode of series 3 attracted 6 million viewers. The final episode of series 4 and 5 each attracted 4.5 million viewers.
The finale of series 10 aired on 9 March 2015, nine years after the first episode aired on 9 March 2006.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2006 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best New Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2007 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Loved Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2007 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Jill Halfpenny (Izzie Redpath) | Won |
| 2008 | Digital Spy Soap Awards | Best Serial Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2008 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Loved Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2008 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Denise Welch (Steph Haydock) | Nominated |
| 2009 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actor | Neil Morrissey (Eddie Lawson) | Nominated |
| 2009 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Family Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2009 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Denise Welch (Steph Haydock) | Won |
| 2010 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Family Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2010 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Denise Welch (Steph Haydock) | Won |
| 2010 | Royal Television Society North West Awards | Best Script Writer | Ann McManus | Won |
| 2010 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2011 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Family Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2011 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Amanda Burton (Karen Fisher) | Nominated |
| 2011 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2011 | 16th National Television Awards | Most Popular Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2011 | British Academy Television Awards | Continuing Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2011 | Broadcast Awards | Best Soap or Continuing Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2012 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Jaye Jacobs (Sian Diamond) | Nominated |
| 2012 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Family Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2012 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2012 | 17th National Television Awards | Most Popular Female Drama Performance | Jaye Jacobs (Sian Diamond) | Nominated |
| 2012 | 17th National Television Awards | Most Popular Drama Series | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2013 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Drama Series | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2013 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2014 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Drama Series | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2014 | TV Quick and TV Choice Awards | Best Actress | Laurie Brett (Christine Mulgrew) | Nominated |
| 2014 | British Academy Scotland Awards | Best Actress – Television | Laurie Brett (Christine Mulgrew) | Nominated |
| 2014 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama | Waterloo Road | Won |
| 2015 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2024 | Royal Television Society Awards' | Soap and Continuing Drama | Waterloo Road | Nominated |
| 2024 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama Star | Adam Thomas (Donte Charles) | Won |
| 2024 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama Star | Alicia Forde (Kelly-Jo Rafferty) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama Star | Angela Griffin (Kim Campbell) | Nominated |
| 2024 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Drama Star | James Baxter (Joe Casey) | Nominated |

## International broadcasts

| Country | Network(s) | Notes |
| Hong KongIndiaSouth KoreaMalaysiaSingaporeThailand | BBC Entertainment | Series 1–3 have been aired in Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and India. Series 4 has aired. |
| Europe ArmeniaAustriaAzoresBelarusBelgiumBosniaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicFranceGermanyGeorgiaGreeceHungaryItalyKazakhstanLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMaltaMonacoNetherlandsPortugalMoldovaRomaniaSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandTurkeyUkraine | BBC Entertainment | Series 1 has been aired in a number of European countries. |
| Estonia | ETV | Series 1–7 have aired under the name Waterloo Roadi kool (The School of Waterloo Road). |
| Finland | YLE TV1 | Series 1–4 have aired under the name Waterloo Roadin koulu (The School of Waterloo Road). |
| Slovenia | Kanal A | Series 1 has aired in Slovenia. |
| BahrainEgyptIraqIranJordanKuwaitLebanonLibyaOmanQatarUnited Arab EmiratesYemen | BBC Entertainment | Series 1 has aired in the Middle East. Series 2 has aired. |
| Israel | BBC Entertainment, IETV | |
| New Zealand | TV ONE | Series 1–3 have aired in New Zealand. |
| Australia | ABC | Series 1–4 have aired in Australia. |
| Russia | BBC Prime | Series 1 has aired in Russia on Networks Russia GMT+2, Russia GMT+3 and Russia GMT+4. |
| United States | BBC America | Series 1 has been aired in the USA. |
| South Africa | BBC Entertainment | |
| Spain | Canal 3XL and TV3 | Series 1–9 have been aired only in Catalonia. |

## DVD releases

Series one and two were released by 2entertain, while series three to eight were released by Acorn DVD. Series nine and ten were not released on home media. Series eleven onwards were released by Dazzler Media.
| Title | Episodes | DVD release date | Total discs | Special features |
| Series 1 | 8 | 26 March 2007 | 3 | — |
| Series 2 | 12 | 10 March 2008 | 4 | Miss Haydock Reveals All Mika's Video Diary |
| Series 3 | 20 | 2 March 2009 (Autumn Term) 11 May 2009 (Spring Term) 24 May 2010 (Complete) | 6 | Autumn Term scrap Book Pupil Reports Teacher Evaluation Spring Term scrap Book |
| Series 4 | 20 | 21 September 2009 (Autumn Term) 26 April 2010 (Spring Term) 18 October 2010 (Complete) | 6 | Autumn Term scrapbook Spring Term scrapbook School Photos |
| Series 5 | 20 | 14 June 2010 (Autumn Term) 27 September 2010 (Spring Term) 23 May 2011 (Complete) | 6 | Deleted Scenes Bloopers Cast/Crew Interviews Waterloo Road Cribs |
| Series 6 | 20 | 7 February 2011 (Autumn Term) 20 June 2011 (Spring Term) 16 January 2012 (Complete) | 6 | Staff/Student Photos Outtakes Social Networking Snaps Bloopers |
| Waterloo Road Reunited | 6 | 9 April 2012 | 1 | Picture Gallery |
| Series 7 | 30 | 7 October 2011 (Autumn Term) 26 March 2012 (Spring Term) 10 September 2012 (Summer Term) 8 April 2013 (Complete) | 9 | Social Networking Snaps |
| Series 8 | 30 | 4 February 2013 (Autumn Term) 3 June 2013 (Spring Term) 7 October 2013 (Summer Term) 15 September 2014 (Complete) | 9 | Behind the Scenes In the Gym with Kaya & Kirstie In the Lab with Jaye and Jason Home from Home with Grantly Budgen |
| The Legends Of Waterloo Road | 6 | 16 September 2013 | 2 | 6 select episodes from series 3 – 8 |
| Series 11 | 7 | 10 April 2023 | 2 | — |
| Series 12 | 7 | 11 September 2023 | 2 | — |
| Series 13 | 8 | 11 March 2024 | 2 | — |

## Online

Full episodes from Series 1 to 8 were previously available to watch on YouTube, but were later replaced by episode highlights. All episodes were made available on BBC iPlayer on 19 September 2019. The popularity of the original show on iPlayer among younger audiences contributed to the show's recomissioning in 2021.
As part of the show's return in 2023, BBC commissioned a podcast series alongside the return of the programme. The podcast was hosted by cast members Adam Thomas (Donte Charles) and Priyasasha Kumari (Samia Choudhury), and released exclusively on BBC Sounds.
Since the revival of the series, each series has been released as a boxset on BBC iPlayer prior to transmission on BBC One.