Steph Haydock

Stephanie "Steph" Haydock is a fictional character from the BBC One school-based drama series Waterloo Road, portrayed by Denise Welch. Steph first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 9 March 2006. She appeared as a regular character for four years before departing in the series five finale, broadcast on 15 July 2010. Welch left Waterloo Road without intending to return for the sixth series, but eventually decided to come back for episodes 9 and 10, broadcast on 20 and 27 October, respectively. Steph appeared in 79 episodes in total. In November 2024, it was announced that Welch would be reprising her role as Steph in 2026. The character has received a positive response from viewers and critics alike.

Steph was part of the original teaching team and was the original head of French at Waterloo Road, and was good friends with colleagues Grantly Budgen (Philip Martin Brown) and Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin). She had little control over her classes, limited respect from the pupils and is a pretty hopeless teacher. Everyone is fond of her and they turn a blind eye to the brutal fact that she’s a rubbish French teacher, however Steph harbours a maternal nature which is displayed a lot over her time at Waterloo Road. Even though she left the school, she proved a loyal friend to members of staff by returning several times when they needed her.

Steph re-appears in Series 6 Episode 9 and Episode 10 to help Grantly with Fleur's (Lorraine Cheshire) dementia.

Reception
Welch won the 2009 and 2010 TV Quick and TV Choice Award for "Best Actress". thumb|right|Welch won numerous awards for her portrayal of Steph.

References

Category:Waterloo Road (TV series)
Category:Television characters
Category:Fictional British people
Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2006