BBC Orders 2 MORE Seasons Of ‘Waterloo Road’ In Addition To Upcoming Season
With Season 13 of ‘Waterloo Road‘ already filmed, the BBC has announced they have ordered Seasons 14 AND 15 as well, meaning we have at least three more seasons of the school drama incoming.
Known for its hard-hitting storylines and relatable characters, ‘Waterloo Road’ reflects modern society with its portrayal of issues including the cost of living crisis, teen homelessness, racism, sexism, being LGBTQ+, mental health, and everything else facing young teens today. But amongst the chaos, the students, faculty and parents still make time for friendships, fun, and a few romances.
“We’re beyond thrilled with the triumphant return of Waterloo Road, and so thankful to the BBC for committing to the show so fully,” said Cameron Roach, executive producer of Waterloo Road and Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction. “We love that the show has the potential not only to be a crown jewel for BBC iPlayer, but also serve as a true beacon for training, and inspiring next-generation talent. In addition to our open auditions and full-time production trainee placements for industry newcomers, our workshops across Greater Manchester this Summer for 14-16 year-olds, in partnership with BBC Young Reporter, have truly demonstrated the infectious power of this show.”
With a track record of launching new talent both on screen and behind the camera, ‘Waterloo Road’ will continue to cast key roles via open auditions at schools and youth clubs, and will once again offer workshops and production training schemes for newcomers to the industry, further boosting drama production skills in the North of England. So far 20 trainees have gained entry-level, paid work in the industry via six-month placements on Waterloo Road since the start of 2022, across departments including costume, art direction, post-production, camera and sound. A further eight trainees will join the series when filming begins this autumn.
The drama initially ran on the BBC between 2006 and 2015, and following its breakout success on BBC iPlayer during lockdown it returned with new episodes at the start of 2023 with a cast including Angela Griffin, Adam Thomas and Kym Marsh among the school staff, and an ensemble of exciting newcomers and rising stars as pupils. Two new series have aired this year. Waterloo Road remains especially popular on BBC iPlayer, where it is in the top three most-watched titles of the year so far for 16-34-year-olds, alongside ‘Happy Valley’ and ‘EastEnders’.
“It’s been a joy to see Waterloo Road return to the BBC this year, delighting new and returning fans with its fantastic ensemble of relatable characters and a winning mix of heart, humour and high drama,” adds Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. “It’s been especially exciting to see the new boxsets prove so popular on iPlayer, and to see the next brilliant generation of acting and production talent break into the industry via their work on the series. Life’s never dull for the staff and pupils at Waterloo Road, and there’s a lot more drama to come!”
‘Waterloo Road’ is set and made in Greater Manchester, and produced by the award-winning Wall To Wall in co-production with Rope Ladder Fiction. Lindsay Williams is the Series Producer, with Adam Leatherland and Nasreen Ahmed as Producers and Si Wall as Story Producer. Waterloo Road is executive produced by Cameron Roach for Rope Ladder Fiction, Leanne Klein for Wall To Wall, and Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Filming on the two new eight-episode seasons will begin in Greater Manchester this autumn.
‘Waterloo Road‘ Season 13 does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC One and iPlayer. If you want to keep track of this or any other show, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
