BBC drama ‘Waterloo Road‘ is set to get a new headteacher when it returns in 2025, as Lindsey Coulson (EastEnders, The Bay) is announced as Dame Stella Drake.
If you’re up-to-date on the hit drama, you’ll know Coulson replaces headteacher Steve Savage, played by Jason Manford, who exited the series at the end of the 14th season.
“I’m delighted to be joining Waterloo Road as the new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake,” said Lindsey Coulson. “It’s a role I haven’t played before so I’m really enjoying peeling back the layers of who Stella is and seeing how the teachers and students react to her no-nonsense approach. Waterloo Road tackles social issues head on which is so important to see on television and this series will be no different.”
Once at the top of the Ofsted ranks, Dame Stella found herself knocked off her pedestal thanks to her cutting words about parental incompetence going viral, but her uncompromising work ethic, strict moral compass and no-nonsense approach makes her the perfect candidate to reform Waterloo Road. Stella joins the school as the students become increasingly unruly following the effects of last term and she soon feels out of date as she clashes with the school’s modern pastoral approach. Her unfiltered honesty is both endearing and abrasive. She tells it as it is and while her intent is to inspire positive change, her methods can sometimes ruffle feathers. Stella might have the students best interests at heart but soon her personal life spills over into the professional and fans will be left wondering what skeletons she could be hiding?
“We’re really thrilled that Lindsey Coulson is joining Waterloo Road, she has absolutely embraced the spirit and ethos of the show, and she completely inhabits the role of Dame Stella Drake, we can’t wait for the audience to meet her,” adds Cameron Roach, Executive Producer of Waterloo Road and Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction. “The fact that the show has attracted an actor of Lindsey’s calibre is testament to the continued ambition and commitment from our writing and story teams, as well as our brilliant cast and crew.”
Filmed and set in Greater Manchester, Waterloo Road has cemented itself as one of the top-performing shows on BBC iPlayer for under 35s and continues to highlight real-life topics affecting teens, families and schools through its storylines. More information on the next series will be announced in due course. In the meantime, audiences can stream all of the episodes of ‘Waterloo Road’ on BBC iPlayer. The drama has been renewed up to Season 17.
“It’s a real honour to have an actor of Lindsey Coulson’s calibre take the reins at Waterloo Road, said Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama. “Dame Stella Drake is a force to be reckoned with, and we know fans of all ages are going to love watching her.”
‘Waterloo Road’ is a Rope Ladder Fiction and Wall to Wall North co-production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. The executive producers are Cameron Roach for Rope Ladder Fiction, Leanne Klein for Wall to Wall and Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan for the BBC.
‘Waterloo Road‘ Season 15 does not yet have an exact premiere date, but is expect to arrive in “early 2025” 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.
