After a string of murders in 1973 Port Talbot, three detectives embark on a case that spans three decades, needing the forensic breakthroughs of the 21st century to finally bring justice.
"Networking isn’t a dirty word,” insisted RTS North West Chair and executive producer at Manchester drama indie Rope Ladder Fiction Cameron Roach. He was speaking at the start of an inspiring late-March Student Networking Day.
“People assume that to network you have to be gregarious,” he continued. “That is not the case.”
First look images accompanied the news and hinted at the drama to come. As term begins, a peaceful protest turns into a school riot with ramifications for everyone involved.
Across seven parts, teachers and parents will be put through their paces as they navigate an ever changing social landscape and help their young teens handle everything from homelessness to the cost of living crisis, being LGBTQ+, racism, sexism and mental health.
But it's not all chaos, as they will still make time for fun, friends and romance.
Waterloo Road originally aired from 2006 to 2015 and was known for its entertaining and engaging human stories that tackled difficult and important issues.
Angela Griffin will be returning as Kim Campbell, who is now the headteacher at Waterloo Road, Adam Thomas will return as Donte Charles and Katie Griffiths will return as Chlo Charles, both former students at the school.
The series gained a new, young and diverse audience, adding to the loyal fanbase, when the boxset was added to BBC iPlayer in September 2019.
The new series will be set and made in Greater Manchester and co-produced by Wall To Wall and Rope Ladder Fiction.
Waterloo Road originally aired on the BBC from 2006 to 2015, during which time it became one of the UK’s most popular and longest-running TV dramas.
With the pandemic came greater awareness of the challenges teachers, parents and pupils face that have become even more pronounced due to lockdown restrictions. The new series will explore these important issues and more.
The Chair of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain said: “It’s very easy to think that we’re a lovely, right-on industry with no unconscious bias. That it’s a meritocracy and whatever you do, as long as you’re writing good stuff, you’re going to get the job. It’s simply not true.”
Holdsworth was discussing her career and the state of UK drama with RTS Yorkshire Chair Fiona Thompson.
Her break came almost two decades ago when Kay Mellor asked her to write an episode of ITV drama Fat Friends, which she described as her “sink or swim moment”.
