Waterloo Road 2023: Release date, cast including Kym Marsh and what to expect from returning BBC series

Waterloo Road continues tonight (January 10) where things get tricky for Danny.

Almost eight years after the last episode aired, Waterloo Road has been given a greenlight for a comeback. The returning show will see familiar faces, new themes and the same old school.

Back in 2006, BBC delivered to its audience a fictionalised depiction of a struggling British school called Waterloo Road. The series not only wrestled with the realities of an underfunded and overstretched comprehensive school, but captured the coming-of-age obstacles faced by teenagers across the UK.

Originally filmed in Rochdale but later moved to Scotland for series 8-10, core fans will be pleased to know the new instalment will return to Greater Manchester yet again. Fans will also be reunited with much-loved members of the original line-up including a new headteacher.

The timing of the BBC school-drama’s return is important. With a new generation of state-school students feeling the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and a tanking economy, it always helps to feel represented on the small screen.

Piers Wenger, Director of BBC Drama, said: "Waterloo Road is the perfect lens through which to explore post-Covid Britain, from the perspective of those who have arguably been affected most: young people in education.”

When is the new Waterloo Road out? 

You can watch Waterloo Road’s class of 2023 in action on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 on BBC One or watch the whole series which is available on BBC iPlayer now. Episodes are broadcast weekly on Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One.

How many episodes of Waterloo Road 2023?

There are seven epsiodes in series 12 of Waterloo Road. All are available to view now via BBC iPlayer.

What is the new Waterloo Road about? 

The new series of Waterloo Road will incorporate themes of mental health, COVID-19, teen homelessness, LGBTQ+, racism, sexism, cost of living and more. In the first episode, a peaceful protest over a historic slave-trader turns into a school riot and the teachers and parents aim to educate while learning to listen.

Waterloo Road 2023 entire cast list 

Kym Marsh stars in the new series of Waterloo Road

• Angela Griffin as Kim Campbell
• James Baxter as Joe Case
• Vincent Jerome as Lindon King
• Shauna Shim as Valerine Chambers
• Neil Fitzmaurice as Neil Guthrie
• Rachel Leskovac as Coral Walker
• Katherine Pearce as Amy Spratt
• Jo Coffey as Wendy Whitwell
• Kym Marsh as Nicky Walters
• Sonia Ibrahim as Jamilah Omar
• Sue Vincent as Erica Thorne
• Adam Thomas as Donte Charles
• Katie Griffiths as Chlo Charles
• Teddy Thomas as Tommy Charles
• Lisa Faulkner as Hannah King
• Ryan Clayton as Mike
• Scarlett Thomas as Izzy Charles
• Adam Abbou as Danny Lewis
• Priyasasha Kumari as Samia Choudhry
• Adam Ali as Kai Sharif
• Alicia Forde as Kelly-Jo Rafferty
• Francesco Piacentini-Smith as Dean Weaver
• Liam Scholes as Noel McManus
• Lucy Eleanor Begg as Caz Williams
• Noah Valentine as Preston Walters
• Summer Violet Bird as Tonya Walters
• Ava Flannery as Verity King
• Thapelo Ray as Dwayne Jackson
• Inathi Rozani as Zayne Jackson
• Chiamaka “ChiChi” Ulebor as Shola Aku
• Sahil Ismailkhil as Norrulah Ashimi