Waterloo Road cast: who is in the cast as Denise Welch returns? Full details
Waterloo Road is back and there will be an old icon returning to the cast 👀📺
- Waterloo Road is set to see an old favourite return in 2026.
- The popular BBC drama is back for a new series.
- But who are the new faces for this latest set of episodes?
A brand new series of Waterloo Road is set to feature a very familiar old favourite. The popular BBC school drama has returned to help kick start 2026.
Denise Welch reprises her iconic role as Steph Haydock for the latest batch of episodes. She was a regular on the show between 2006 and 2010.
Waterloo Road is set to tackle a grooming storyline during this latest season. It will feature across two episodes, the BBC has said.
But when is the new series on TV and who is in the cast? Here’s all you need to know:
What time is Waterloo Road on TV today?
The show is making its highly anticipated return today (January 6). Fans will be treated to a double-bill this evening, it has been confirmed.
Waterloo Road is set to air the first episode of the new season at 9pm and it is due to run for an hour. The second will follow at 10.40pm, following the 10 o’clock news.
For those who can’t wait, the full boxset became available at 6am on iPlayer. All of the episodes can be watched right now.
Who is in the cast of Waterloo Road?
Denise Welch is set to make her highly anticipated return as the iconic Steph Haydock for the new series of the BBC drama. She last appeared on the show back in 2010 - more than 15 years ago.
Karl Davies (Emmerdale) joins Waterloo Road as Anthony Walters, the ex-husband of Nicky Walters (Kym Marsh). Anthony arrives as the coach of the girl’s football team that some of Waterloo Road’s very own get involved with, thriving at the sport.
His arrival causes a big stir with Tonya and Nicky, who has taken on a new role at the school.
Also joining the cast as new students are Freddy Smith as Freddie Hollister, Olivia Booth-Ford as Leoni Tennant, Myra-Sofia Iftikhar as Aisha Azzi, Sana Ali as Badr Azzi and Isha Kaur as Harleen Lamba.
New Deputy Darius (Jon Richardson) holds the keys to the kingdom – but how far will he go to keep that power? With the arrival of excluded students and familiar faces, chaos ensues at Waterloo Road. Love is in the air, and with prom and a wedding on the horizon, the teaching staff and students of Waterloo Road aren’t shy of any new challenges.
The returning parent and teacher cast includes:
- Adam Thomas (Donte Charles)
- Christopher Jeffers (Mitch Swift)
- Hollie-Jay Bowes (Debs Rafferty)
- James Baxter (Joe Casey)
- Jason Merrells (Jack Rimmer)
- Jon Richardson (Darius Donovan)
- Jo Coffey (Wendy Whitwell)
- Kym Marsh (Nicky Walters)
- Lindsey Coulson (Dame Stella Drake)
- Neil Fitzmaurice (Neil Guthrie)
- Rachel Leskovac (Coral Walker)
- Shauna Shim (Valerie Chambers)
- Saira Jackson (Nisha Chandra)
The returning student cast includes:
- Aabay Noor Ali (Mollie "Mog" Richardson)
- Cory McClane (Ashton Stone)
- Chiamaka (ChiChi)
- Ulebor (Shola Aku)
- Danny Murphy (Luca Smith)
- Hattie Dynevor (Libby Guthrie)
- Liam Scholes (Noel McManus)
- Lucy Chambers (Cat Guthrie)
- Maisey Robinson (Portia Weever)
- Miya Ocego (Lois Taylor-Brown)
- Niamh Blackshaw (Agnes Eccleston)
- Scarlett Thomas (Izzy Charles)
- Sonya Nisa (Aleena Qureshi)
- Summer Violet Bird (Tonya Walters)
- Tillie Amartey (Stacey "Stace" Neville)
- Zak Sutcliffe ("Schuey" Weever)
Waterloo Road to tackle grooming storyline this series
The BBC has announced that the show has worked with the NSPCC on an upcoming storyline which tackles grooming.
The storyline will show the character of Anthony Walters, (played by Karl Davies), who joins this series as the estranged husband of Nicky Walters, (Kym Marsh), as the school’s football coach, abusing his position of trust to exploit Portia Weever, whilst she’s under his supervision. The storyline is featured within two episodes of the upcoming series.
Cameron Roach, Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction and Executive Producer for Waterloo Road said: "Waterloo Road has a strong tradition of highlighting difficult issues young people face. Portia, played by Maisey Robinson, has proven to be one of our most popular new characters, and our writing team felt she could portray a truth around this very difficult subject matter.
"Working with the NSPCC and other experts in the field, we have been able to raise awareness of an important social issue, and demonstrate to young viewers that help, and support are always close at hand if needed."
Helen Westerman, NSPCC Strategic Service Manager for Local Campaigns, added: "Child sexual abuse or exploitation can have lifelong effects on those who experience it, so it is vital that parents, carers and young people know how to identify when something might be wrong.
"Having topics like grooming explored sensitively in flagship shows like Waterloo Road helps share important information with viewers and signpost to essential resources, like the NSPCC Helpline and Childline services, which are available to offer support around the clock."
Remind yourself of the cast changes for Waterloo Road in 2025. Full details here.