logo
All to know on Waterloo Road series 15 with Lindsey Coulson among new cast

All to know on Waterloo Road series 15 with Lindsey Coulson among new cast

Yahoo11-02-2025
Waterloo Road is returning for its 15th series on the BBC, with Lindsey Coulson being among several new additions to the cast.
The former EastEnders actress will be playing new headteacher Dame Stella Drake after the downfall of Steve Savage (Jason Manford).
He left the school after it was revealed he had covered up his son's murder of pupil Boz Osbourne.
The school's reputation has taken a big hit as a result, and Dame Stella has been enlisted to fix that, the Radio Times reports.
Speaking about joining the show, Coulson said: "I'm delighted to be joining Waterloo Road as the new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake.
"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."
In terms of further casting, the Radio Times adds: "Joining Coulson is a faculty member that will be very familiar to fans of the series. Jason Merrells's Jack Rimmer is set to guest star, almost two decades after his last appearance in season 3.
"There will be another familiar face joining the cast, too. Zeriozha Annika is back as Celine Stone, whose teenage pregnancy storyline provided quite the finale back in season 3 – before being promptly forgotten.
Look who's back! 👀 Watch brand new #WaterlooRoad now on #iPlayer. pic.twitter.com/BemBcr5iAf
— Waterloo Road (@WaterlooRoad) February 11, 2025
"Her presence, and that of her son Ashton's, will certainly raise some questions for old flame and school caretaker Donte Charles (Adam Thomas)."
New additions to the cast of Waterloo Road for series 15 are:
Lindsey Coulson as Dame Stella Drake
Jason Merrells as Jack Rimmer
Zeriozha Annika as Celine Stone
Lucy Chambers as Cat Gutherie
Niamh Blackshaw as Agnes Eccleston
Lauren Patel as Jas Sharma
Meanwhile, returning cast members are:
Cory McClane as Ashton Stone
James Baxter as Joe Case
Hollie-Jay Bowers as Debs Rafferty
Ryan Clayton as Mike Rutherford
Jo Coffey as Wendy Whitwell
Neil Fitzmaurice as Neil Guthrie
Rachel Leskovac as Coral Walker
Kym Marsh as Nicky Walters
Katherine Pearce as Amy Spratt
Shauna Shim as Valerie Chambers
Adam Thomas as Donte Charles
Tom Wells as Marc Todd
Saira Choudhry as Nisha Chaudra
Alicia Forde as Kelly-Jo Rafferty
Francesco Piacentini-Smith as Dean Weaver
Liam Scholes as Noel McManus
Summer Violet Bird as Tonya Walters
Thapelo Ray as Dwayne Jackson
Chiamaka 'ChiChi' Ulebor as Shola Aku
Hattie Dynevor as Libby Guthrie
Zak Sutcliffe as Schumacher 'Schuey' Weever
Maisie Robinson as Portia Weever
Tillie Amartey as Stacey 'Stace' Neville
Aabay Noor Ali as Mollie 'Mog' Richardson
Zanele Nyoni as Jess Clarke
Sonya Nisa as Aleena Qureshi
Miya Ocego as Lisa Taylor-Brown
Danny Murphy as Luca Smith
Matthew Khan as Jared Jones
Recommended reading:
Everything to know on new BBC crime-drama Virdee starring Staz Nair
Everything to know on Unforgotten series 6 starring Sanjeev Bhaskar
All you need to know on series 2 of ITV comedy G'Wed including full cast list
The first episode of the 15th series of Waterloo Road will air at 9pm on Tuesday, February 11 on BBC One.
After that, the remaining episodes will air in the same timeslot over the following weeks.
Alternatively, if you don't want to wait all eight episodes are available to watch on the BBC iPlayer right now.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Gary Lineker shortlisted for National Television Award after BBC exit
Gary Lineker shortlisted for National Television Award after BBC exit

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Gary Lineker shortlisted for National Television Award after BBC exit

Gary Lineker has been shortlisted for the National Television Award for best TV presenter, just months after his exit from Match Of The Day. The former footballer will face off against Ant & Dec, who have won the prize for 23 years in a row. Lineker exited the BBC's flagship football show in May after 26 years, following a row after he shared a post about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult. He issued an unreserved apology over the social media post, as it was confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the BBC early and would no longer front coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season's FA Cup. Earlier this month, it was announced that he has signed up to present a new ITV game show called The Box, which will be filmed in the UK later this year and air in 2026. Lineker and Ant & Dec will compete for the television presenter prize against Alison Hammond, best known for her appearances on This Morning and The Great British Bake Off; The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman; and Sort Your Life Out presenter Stacey Solomon. The NTAs will be hosted by comedian Joel Dommett at The O2 in London on September 10, where Adolescence stars Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham, who play on-screen father and son, will go head-to-head for the drama performance prize. They will compete against Tom Hardy for crime drama MobLand and Rose Ayling-Ellis for her performance as a lipreader called in to aid police in the thriller Code of Silence, while Brenda Blethyn is recognised for her final case as the eponymous detective in Vera. Adolescence, the juggernaut Netflix drama about a teenage boy who is arrested for murdering a classmate, is also in the running for the new drama prize. Also nominated are the adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals, the gangster saga MobLand, Code Of Silence and the cryptic comedy drama Ludwig. The eagerly anticipated TV return of Gavin & Stacey at Christmas is shortlisted for the comedy prize, competing against stalwart Mrs Brown's Boys, crime caper Brassic and Michael McIntyre's 25th Year Stand-Up Special. Comedian McIntyre is also recognised with a nod in the Bruce Forsyth entertainment award category, for his variety show Michael McIntyre's Big Show, facing off against The Graham Norton Show, The Masked Singer and panel game Would I Lie to You? He is also in the running for the quiz show prize, with a nod for his programme The Wheel, alongside nods for Richard Osman's House of Games, The 1% Club and The Chase. Flintoff, in which former cricket star Freddie Flintoff opened up about his life-changing Top Gear car crash, is shortlisted for the authored documentary prize. It is in the running alongside There's Only One Rob Burrow, which paid tribute to the late rugby league player-turned-MND campaigner; Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me, about Strictly professional Amy Dowden's battle with cancer; and reality star Molly-Mae Hague's tell-all Molly-Mae: Behind It All as well as Boyzone: No Matter What, which chronicled the rise and tragedy of the 90s boyband. TV personality Solomon has two nominations in the factual entertainment category, where her lifestyle show Sort Your Life Out and fly-on-the-wall series with husband Joe Swash – Stacey & Joe – are both contenders. They face competition from Jeremy Clarkson's agricultural shenanigans in Clarkson's Farm, as well as Gogglebox and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live. Meanwhile, The Great Pottery Throw Down has earned its first nomination for the talent show prize, securing a nod alongside Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice UK, Britain's Got Talent and The Great British Bake Off. The National Television Awards will be broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX from 8pm on September 10, with the final round of voting now open.

What we know about Strictly 'cocaine' scandal as police investigate
What we know about Strictly 'cocaine' scandal as police investigate

Yahoo

time16 hours ago

  • Yahoo

What we know about Strictly 'cocaine' scandal as police investigate

The Met Police and the BBC are investigating after two of the show's stars were accused of taking the class-A drug The Met Police is investigating allegations of drug use on Strictly Come Dancing. It was "widely known" that two stars of the BBC show allegedly took the class A substance, The Sun on Sunday reported. The Met has now said it had "received an allegation about drug-related offences". In a statement, it added: "Police are assessing the information and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed." The drug-taking allegations first emerged in a legal submission to the BBC from law firm Russells on behalf of former celebrity contestant Wynne Evans, according to the newspaper. Evans's own time with Strictly wasn't without controversy; he was forced to quit the tour after he made an "inappropriate and unacceptable" comment during its launch, and consequently, BBC Radio Wales didn't renew his contract. Who are the Strictly stars accused of drug taking? The Sun on Sunday reported that there were two Strictly stars accused of drug taking. Those two stars in question have not been named by the newspaper. It was reported that the two stars will be offered professional support behind the scenes. BBC offered no comment on this. What has the BBC said? BBC News reported that the broadcaster is understood to have enlisted the help of a law firm to support the investigation into the allegations of drug taking. External law firms report back to internal teams in cases like this, Yahoo UK understands. The investigation is being led by the BBC, not the law firm. A BBC spokesperson said: "We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further." The Sun reported the possibility of random drug tests being implemented into the Strictly tour. However, Yahoo UK understands that there are no plans to introduce further measures at this time. Changes to Strictly Come Dancing BBC made a number of changes to Strictly Come Dancing's welfare last July, behind the scenes. Chaperones now attend every rehearsal room, and there were two new welfare producers appointed as part of the new measures. Additional training is now provided for the dancers, production team and crew. New measures were put in place after allegations were made about some of the professional dancers. Strictly's pro dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima left the show in the wake of allegations about their behaviour toward their dance partners Amanda Abbington and Zara McDermott. Former dance partner Abbington made allegations of bullying and harassment claims against Pernice, who had denied the claims; some of the complaints were upheld, but not all of them. Strictly Come Dancing will return in the autumn with two new professional dancers and celebrities taking part in the show. Yahoo UK has reached out to the BBC and Wynne Evans' representatives for further comment. Solve the daily Crossword

How are Strictly's partners chosen? Inside the BBC's 'speed dating' event
How are Strictly's partners chosen? Inside the BBC's 'speed dating' event

Yahoo

time17 hours ago

  • Yahoo

How are Strictly's partners chosen? Inside the BBC's 'speed dating' event

How Strictly bosses use 'speed dating' to pair the celebrities with their professional dance partners The BBC bosses match the Strictly celebrity line-up with professional dancers at an event that has been likened to "speed dating". Strictly Come Dancing's partnerships can make or break how well the celebrity performs on the show. The incredible winners Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell's natural dance chemistry made them immediately fan favourites months before they lifted the Glitterball trophy. One of this year's competitors Ellie Goldstein — who is a trailblazing model with Down syndrome — has declared who her dream partner would be. "The best partner is Nikita [Kuzmin]," she said on Good Morning Britain last week. "I love him! I want him, please, I love him so much." It begs the question about how the pairs are selected for the BBC's crown jewel. How are Strictly's partners chosen? Celebrity contestants and the professional dancers engage in a "speed dating" exercise when they meet face-to-face for the first time. This year's contestants and pros have met for the first time but the 2025 pairings remain tightly under wraps. The event, where the partnerships are chosen, is one of the first rehearsals held in the summer ahead of the show starting in mid-September. The celebrities have the chance to have a quick dance and chat with all of the professional dancers while the TV staff are watching on. Their first encounter leads to the choices made by TV bosses about who will be paired with whom. Whether the celebrity and their partner have natural chemistry is one of the big things on the checklist for those organising the pairs. They also have to take into account the height of the contestants compared to the professional dancers too. Lorraine star and presenter Ross King, who is used to the bright lights of Hollywood, revealed how it played out behind the scenes this year. He said: "It was like the first day of school... Everyone was so warm and welcoming. The 'speed dancing' which was really funny. All the men get in a circle. "All the female pros are on the outside. Then you do a little waltz. Then they move on and then you dance again... It's a little chemistry test. The chemistry of who gets on with who." It's the same exercise used for the female contestants taking part in Strictly. Last year, former 2023 Strictly contestant Angela Rippon revealed how she bagged her partner Kai Widdrington. She told The Express: "When we all meet for the first time before we get into the studio, what they do is they have a day where all the new celebs come to meet all the professionals and what they do is they ask all the men to go downstairs into the canteen with all the female professionals.' She added: "We female celebrities were put in circles and all male professional dancers were put in a circle around us and they played eight bars of a cha cha. And what happened is we all danced eight bars with whoever was in front of us. Then after eight bars, they moved on. "So we had the next one, and then they moved on and it was just like speed dating. We all ended up playing the music so we all danced with each other three times." Who gets a celebrity dance partner? Every year, only some of the professional partners get the enviable role of teaching a celebrity partner to dance. The other professional dancers remain focused on the group routines that make up some of the BBC show. This remains a secret until the show begins. However, this year, fan favourite Gorka Marquez announced he will not get a dance partner because of his conflicting schedule. He has taken up judging duties on the Spanish version of the show, Bailando Con Las Estrellas, and some of the filming times clash but he plans to take part in the group dances on Strictly. The professional dancers confirmed for Strictly in 2025 include: Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Marquez, Nikita Kuzmin, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store