Waterloo Road cast: Full list of actors and characters

Among the new cast members are Jason Manford, who will be playing maverick new headteacher Steve Savage. What that means for Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) remains unclear, however.

He is joined by a few new students, and some students who we thought might not return following the events of last season.

So, without further ado, RadioTimes.com is here with your guide to the cast of Waterloo Road in its revival and also in its original run.

Waterloo Road 2024 cast: Meet the old and new characters in BBC drama

The following cast members have been confirmed for the fourteenth run of Waterloo Road.

• Jason Mansford as Steve Savage
• Angela Griffin as Kim Campbell
• James Baxter as Joe Case
• 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
• Noah Valentine as Preston Walters
• 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
• Zenele Nyoni as Jess Clarke
• Teddy Wallwork as Boz Osbourne
• Olly Rhodes as Billy Savage
• Sonya Nisa as Aleena Qureshi
• Miya Ocego as Lisa Taylor-Brown
• Danny Murphy as Luca Smith
• Matthew Khan as Jared Jones

Now here is all you need to know about the major characters.

Jason Mansford as Steve Savage

Who is Steve Savage? An experienced new headteacher for Waterloo Road who goes way back with Nicky Walters and served as a mentor to Joe Casey. Steve is a maverick and isn't afraid to break the rules to achieve what he needs to do.

What else has Jason Mansford been in? Mansford is well known for his work as a stand-up comedian and as a presenter, including on The One Show. Mansford has also had acting roles, including on the West End in Sweeney Todd, The Producers, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Guys and Dolls, Curtains and The Wizard of Oz.

Angela Griffin as Kim Campbell

Who is Kim Campbell? The former headteacher of the new Waterloo Road school, Kim Campbell used to work at the original Waterloo Road in Rochdale as an Art and PSHE teacher and was also the Head of Pastoral Care. A caring and compassionate teacher, Kim had a relationship with deputy head Andrew Treneman and left with him for Rwanda, before later returning home with a baby daughter named Grace, who she took from Rwanda illegally.

Kim later lost custody of Grace. Following a merger with another school, Kim had an affair with the villainous executive head Max Tyler but later broke off their relationship when he showed his true colours. Despite this, Kim later found out that she was pregnant with Max's child and gave birth to her son Dexter before leaving the school.

In the new season, Kim revived the Waterloo Road name but has since reunited with old love Andrew and left her post as headteacher.

What else has Angela Griffin been in? Griffin is best known for her role as Fiona Middleton in Coronation Street, DS Lizzie Maddox in Lewis and Nurse Jasmine Hopkins in Holby City. Griffin also appeared in the series Mount Pleasant, Turn Up Charlie, and White Lines.

James Baxter as Joe Case

Who is Joe Case? One of the deputy heads at the school, Mr Case is sociable and supportive of Kim. Joe is married to police officer named Mike.

What else has James Baxter been in? Baxter is best known for his role as Jake Doland in Emmerdale, along with turns in Alma's Not Normal, Still Open All Hours, and Holby City.

Ryan Clayton as Mike Rutherford

Who is Mike? Mike is the husband of one of the teachers at the school and is also a police officer. Mike comes to work at Waterloo Road in the new episodes.

What else has Ryan Clayton been in? Clayton is best known for his previous role as evil rapist Josh Tucker in Coronation Street.

Jo Coffey as Wendy Whitwell

Who is Wendy Whitwell? The dutiful personal assistant to the headteacher, Kim Campbell.

What else has Jo Coffey been in? Coffey has also appeared in Netflix’s The Lark, and the films Artemis Fowl and All Is True.

Neil Fitzmaurice as Neil Guthrie

Who is Neil Guthrie? A grumbly history teacher at the school, Guthrie pretended to be a widower before it was revealed his wife left him to live in New Zealand. In the new season, Guthrie finds romance and his daughter comes to live with him.

What else has Neil Fitzmaurice been in? Fitzmaurice is best known for his comedy and roles in series such as Peep Show, Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, and Benidorm.

Rachel Leskovac as Coral Walker

Who is Coral Walker? The Head of English at the school, Coral suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and is prone to being rather pessimistic.

What else has Rachel Leskovac been in? Leskovac is best known for her roles as Natasha Blakeman in Coronation Street, Kelly Yorke in Holby City, and Joanne Cardsley in Hollyoaks. She also appeared in Shameless and Happy Valley.

Kym Marsh as Nicky Walters

Who is Nicky Walters? The school dinner lady and a former beautician who was put out of business during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicky is also the mother to two pupils.

What else has Kym Marsh been in? Marsh is best known as a singer from the band Hear'Say, acting in Coronation Street as Michelle Connor, and presenting Good Morning Live.

Katherine Pearce as Amy Spratt

Who is Amy Spratt? The new Early Career Teacher for English, Amy's fresh approach to learning rubs Coral up the wrong way until they become friends.

What else has Katherine Pearce been in? Pearce has also appeared in the drama Three Girls and the films My Cousin Rachel and England Is Mine.

Shauna Shim as Valerie Chambers

Who is Valerie Chambers? A music teacher at the school who is always willing to speak up for what is right. Valerie is currently grieving for foster son Danny.

What else has Shauna Shim been in? Shim is best known for her work as Miss Drill in The Worst Witch, Biff and Chip, and Dogville.

Adam Thomas as Donte Charles

Who is Donte Charles? One of the original pupils in Waterloo Road, Donte was known for his star-crossed romance with Chlo Grainger which saw them elope and also become teenage parents to daughter Izzy. Donte and Chlo grew up and were also parents to a son named Tommy. In season 11, Chlo died suddenly, leaving Donte a single parent.

What else has Adam Thomas appeared in? Thomas is best known outside of Waterloo Road for his role as Adam Barton in Emmerdale (2009-2018) but also appeared in I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2016.

Waterloo Road's pupils and other children

The following characters are new pupils in Waterloo Road and are played by new up-and-coming stars.

Teddy Thomas as Tommy Charles

Who is Tommy Charles? The son of Donte and Chlo Charles and the younger brother of Izzy.

Who is Teddy Thomas? The real-life son of actor Adam Thomas who plays his son on-screen.

Alicia Forde as Kelly-Jo Rafferty

Who is Kelly-Jo Rafferty? A confident and humorous pupil who is not afraid to speak out. Friends with Samia Choudry.

Francesco Piacentini-Smith as Dean Weaver

Who is Dean Weaver? A joker and troublemaking pupil who is not afraid to disrupt a class and is friends with Noel McManus. Dean is now the boyfriend of Kelly-Jo.

Liam Scholes as Noel McManus

Who is Noel McManus? Dean's best friend is a fellow joker and troublemaker.

Noah Valentine as Preston Walters

Who is Preston Walters? One of the most popular boys in school, Preston is the ex-boyfriend of Samia and the current boyfriend of Kai. Preston is the son of school dinner lady Nicky.

Summer Violet Bird as Tonya Walters

Who is Tonya Walters? The younger sister of Preston and the daughter of school dinner lady Nicky.

Lucy Eleanor Begg as Caz Williams

Who is Caz Williams? An intelligent pupil at Waterloo Road with a razor-sharp tongue when needed.

Thapelo Ray as Dwayne Jackson

Who is Dwayne Jackson? A pupil who starts at the school who is close to his little brother Zayne.

Inathi Rozani as Zayne Jackson

Who is Zayne Jackson? The younger brother of Dwayne and another pupil at the school.

Chiamaka "ChiChi" Ulebor as Shola Aku

Who is Shola Aku? A thoughtful pupil at the school, Shola is not afraid to speak out on important issues.

Ava Flannery as Verity King

Who is Verity King? The whip-smart daughter of Deputy Head Lindon King.

Hattie Dynevor as Libby Guthrie

Who is Libby Guthrie? The daughter of Mr Guthrie who comes to live with him and proves to be an antagonistic pupil at Waterloo Road.

Who is Hattie Dynevor related to? Hattie is the sister of Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor and the daughter of Coronation Street icon Sally Dynevor.

Zak Sutcliffe as Schumacher "Schuey" Weever

Who is Schuey Weever? A troublemaker arrives at the school and very swiftly causes mayhem.

Maisie Robinson as Portia Weaver

Who is Portia Weaver? The mouthy sister of Schumacher Weaver who always shares her opinion.

Tillie Amartey as Stacey "Stace" Neville

Who is Stace Neville? A brash and rebellious personality who clashes with teachers and fellow pupils.

Aabay Noor Ali as Mollie "Mog" Richardson

Who is Mollie "Mog" Richardson? Previously home-schooled, computer wiz and gamer Mollie is mentored by Preston.

Zenele Nyoni as Jess Clarke

Who is Jess Clarke? A whip-smart young new pupil at Waterloo Road.

Teddy Wallwork as Declan Harding

Who is Declan Harding? A cheeky new pupil at Waterloo Road.

Former characters on Waterloo Road

The following characters were much-loved figures in the original and revival runs of Waterloo Road.

Jamie Glover as Andrew Treneman

Who is Andrew Treneman? Appearing in the show until season 2, the deputy head managed to rile up his colleagues by trying to introduce policies he’d used while working in expensive private schools. He eventually decided to take a teaching job in Rwanda, inviting Kim along too, and left in 2007.

However, Andrew returned in the twelfth season and resumed his romance with Kim before they began to work together again. However, in the thirteenth season, he struggled with a cancer diagnosis before proposing to Kim and stepping back from his academy job.

What else has Jamie Glover been in? Glover is perhaps best known for his role in Waterloo Road but after his departure, went on to play Harry Potter in the West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He has also had roles in The Crown, Endeavour, Father Brown and Holby City, and has voiced many roles in various video games such as Star Wars: Empire at War, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Troy: A Total War Saga, to name a few.

Vincent Jerome as Lindon King

Who is Lindon King? One of the deputy heads at the school, Mr King is a proud and ambitious teacher dealing with personal dramas. Lindon has left the school before the fourteenth run of the drama.

What else has Vincent Jerome been in? Jerome has also had roles in The Peripheral and Sins of Solitude.

Priyasasha Kumari as Samia Choudhry

Who is Samia Choudhry? A very popular pupil at the school and was the girlfriend of Preston Walters until they split and she dated Danny Lewis until his death. After a difficult period, Samia left the school after the last season.

Adam Ali as Kai Sharif

Who is Kai Sharif? An unapologetically vibrant and theatrical pupil who was friends with Danny Lewis and is the boyfriend of Preston Walters. Kai took an stage school opportunity away from Waterloo Road at the end of the last season.

Sonia Ibrahim as Jamilah Omar

Who is Jamilah Omar? The calm and compassionate social worker who worked at the school.

What else has Sonia Ibrahim been in? Ibrahim previously appeared as Mel Maguire in Coronation Street.

Scarlett Thomas as Izzy Charles

Who is Izzy Charles? Named after her maternal grandmother Izzie Redpath, Izzy Charles is a new pupil at Waterloo Road and is encouraged by both of her parents to make the most of her time there. After losing her mother and disliking her father moving on, Izzy chose to go and live with her aunt Mika.

Who is Scarlett Thomas? The niece of her on-screen father Adam Thomas as the daughter of his brother Ryan Thomas with former partner Tina O'Brien, both of whom are Coronation Street actors. O'Brien also appeared in earlier seasons of Waterloo Road as a pupil, Bex Fisher.

Adam Abbou as Danny Lewis

Who is Danny Lewis? A pupil who has faced his fair share of hardship, Danny was friends with Kai Sharif and was in love with Samia. Danny died in a fire at the end of the twelfth season.

Osian Morgan as Myles Massey

Who is Myles Massey? Massey is a brand new student, who has been let go by a football academy and is struggling to come to terms with a life back in mainstream education. He soon makes it clear that he’s not the kind of kid who wants to make friends and immediately sets about making a lasting impact on the school. The character is ultimately arrested after causing a fire in the season 12 finale which killed Danny Lewis.

Lisa Faulkner as Hannah King

Who is Hannah King? The wife of deputy head teacher Lindon King and the mother of their daughter Verity.

What else has Lisa Faulkner been in? Faulkner previously appeared in the shows Holby City, Spooks, EastEnders, and Celebrity Masterchef.

Chelsee Healey as Janeece Bryant

Who is Janeece Bryant? Trouble-prone Janeece joined in season 1 back in 2006 and stuck around until season 4, like her friends Chlo and Donte. Her time at the school involved stealing a dinosaur tooth from a local museum, scamming money through a fake school raffle, and a brief dalliance with creationism. Despite that track record, she managed to get a job as the school secretary in season 6, which aired from 2010 to 2011. The character has a guest appearance in the new episodes.

What else has Chelsee Healey been in? Outside of Waterloo Road, Healey went on to appear in Hollyoaks and was partnered with Pasha Kovalev in the ninth series of Strictly Come Dancing, eventually reaching the final.

Katie Griffiths as Chlo Charles

Chlo was one of the original pupils in Waterloo Road and the daughter of art teacher Izzie Redpath (Jill Halfpenny) who was killed in a stabbing. Chlo was also close to her late stepfather Tom Clarkson. A romance with Donte Charles saw them elope and later have daughter Izzy. Fans got to see Chlo all grown up with children of her own but unfortunately, she experienced a brain haemorrhage and died in the first episode of the 2023 revival series.

Grantly Budgen - Philip Martin Brown

The cantankerous and often sarcastic head of English was Waterloo Road’s longest-serving character, appearing in the first nine series of the show from 2006 to 2013. His grouchy exterior belied a softer side, which viewers saw after the death of his wife and during his subsequent romance with dinner lady Maggie, and his final storyline, in which he developed kidney failure and eventually died before a donor could be found, packed an emotional punch.

Jack Rimmer - Jason Merrells

Jack led the school from season 1 until halfway through season 3, when he resigned and decided to move to Dubai (he returned for a brief cameo later in the season, with his last episode airing in 2008). In that time, he admitted to sleeping with a teenage student, nearly got murdered, tried it on with various female colleagues and set up a scam to lure gifted and talented pupils into attending the school. Exhausting.

Eddie Lawson - Neil Morrissey

Maths teacher and deputy head Eddie joined the show at the start of season 3 in 2007, and stuck around until the end of season 4 in 2009. Why did he leave so soon? Romantic drama, naturally — after spending a whole season tiptoeing around his feelings for headteacher Rachel Mason, he started a relationship with her sister Melissa, who then became pregnant. After departing Waterloo Road, Morrissey has continued to have a string of memorable roles in shows like Line of Duty and The Night Manager.

Izzie Redpath - Jill Halfpenny

Drama teacher Izzie, the mother of Chlo Grainger and her sister Mika, appeared on the show from its first season until her dramatic death in the closing episode of season 2 in 2007, when she was stabbed by hardman Jed Seddon while protecting her boss, headteacher Jack. Before that, she’d embarked on a relationship with her colleague Tom Clarkson, who’d previously been married to her best friend. Halfpenny has continued to have a successful screen and stage career — you might have recently seen her as a spiky TV producer in the BBC adaptation of Everything I Know About Love.

Rachel Mason - Eva Pope

Waterloo Road’s third headteacher, Rachel joined part way through season 3 in 2007 and managed to stick out this poisoned chalice of a job until the end of season 5, with her final episode airing in 2010. Her reign encompassed a major fire and a disgruntled governor driving a digger through the school. Pope, meanwhile, has gone on to appear in shows like Silent Witness and CBBC’s Hetty Feather.

Max Tyler - Tom Chambers

Max joined the school in season 5 to serve as its executive headteacher following the merger with private school John Fosters, managing to bag a job after bad mouthing acting headteacher Rachel to the local authority. His hardline approach didn’t go down too well with staff or pupils, and he lasted for just 10 episodes, which aired in 2009. Since appearing on the show, Chambers has starred in Father Brown and Casualty, and is another Waterloo Road star to have taken part in Strictly, eventually winning the sixth series with Camilla Dallerup.

Tom Clarkson - Jason Done

One of Waterloo Road’s best-loved and longest-standing teachers, Tom started out in season 1 and continued on the show until season 8, with his final episode airing in 2013. As well as taking in the Grainger sisters after their mother’s death, he later learned he was the father of pupil Josh Stevenson, who joined Waterloo Road after the merger with John Fosters. His time on the show ended in dramatic fashion, when he fell from the school roof while trying to talk student Kyle Stack down.

Steph Haydock - Denise Welch

Steph, who was part of the show’s main cast from season 1 to season 5, wasn’t exactly a natural teacher, given she could barely control her classes and her exam results were always rubbish. Still, she was a popular member of staff, even if her love of gossip often got her in trouble. Her last hurrah came in season 6 when, over the course of two episodes which aired in 2010, she returned to help her old colleague Grantly while his wife was suffering from dementia. Welch went on to star in Benidorm and Hollyoaks, and remains a regular fixture on the Loose Women panel.

Maggie Budgen - Melanie Hill

Joining the school as a dinner lady for season 7 in 2011, Maggie eventually moved up the ranks as a food tech teacher and strikes up a romance with Grantly, who she married shortly after the school was relocated from Rochdale to Scotland (don’t ask…) She continued to appear in the show until it ended in 2015, keeping herself busy with her role as the leader of the school’s boarding house following her husband’s death in season 8. These days you can spot Hill on the cobbles as Coronation Street’s Cathy Matthews.

Bolton Smilie - Tachia Newall

Another Waterloo Road bad boy who was actually just a bit misunderstood, Bolton joined in season 3 in 2007 and left in season 5 after sticking around for sixth form. He quickly got a reputation as a class clown, but proved himself during the school fire, when he managed to save some pupils who were trapped in a corridor. Before bowing out of the show in 2010, he and love interest Sambuca Kelly were named prom king and queen. He later made a brief comeback in season 8, when he made an ill-advised visit to the school after absconding from the army.

Finn Sharkey - Jack McMullen

A troublemaker who joined Waterloo Road in the latter half of season 5 (with his first episode airing in 2010), Finn arrived with a bad reputation, having tried to set Chris Mead’s car on fire at his previous school. He struck up a friendship with Josh and later became embroiled in romantic dramas with a series of girls, including Sambuca, eventually finding love with fellow pupil Trudi Siddiqui. He left at the end of season 7 in 2012, travelling to Canada with Trudi. McMullen

Josh Stevenson - William Rush

Josh started at Waterloo Road in season 5 after it was merged with his previous school, and later learns that English teacher Tom Clarkson is his dad. He starts acting out after that revelation (under the influence of his friend Finn) but he and Tom eventually strike up a close bond, with his father supporting him when he comes out as gay in season 6. He continued to appear on the show until season 8, when he returned to the school to retake his exams.

Ruby Fry - Elizabeth Berrington

Food tech teacher Ruby joined the school in season 5 and, in one of the series’ most impressive career glow-ups, left at the end of the following season in 2011 to focus on her work as an author. Berrington’s career has gone from strength to strength too: she has recently appeared in HBO drama The Nevers and in BBC One’s police thriller The Responder, as well as appearing as Princess Anne alongside Kristen Stewart’s Princess Diana in the film Spencer.

Lindsay James - Jenna Coleman

Coleman’s stint on Waterloo Road was short and, inevitably, highly dramatic: her character, who appeared in the first half of season 5 in 2009, was eventually found guilty of murdering her father, after it was revealed that her mother had covered up for her and tried to take the blame. The actress is now best known for her roles as Doctor Who companion Clara and the young queen Victoria in the ITV period drama, and will soon appear in Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman.

Jonah Kirby - Lucien Laviscount

Jonah only stuck around for the show’s sixth season, which aired from 2010 to 2011, but he definitely made an impression thanks to a dubious storyline which involved him falling in love with his Spanish teacher then deciding to elope with her to Gretna Green in Scotland. Laviscount went on to appear in shows like Trollied and Skins, before carving out an acting career on the other side of the Atlantic, with roles in Scream Queens and Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene. His biggest gig to date came in the most recent season of Netflix’s Emily in Paris.

Jodie ‘Scout’ Allen - Katie McGlynn

Coronation Street star McGlynn got her breakout role as Waterloo Road’s Scout, who comes from a troubled background and tries to provide for her younger brother by any means possible. She joined the show in season 7 in 2011, and Scout was one of the pupils to move up to Scotland with the school in season 8. Her final episode aired in 2013, when it was revealed that Scout was off to teacher training college.

Sambuca Kelly - Holly Kenny

Named after her mum’s favourite drink, Sambuca joined the show for season 4 in 2009. Although she often got dragged into conflict by her friends, she was a much-loved pupil, and the storyline surrounding her death from brain cancer in season 7 was an emotional one. After leaving the show in 2011, Kenny has appeared in shows including Shameless, Channel 4 period piece The Mill and in Kay Mellor drama In The Club.

Chris Mead - William Ash

Science teacher Chris was a former lawyer with a penchant for flash cars and clothes, until he packed it in for a career in education. He joined Waterloo Road for season 5 in 2009 and soon became a favourite among pupils and staff. Throughout his stint at the school, though, he ended up getting dragged into his pupils’ personal dramas and failing to maintain boundaries, so decided to resign halfway through season 7, with his last episode airing in 2011.

Siobhan Mailey - Phoebe Dynevor

Before Bridgerton catapulted her to superstardom, Dynevor got her breakout role in Waterloo Road’s fifth season, playing Siobhan, a student who joined after the merger with John Fosters. She stuck around for 20 episodes between 2009 and 2010.

Michael Byrne - Alec Newman

Michael was brought into the school at the start of season 7 (which aired in 2011) in an attempt to turn its reputation around. He was the architect of Waterloo Road’s dramatic move to Scotland, but didn’t stay around for long after that, leaving at the end of season 8 after a row about the school’s PRU. After quitting the show in 2013, Newman has appeared in dramas like Shetland, Showtrial and the most recent series of ITV’s Unforgotten.

Guy Braxton - Regé-Jean Page

Dynevor’s Bridgerton co-star also had an early gig on Waterloo Road, though their time on the show was five years apart. The future Duke of Hastings appeared in the 10th and final series as newly qualified teacher Guy, who ended up releasing that one of his new pupils was in fact his estranged sister. His episodes aired in 2015.

Denzil Kelly - Reece Douglas

The younger brother of Sambuca, Denzil had a troubled time of it at Waterloo Road, joining at the start of season 4 in 2009 and tragically dying in a car accident in the final episode of season 7, which aired in 2012 and saw the school make its move from Rochdale to Scotland. Since his time on the show, Douglas has appeared in ITV’s The Bay and is set to appear alongside Adrian Dunbar in the upcoming police thriller Ridley.

Waterloo Road is returning to BBC One on Tuesday 10th September at 2024 at 9pm, with all episodes also available as a box set on BBC iPlayer. All 10 seasons are currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

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