Waterloo Road confirms comedian Jon Richardson casting after 'retirement' joke on social media

It has been revealed that Richardson's post was in fact something of an early April Fool's Day prank, as Richardson won't be becoming a teacher, but will instead be playing one, as he joins the cast of the BBC's school-based drama Waterloo Road.

Richardson will first be seen in the series when it returns for its 16th season later this year, and for now details of his character are being kept under wraps.

Richardson said in a statement: "I would say that joining Waterloo Road is a dream come true, but in truth most of my dreams about school revolve around not having done my homework or put on my uniform.

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"I wanted to be a teacher growing up so hopefully this role will put all those ambitions to bed, and I can stop telling my friends and family that I will be testing them on what I’ve been saying or telling audiences on tour that it’s their own time they’re wasting."

Meanwhile, Cameron Roach, founder of Rope Ladder Fiction and executive producer for Waterloo Road, added: "Waterloo Road always strives to strike the right balance between big emotion and comedy, and we feel we've struck gold in casting Jon Richardson as a new media studies teacher at Waterloo Road.

"Not only does Jon have brilliant comic timing, his dramatic performance will surprise and delight his fans in equal measure. Next term promises laughter, tears and whole lot of mayhem."

Richardson will be joining current cast members including Lindsey Coulson and Jason Merrells, the latter of whom will be starring as a regular main cast member in season 16 after reprising his role as Jack Rimmer in a guest capacity for season 15.

Richardson is best known for his comedy work and appearing on shows such as Taskmaster and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

In terms of acting, he has appeared in an episode of Drunk History UK and played a version of himself in Meet the Richardsons.

He isn't the first comedian to have had a role in Waterloo Road - in fact, Jason Manford just did a stint on the show in 2024, playing headmaster Steve Savage for one season.

Waterloo Road season 15 is available as a box set on BBC iPlayer. Seasons 1 to 14 are also currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.

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