Waterloo Road revival sees show "reimagined for the modern day", says BBC boss
Charlotte Moore, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, says rebooting shows presents "a real creative challenge".
The BBC's upcoming Waterloo Road revival will see the series "reimagined" for modern audiences.
Speaking at this year's Edinburgh International TV Festival, Charlotte Moore, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, spoke about the trend of rebooting old shows, arguing that it "takes a lot of creativity" to get it right.
"I don't think it's that easy to bring titles back and be successful – I think it actually takes a lot of creativity and it's a real creative challenge," said Moore.
"If you're going to have an impact with young audiences and get people to come to a show, there's no doubt about it – some of these big titles really help create that impact.
"If that was all we were doing, I would be very worried, but there's lots of new shows coming through."
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Asked to respond to comments made earlier in the day by Channel 4 boss Ian Katz, who called the revival of shows like Big Brother "depressing", Moore said: "They [Channel 4] brought Bake Off [back] and rebooted that, didn't they?"
She continued: "I don't think it's depressing, I think it's a challenge.
"I've just been watching the new Waterloo Road series and I think it's reimagined for the modern day and I think it's going to be great. [Reboots have] always been part of television – I think you have to do it judiciously, I think you have to do it with real intent to reinvent it for a new generation, but yeah, I think it's part of what we do."
In the same session, Moore confirmed that the upcoming Doctor Who centenary special would air in October, while Kate Phillips, Director of BBC Unscripted, addressed the decision to cancel long-running panel show Mock the Week.
Set in a comprehensive school of the same name and exploring the lives of its students and teachers, Waterloo Road originally aired on the BBC for 10 seasons between 2006 and 2015.
The upcoming season 11 will see the likes of Kym Marsh and Rachel Leskovac join as school staff, while Angela Griffin (Kim Campbell), Adam Thomas (Donte Charles) and Kate Griffiths (Chlo Grainger) will be reprising their roles.
Read more coverage from the Edinburgh International TV Festival 2022:
- Heartstopper team tease season 2 plans and talk spin-off potential
- Heartstopper boss talks why they had to change Nick's journey for TV
- Channel 4 boss on Big Brother return: 'Reviving old shows is depressing'
- Armando Iannucci dismisses Doctor Who "woke" criticism, backs "colourblind" casting
- ITV boss backs Emmerdale and Coronation Street schedule change
- ITV boss reveals why the channel is resurrecting Big Brother
- Walk the Line and The Games both cancelled at ITV
Waterloo Road is returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2022. 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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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
