THE BBC has announced that a well-loved actor, comedian, and presenter will be joining the cast of Waterloo Road for its upcoming new series later this year.
Jason Manford will be stepping in as the new headteacher, and fans will have to tune in to find out what will happen to the current headteacher, Kim Campbell.
The Big Night of Musicals presenter will be playing Steve Savage in the forthcoming season fourteen of the Beeb's hit school drama Waterloo Road.
Jason's character will significantly impact the staff and pupils at the Manchester-based school when he is passed the baton from Kim, who is played by Angela Griffin- but not before stepping on a few toes along the way.
Many fans will be wondering what will happen to Kim when Steve becomes the new headteacher, but viewers will have to wait and see how the storyline unravels.
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Speaking about his new acting gig, Jason said: “What an absolute treat it is to join the cast and crew of Waterloo Road, right here in my home city of Manchester.
“My kids and I binged the show on iPlayer during lockdown. It’s such a brilliant, iconic show, so I’m dead proud to now be part of its history.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher, and now, becoming a headteacher, I know I would have been terrible!”
No Offence star Saira Choudhry will also be joining Waterloo Road in the next series as Nisha Chandra, the newest maths teacher.
A fresh batch of students are also being added to the cast alongside Jason and Saira, with Olly Rhodes as Billy Savage, Nathan Wood as Boz Osbourne, Sonya Nisa as Aleena Qureshi, Miya Ocego as Lois Taylor-Brown, Danny Murphy as Luca Smith and Matthew Khan as Jared Jones.
Returning to Waterloo Road as teachers are Adam Thomas (Donte Charles) and Kym Marsh (Nicky Walters), James Baxter (Joe Casey), Jo Coffey (Wendy Whitwell), Shauna Shim (Valerie Chambers), Neil Fitzmaurice, Rachel Leskovac (Coral Walker), and Katherine Pearce (Amy Spratt).
The student making a comeback on to the BBC drama include cast Aabay Noor Ali (Mollie "Mog" Richardson), Alicia Forde (Kelly-Jo Rafferty), Chiamaka (ChiChi) Ulebor (Shola Aku), Francesco Piacentini-Smith (Dean Weever), Hattie Dynevor (Libby Guthrie), Liam Scholes (Noel McManus), Lucy Eleanor Begg (Caz Williams), Maisey Robinson (Portia Weever), Noah Valentine (Preston Walters), Summer Violet Bird (Tonya Walters), Thapelo Ray (Dwayne Jackson), Tillie Amartey (Stacey "Stace" Neville), and Zak Sutcliffe (Schuey" Weever).
Executive Producer of Waterloo Road and Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction, Cameron Roach, expressed: “We're thrilled that Jason Manford is joining Waterloo Road, as the show returns for a fourth series since returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
“Jason is a phenomenal comic actor and has fully embraced the tone and spirit of the show, we can't wait for the audience to meet Steve Savage and his son Billy.
“As with all of our adult cast, Jason has been an inspiring and approachable mentor to our younger cast and crew; we love that a new generation of Northern talent are able to learn their craft alongside brilliant household names. The legacy of Waterloo Road goes from strength to strength.”
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Season 13 of Waterloo Road launched in full on BBC iPlayer at the start of the year and concluded its weekly BBC One run last night.
Before the series ended, fans were faced with a blast from the past thanks to a shocking twist in the series finale.
After a staggering 15 years away from the show, Mika Grainger gave Donte, played by the shock of his life, after she unexpectedly turned up at his door.
All episodes of Waterloo Road are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
