The fifth series of the British television drama series '' Waterloo Road'' began broadcasting on 28 October 2009 and ended on 15 July 2010 on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

. The series follows the lives of the faculty and pupils of the Eponymous school, a failing inner-city

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is r ...

. It consists of twenty episodes, divided into two half-series of ten episodes each. Due to extensive news coverage on 11 May 2010, '' EastEnders'' and ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'' were instead shown on 12 May, and ''Waterloo Road'' was postponed for two weeks, due to the already scheduled ''Holby City'' episode on 19 May. The final two episodes of the series were delayed by four weeks, due to the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, airing on 14 and 15 July respectively. The fifth series achieved an average of 5.03 million viewers in the ratings. It featured one of the biggest cast changes in the show's history.

Plot

The show follows the lives of the teachers and the pupils at the eponymous school of Waterloo Road, a failing inner-city

comprehensive Comprehensive may refer to: * Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client. *Comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged appr ...

, tackling a wide range of issues often seen as

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...

such as murder,

binge drinking Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions ( see below) vary considerably. Binge drinking ...

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...

suicide pact A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wi ...

, bankruptcy,

workplace bullying Workplace bullying is a persistent pattern of mistreatment from others in the workplace that causes either physical or emotional harm. It can include such tactics as verbal, nonverbal, psychological, and physical abuse, as well as humiliation ...

hemangioma A hemangioma or haemangioma is a usually benign vascular tumor derived from blood vessel cell types. The most common form, seen in infants, is an infantile hemangioma, known colloquially as a "strawberry mark", most commonly presenting on the ski ...

bribery Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Co ...

clinical depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...

prescription drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

and

false accusations of rape A false accusation of rape happens when a person states that they or another person have been raped when no rape has occurred. Although some studies attempt to characterize the prevalence of false accusation of rape, according to a 2013 book ...

Cast and characters

Staff

* Eva Pope as Rachel Mason; Headteacher (19 episodes) * William Ash as Christopher Mead; Deputy Headteacher and Science teacher (20 episodes) *

Angela Griffin Angela Mellissa Griffin (born 19 July 1976) is a British actress and television presenter who has been active on British television since the early 1990s. She is best known for portraying the roles of Fiona Middleton in the ITV soap opera ' ...

as Kim Campbell; Head of Pastoral Care and Art teacher (20 episodes) *

Denise Welch Jacqueline Denise Welch (born 22 May 1958) is an English actress, television personality, writer and broadcaster. Her roles include Natalie Barnes in ''Coronation Street'' (1997–2000), Steph Haydock in '' Waterloo Road'' (2006–2010), and ...

as Steph Haydock; French teacher (20 episodes) *

Elizabeth Berrington Elizabeth Berrington (born 3 August 1970) is an English actress and graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art; she is best known for her roles as Ruby Fry in '' Waterloo Road'', Paula Kosh in ''Stella'', Mel Debrou in '' Moving Wal ...

as Ruby Fry; Head of Food Technology (20 episodes) * Philip Martin Brown as Grantly Budgen; English teacher (20 episodes) *

Jason Done Jason Done (born 5 April 1973) is an English actor who appeared as Mordred in the 1998 TV miniseries ''Merlin'', opposite Sam Neill. He is best known for his role as Stephen Snow in ITV drama '' Where The Heart Is'' from 1999 to 2001 and Tom ...

as Tom Clarkson; Head of English (18 episodes) *

Sarah-Jane Potts Sarah-Jane Potts (born 30 August 1976) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Saint (Sarah) in '' Sugar Rush'', Ellie, Abs' on/off girlfriend in ''Casualty'' and Jo Lipsett in '' Waterloo Road''. Potts is the sister of actor Andrew ...

as Jo Lipsett; Head of Modern Foreign Languages (18 episodes) *

Elaine Symons Elaine Symons (born 4 December 1974) is an Irish actress who was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and who has had roles on television since 1995. She is known for her role as alcoholic mother-of-five Rose Kelly in the BBC One ...

as Rose Kelly; Canteen Assistant (14 episodes) *

Tom Chambers Tom or Thomas Chambers may refer to: Government and politics * Sir Thomas Chambers (colonial administrator) (died 1692), British administrator and factor of the British East India Company in Madras * Sir Thomas Chambers (British politician) (1814 ...

as Max Tyler; Executive Head (10 episodes) *

Vinette Robinson Vinette Robinson is a British actress, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Her TV appearances include roles in '' Sherlock'', '' Black Mirror'', and as civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks in the '' Doctor Who'' episode "Rosa". Early life ...

as Helen Hopewell; English teacher (8 episodes) * Steven Waddington as Adam Fleet; Healthy Schools Co-ordinator (8 episodes) *

Kay Purcell Kay Purcell (6 December 1963 – 23 December 2020) was an English actress. She was known for her roles as Cynthia Daggert in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' (2001–2002), Candice Smilie in the school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road'' (2 ...

as Candice Smilie; Senior Canteen Assistant (2 episodes)

Pupils

Phoebe Dynevor Phoebe Harriet Dynevor (; born 17 April 1995) is an English actress. Dynevor is known for her role as Daphne, the fourth Bridgerton child, in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–present). She began her career as a child actress, ...

as Siobhan Mailey (20 episodes) * Ayesha Gwilt as Amy Porter (20 episodes) * Darcy Isa as Lauren Andrews (20 episodes) * Holly Kenny as Sambuca Kelly (20 episodes) * Thomas Milner as Paul Langley (20 episodes) * Lucy Dixon as Danielle Harker (19 episodes) * Sophie McShera as Ros McCain (19 episodes) * Tachia Newall as Bolton Smilie (19 episodes) * William Rush as Josh Stevenson (19 episodes) * Lauren Thomas as Aleesha Dillon (19 episodes) * Zaraah Abrahams as Michaela White (17 episodes) * Shannon Flynn as Emily James (17 episodes) * Jessica Baglow as Karla Bentham (16 episodes) *

Dean Smith Dean Edwards Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American men's college basketball head coach. Called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...

as Philip Ryan (16 episodes) * Reece Douglas as Denzil Kelly (14 episodes) * Jenna-Louise Coleman as Lindsay James (9 episodes) * Jack McMullen as Finn Sharkey (9 episodes) * Richie Jeeves as Luke Pendle (7 episodes) * Rebecca Ryan as Vicki MacDonald (2 episodes)

Others

Recurring

John McArdle John McArdle (born 16 August 1949) is an English actor. He is most notable for playing Billy Corkhill in the soap opera '' Brookside'', with many other smaller appearances in other soaps and dramas. Playing a regular character in ''Brooksid ...

as Oliver Mead; Chris' father and Steph's love interest (6 episodes) *

Fiona Allen Fiona Allen (born 13 March 1965) is an English comedian and actress, most known for her work on Channel 4's '' Smack the Pony'' between 1999 and 2003. Career Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including ''We Know Where You Live'' (Channe ...

as Georgia Stevenson; Josh's mother and Tom's ex-girlfriend (4 episodes) * Louise Delamere as Marion James; Lindsay and Emily's mother (3 episodes) *

Georgia Mackenzie Georgia Mackenzie (born 19 May 1973) is a British actress. Career Mackenzie's notable screen credits include Sarah Beckenham in the BBC's BAFTA nominated series ''Outlaws'', Jackie Haggar in ITV's '' Hot Money'' (since remade in Hollywood as ...

as Jennifer Headley; Head of the LEA and Max's wife (3 episodes) * Sharlene Whyte as Alison Yates; Lindsay and Emily's social worker (3 episodes) *

Ralph Ineson Ralph Michael Ineson (; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Known for his deep, rumbling, Yorkshire-accented voice, his most notable roles include William in ''The Witch'', Dagmer Cleftjaw in ''Game of Thrones'', Amycus Car ...

as John Fry; Ruby's husband (2 episodes) *

Robyn Addison Robyn Addison is an English actress best known for her roles in television series such as '' Doc Martin'', '' Survivors'' and '' Casualty''. She has numerous other television drama and theatre credits. Background Addison became interested in ...

as Anna Reid; Chris' girlfriend (2 episodes) * Paul Opacic as Ryan Sharkey; Finn's father (2 episodes)

Guest

* Mykola Allen as Michael Vale; Pupil (1 episode) * Dean Andrews as Gary Vale; Bianka and Michael's father (1 episode) * Jamie Birtwistle as Craig Moran; Pupil (1 episode) * Josh Brown as Aiden Keen; Pupil (1 episode) * Claire Hackett as Jacqui Keen; Aiden's mother (1 episode) * Tom McKay as Mark Moran; Craig's brother (1 episode) * Joanne Mitchell as Mrs. Turner; Cassie's mother (1 episode) *

Samantha Seager Samantha Seager (born 13 July 1974) is a British actress born in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, who played the role of Jodie Morton in the soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Since leaving ''Coronation Street'', Seager worked in television ...

as Joely Vale; Bianka and Michael's mother (1 episode) * Maisie-Jo Stahl as Bianka Vale; Pupil (1 episode) * Hayley Tamaddon as Zoe; Photographer (1 episode) * Charlotte Wakefield as Cassie Turner; Pupil (1 episode)

Episodes

DVD release

Three different box sets of the fifth series were released. The first ten episodes of the series were released on 14 June 2010, and the back ten episodes were released on 27 September 2010. All twenty episodes were later released together on 23 May 2011. They were released with a "12"

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...

(BBFC) certificate (meaning it is unsuitable for viewing by those under the age of 12 years).

Footnotes

References

{{Waterloo Road 2009 British television seasons 2010 British television seasons Waterloo Road (TV series)