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BBC confirms Waterloo Road is returning to our screens

"We are thrilled to be returning to this brilliant format with its thrills and spills, unmissable characters and high drama."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 23rd September 2021

The BBC has confirmed that Waterloo Road is set to return to TV screens.

Waterloo Road originally aired from 2006 to 2015, and was one of the UK’s longest-running TV contemporary dramas – going on to launch the careers of many young and emerging actors, spawn plenty award-winning and highly-publicised storylines, draw in millions of viewers each week, and amass a cult-following of fans.

Set in a comprehensive school of the same name, the show was famously set and filmed in Rochdale from series one until the end of series seven, before moving to the Scottish town of Greenock until the end of the show.

Since it dropped as a boxset on BBC iPlayer in September 2019, the series has also consistently ranked among the top five most-watched shows for young audiences on the platform.

And now, it’s back.

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With the spotlight on education in the UK now more intense than ever before, and with awareness of the challenges that teachers, parents and pupils face more pronounced amid the ongoing COVID pandemic, the BBC says Waterloo Road will use its rich history of “telling entertaining and gripping human stories”, while “tackling the important issues of the day”.

The BBC also says the revival of Waterloo Road will boost drama production skills in the North of England.

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Production for the show will take place right here in Greater Manchester.

Speaking on the revival of the award-winning series, Piers Wenger – Director of BBC Drama – said: “Waterloo Road is the perfect lens through which to explore post-Covid Britain, from the perspective of those who have arguably been affected most – young people in education.

“We are thrilled to be returning to this brilliant format [with] its thrills and spills, unmissable characters and high drama, at a time when audiences across Britain need it most”.

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Cameron Roach – Executive Producer – added: “I’m really thrilled to be working with the BBC in re-igniting the iconic brand of Waterloo Road [and] the vital and urgent stories that are playing out in schools across the UK provide incredible and emotionally powerful themes, that we’re excited to bring to a new generation of fans.

“Waterloo Road will continue its reputation for kickstarting, supporting and enabling careers both in front of and behind the camera, in a truly inclusive way, from our base in Greater Manchester.”

Featured Image – BBC

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Stockport actress Aimee Lou Wood set to star in new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Stockport-born actress Aimee Lou Wood is set to lead a new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, it has been reported.

It was announced earlier this year that Working Title are producing a new TV adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre – which will be led by The White Lotus and Sex Education star in the titular role – and Deadline has now exclusively revealed that the BBC has joined the production as the broadcaster.

The new TV adaptation has been penned for the screen by Miriam Battye – an award-winning writer best known for her work on HBO’s Succession.

Published all the way back in 1847 and set across a number of fictional Northern England settings, the classic novel explores the moral and emotional development of orphan Jane Eyre as she searches for love, independence, and social equality in the 19th century.

Throughout the novel, Jane overcomes a harsh and unloving childhood and goes on to find work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, before falling in love with her moody master, Mr Rochester, and discovering a dark secret in his attic.

The novel is widely considered to be ahead of its time due to how it approaches topics of class, sexuality, religion, and feminism.

Jane Eyre has been the subject of a number of adaptations of the years – most notably the last major TV version being in 2006, also for the BBC, and a 2011 film starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender – but there hasn’t been any in 15 years now, and 2027 marks the 180th anniversary for the iconic story.

Aimee Lou Wood is also riding high at the moment after her Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for Season 3 of The White Lotus, and after having also been cast as George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd, in Sam Mendes’ four Beatles biopic movies, all set to be released in 2028.

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As of yet, further information on when and where the new adaptation will be being filmed is yet to be released, and there is no indication of air dates either.

The BBC is expected to reveal more details in due course, so stay tuned.

Featured Image – HBO

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Happy ending for pregnant cat who was PLUCKED of her fur by abusive owner

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Luthien the cat was held down and PLUCKED by her owner, the RSPCA has said

A pregnant cat who was forcibly held down and plucked of her fur has got her happy ending.

Beautiful Luthien was found in a Manchester apartment building by the RSPCA at the age of just six months old, with just a tuft of fur left on the top of her tail.

A concerned neighbour had called the animal rescue charity after seeing the cat being pinned down and plucked by her owner on a balcony in the city.

Not only was the poor animal almost completely bald, but she was also pregnant.

She was taken into the care of RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for a veterinary examination, missing fur over the top of her head, neck, back, belly, and down her front legs.

The vet suspected that this abuse had happened in multiple occasions due to the extent of the fur loss.

She was then transferred into the care of the RSPCA’s Crewe and Nantwich District Branch where staff nicknamed her ‘Velcro’ because she was so affectionate to everyone.

Luthien, or Velcro, gave birth to four kittens and was later rehomed by Kathy Miller, 75, in Cheadle.

Luthien was plucked by her owner
Luthien was plucked by her owner
She was just six months old, and pregnant
She was just six months old, and pregnant
Credit: RSPCA

She now looks like a completely different cat, and her fur has fully grown back.

A man was given a 12 month ban on keeping animals by magistrates, ordered to pay a £40 fine and £100 costs when he pleaded guilty to one Animal Welfare offence of failing to ensure that the needs of an animal were met.

RSPCA Inspector Jess Araujo, who investigated, said: “I have been an inspector for eight years but I had not seen anything like this before in terms of cruelty.

“Poor Luthien was only a six month-old kitten and most of her fur had been plucked from her body. This must have been terrifying and painful for her. She was also pregnant at the time so the added stress of this would have been awful.

“She was pinned down screaming in pain while this happened – and we are not sure how many times she was subjected to this treatment. The RSPCA attended the address with the police and the owner agreed to sign her over into our care.”

Rachael Dyer, a trustee at RSPCA’s Crewe and Nantwich District Branch, said: “She was the most lovely cat from the start – she was so loving and kind – it is amazing really when you think about what she had been through. We called her Velcro because she just wanted cuddles so much and would just stick to you.

Luthien now, with new owner Kathy. Credit: RSPCA

“She had four adorable kittens and she was fantastic with them. She was only young herself, but she cared and loved those kittens so much. She stayed with her babies until they were weaned and could be put up for adoption and once the kittens had found homes at around three months old it was her turn to find her forever home.

“I saw how her fur began to grow back and as it did her personality began to shine through too – she was such a friendly little cat in our care, really adorable.

“Once she was advertised for adoption her new owner applied and she came to see her. It really was love at first sight between both of them. There were a couple more follow up visits so they could bond while the kittens were rehomed – and they just got on so well and Luthien loved getting fussed.”

Kathy, Luthien’s new owner, said: “I have always adopted rescues and when I saw a cat advertised called ‘Velcro’ and all her kittens were named after sewing items – with me being a seamstress I just thought, ‘oh, here is a connection’ and I felt it was a sign.

“I arranged to see her at the branch and the first time she met me she was quite shy but I gave her a treat in my hand and she took it willingly and I thought this is another connection.

“When I first saw her I was shocked at her lack of fur. I knew from the website she had very little, but in real life all she had was a tuft at the end of her tail, it was like a pom-pom. I was told what had happened and it just made me sick to think of all the pain and suffering she must have gone through while pregnant too.

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“She is such a lovely-natured girl and very sweet but she still won’t sit on my knee. She will cuddle and sleep on my bed but won’t sit on my knee – so I think it’s still some trauma from what happened.

“I did change her name as I am a Tolkien fan and have a dog called Arwen so I thought Lucien suited her and they are best friends (pictured). Velcro was a cute name when she was at the branch and it was apt because she loved cuddles and fuss and stuck to carers like Velcro – she still does love attention!”

The animal welfare charity is telling Luthien’s story as part of its Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues fundraising campaign – which coincides with the charity’s busiest time as heartbreaking cruelty reports peak over summer.

New figures show that in June, July and August last year the RSPCA received 6,322* cruelty calls to their emergency line last year which is one call every 10 minutes when the line is open. In comparison the charity took 3,852 calls for the same period in 2021 – showing a massive 64% increase over the five years.

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Featured image: RSPCA

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