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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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‘Sad news’ – the world’s only Vagina Museum has been forced to close

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

There’s a museum for just about everything these days (we all remember trips to the Stockport Hat Works museum) – but the world’s only space dedicated to vaginas has been forced to close again.

The world-first Vagina Museum announced this week that it’s had to vacate its premises and has once again been left ‘homeless’.

The museum, which welcomed 40,000 visitors in the 10 months it was open, was founded to raise awareness of the gynaecological anatomy and health, erase stigma, and act as a forum for feminism.

Inside, visitors could browse everything from educational materials to art pieces inspired by vaginas and vulvas – including giant tampons decorated in red sequins.

The Vagina Museum said it was ‘disappointed’ that it has been asked to leave its space, adding that it will continue to operate digitally until it finds a new base.

They wrote in a heartfelt statement on social media that they were ‘incredibly proud’ of the museum’s achievements.

Fans of the space queued down the street for its final few days in Bethnal Green, before its eventual closure on Wednesday 1 February.

Their statement said: “Sad news. We’ve received notice to vacate our premises at Bethnal Green by the end of this week. As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice. We’re disappointed that it has come so soon.

“@Enter_theVenue the creative hub with whom we share our space, have also been asked to leave. The Vagina Museum will continue to operate in the digital world as we search for a new home.”

The message continued: “We’re sad about this development, but incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in the ten months we’ve been at our Bethnal Green premises. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive feedback.

“In our time at Bethnal Green, we’ve once again demonstrated just how much the world needs and wants a Vagina Museum.

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“Times are, once again, uncertain for us, but we’ve been through this before and risen stronger than ever. With a community like you supporting us, we know we can get through this too.

“We’re actively searching for a new home, and if you know of any vacant spaces (or have one yourself!) please don’t hesitate to reach out. In our home in Bethnal Green, we and ENTER demonstrated that we can transform an empty, unused building into a thriving heart of a community.

“If you don’t have a building, you can still help! Please consider making a donation; a donation of any size makes a huge difference and will help us to weather this storm, just as we’ve weathered storms before.”

The Vagina Museum concluded its thread with: “We’ve made it through a pandemic and a period of temporary homelessness before. With you, together, we can make it through this too.”

You can make a donation to The Vagina Museum here.

Featured image: The Vagina Museum / Angus Young

News

Gary Neville addresses ‘clumsy like’ on Tweet about Mason Greenwood 

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Gary Neville has said that his liking of a tweet about Mason Greenwood has been ‘misinterpreted’. 

The former Manchester United legend and football pundit set off a Twitter storm last night after he ‘liked’ two tweets by Nazir Afzal, and briefly retweeted one. 

The tweets in question said that Greenwood was an ‘innocent man’ and added that ‘you are innocent until PROVEN guilty’.

Mason Greenwood had all criminal charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. 

He had faced allegations of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault, all against the same woman. 

The CPS said that Greenwood case had been stopped because of ‘the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light’, adding that there was no longer a ‘realistic prospect of conviction’. 

Gary Neville
Gary Neville has spoken about his ‘clumsy like’ of a tweet professing Mason Greenwood’s innocence. Credit: Instagram, Gary Neville

Several people noticed that Neville had liked a tweet about Greenwood’s ‘innocence’ and quickly challenged him on it. 

One person shared a screenshot and wrote: “You have a massive platform and you’re liking bulls**t like this just because the monster plays for a team you support. you’re disgusting @GNev2.”

Neville has now addressed his ‘clumsy like’. 

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He posted: “I liked a tweet relating to the Mason Greenwood news this afternoon from Nazir Afzal. ( the former director of public prosecutions ). 

“This like is being misinterpreted. It was a clumsy like as I obviously condemn any violence against women.”

Greenwood issued a short statement yesterday, writing: “I am relieved that this matter is now over and I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support. There will be no further comment at this time.”

Featured image: Instagram, @garyneville2 / publicity picture

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