Waterloo Road repeats on BBC iplayer

[Papergirl1968]

All the series of Waterloo Road are now available on BBC iplayer.
I missed the first few series so it will be good to catch up.
I just watched episode one of series one and enjoyed it although it does show its age - teachers smoking in pubs, the mobile phones they’re using, even the police uniforms.
Some well known faces in it including Jill Halfpenny and Denise Welch.
I’ve forgotten a lot of the storylines apart from the farcical removal of the entire school to Scotland but I do remember how the lovely Tom met his demise and want to warn him to be more careful!

@TheBananaInPyjamas The fact I’ve got the ridiculous Jonah and Cesca running away to get married, Chris finding out, Sam getting a brain tumour all to look forward to, it’s getting quite depressing.

First time I watched I thought the storyline with Vicky and Ronan was really sweet, now it’s ridiculous again - no way would Vicky look at him twice! Oh and we also have the Scotcher family to arrive which again will be all about Jess and Bex. I’m like you and I really want to see it through - I just can’t wait to get new people in the school.

And I know it’s petty, but I hate the whole insinuation that just because two boys are the only gay ones in the school that they automatically fancy each other and get together. It shows how badly Waterloo Road has aged.

I’m coming to the end of series four and Chlo takes the award for most unrealistic TV birth ever!
Gives birth to a premature breech baby in the school toilets, and there’s no time to get her to hospital. Yeah, right!
Said baby looks a good size full term, and not red and covered in blood and vernix. Not remotely realistic.
I watched a bizarre episode the other day which focused on some random girl I’ve never registered before, who was a diabetic and a model, but kept collapsing because she wasn’t taking her insulin. I don’t see the point in building a whole storyline and episode around someone we don’t know.
It’s like someone has a checklist of issues - being gay, stalking, diabetes, illegal immigrants, teenage pregnancy, alcoholic parent etc, and the writers go through them till they’re back to the beginning again.
Janeece’s boob job was another ridiculous storyline!
Despite all of the above, I’m still enjoying it and watching an episode most days as there’s sweet FA else on.

This is what the whole aim of Waterloo Road was, was to have a storyline each week focused on something to do with a character we’ve never heard of going through a standard teenage trauma so sexuality, pornography, eating disorders, teen pregnancy blah blah.
It continues on with random characters you’ve never heard of having a episode about them - it’s actually quite good to have some variety from the core of characters as you can’t have every issue happen to them.

True, TheTruthAboutLove.
This is a bit mean but I’m quite enjoying looking up the cast and finding out who sank into obscurity and who went on to great (greater, anyway) things.

@papergirl1968 HAHAHA me too!!!! I have got obsessed with Googling who people are that "IMDb Waterloo Road" is one of my top suggested searches

It really is such a guilty pleasure though no matter how much I moan about it I'm still binging through at an unhealthy speed!!

So, I watched the first third of Season 7 and at the end of it, Jess, Karen Fisher, the Scotchers all leave, fair enough.

However the next term starts and Ronan and Vicky are still there, apparently two year groups higher than Finn, Lauren, Josh and now they're their best friends? Even though they never looked at each other before now?

So confusing!

And where did Amy Porter disappear to!

I cannot stand Phoenix on Season 7, he's one of the most miserable boring pupil characters the show has ever had. I'm sure they only brought him in because of his hair.

Ok so series four ended with half the school being demolished by jcb. This is after two gun incidents, one of which resulted in a pupil being shot dead, a fire which left the head badly burned and got knows what else.
Just started series five. The new executive head is like a pantomime villain and the pupils are having punch ups with the new posh kids. Oh and the father of two new kids has been murdered.
Never have so many disasters happened at one school!

Wrote a reply earlier and it didn't post, so annoying!

@TheTruthAboutLove oh yeah, I only just realised no Amy! She was one of my least favourite to be fair.

Season 7 has been the worst so far. Also don't like Phoenix, but love Scout!

@Papergirl1968 you're so right. So much happens all the time and then the school is miraculously rebuilt/refurbished in the 6 weeks holidays

Oh and I think Vicky and Ronan are doing retakes, making them year 13 and Finn and co year 12 maybe? The school years are so inconsistent though so who knows.

I do like Ronan but him and Vicky's storyline is just becoming too much like Chlo and Donte. (Both have a del boy wannabe bf, both bfs rent a flat without consulting the gf, both are on off on off) it's very tired!

I sometimes think the directors/writers don’t know any real life kids.
There were some extras skipping with a rope in the playground in a background shot. At secondary school - really?
Also noticed Rachel Mason looks remarkably fresh faced in series five, compared to series four. Can’t help wondering if it was just the school that had a little work done in the break!

Haha you're right. Some of the characters are so unbelievable too!

Maybe the creators never thought people would watch it all in one go/stick with it for so many years so wouldn't notice repeated story lines hahaha.

Okay, another thing that's annoying...some of the background teachers!

There's a couple that have literally been in the background since episode 1! So annoying that we don't see their stories....are we meant to believe that none of their lives have crossed in 7 years?! There was even one awkward moment where a group of the main characters were sat in a circle at the pub and the two extras were sat outside the circle, then joined in the same "cheers"

Not sure why this annoys me haha but given how much we see the other boring characters (looking at you Sian series 7) surely the others are relevant too!

Just found this thread, I've been watching too! In the middle of season 5 at the moment. I watched it the first time around as well but have obviously forgotten a lot over the years.

Looking forward to binge watching over the Xmas week!

Welcome @viccat! There's only a few of us but it's fun to chat/moan about it lol.

Phoenix is driving me crazy with rage. He never smiles, he sends these videos to Michael for no reason, he’s the most miserable character this show has ever had. Ever.

Omg, Phoenix is now bullying someone. He’s such a horrid teenager, I can’t stand him. And the whole blackmailing Michael Byrne is just cringe.

Finally, how is Michael Byrne such a sex symbol that Sian and Linda would be after him? To me he’s a short, elf looking man with a vicious temper 🤷‍♀️

@TheTruthAboutLove haha I agree about phoenix and Michael. I think Michael looks like he should be playing a Bond villain. Definitely not my cuppa tea.

Tom Clarkson on the other hand...

How did Finn suddenly go from a total rage against the machine, bullying, fighting, god awful, rude student to this whole patriarch of the whole school in the space of a season?! He’s now Head Boy, in a long term relationship, never in any trouble, perfect student. It’s like they forget the past of the characters!

I'm not there yet @TheTruthAboutLove as only part way through season 5, but it is one of the things that have annoyed me - the lack of consistency with characters & how they disappear without trace (or even a passing mention!). I'd love Tom to chat and update on how Chlo, Donte, Izzy and Chlo's sister are getting on at uni.

Also where did Trenneman go after he returned in season 4? I thought he was staying but then he's gone for season 5 (along with other teachers) and not mentioned again at all!

I'd also like them to talk about past pupils and what they're up to, but maybe it is realistic that when you leave school, the teachers never mention your name again!

Haha, as a teacher I can confirm we forget 90% of all our pupils! Not on purpose, but you’d be amazed how quickly it happens 😳

I first watched WR as a civilian; watching with teacher eyes now and it’s hilarious 🤣

Now just onto season 6 & Steph & Miss Lipzick have both disappeared without mention - where have they gone?

And Kim - she's gone too but no mention where or why?

@invisibleWomenMustBeRead yeah I noticed that too. It's so annoying. There is a Waterloo road wiki page that has a bio for each character and sort of explains where they go though. This is the link for Jo Lipsetts for example and they have literally everyone on there:

bbc-waterloo-road.fandom.com/wiki/Jo_Lipsett

Thanks @TheBananaInPyjamas - I found that last night after posting as it was annoying me! Spent quite a few hours down that rabbit hole!