| Waterloo Road | |
|---|---|
| Series 16 | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One BBC iPlayer |
| Original release | 23 September 2025 – present |
| Series chronology | |
The sixteenth series of the British television drama series Waterloo Road commenced on 23 September 2025. The series comprised 8 episodes.
Series 16 was announced along with series 17 in August 2024. [1] In September 2025, further details around the series was revealed, with 8 episodes commissioned for the sixteenth series, it also confirmed that Series 16 would premiere on 23 September 2025, with the full series being released on BBC iPlayer prior to transmission. [2]
The majority of series regulars from the fifteenth series reprised their roles for this series, these included Lindsey Coulson, James Baxter, Jo Coffey, Saira Choudhry, Neil Fitzmaurice, Rachel Leskovac, Kym Marsh, Shauna Shim, and Adam Thomas, portraying Stella Drake, Joe Casey, Wendy Whitwell, Nisha Chandra, Neil Guthrie, Coral Walker, Nicky Walters, Valerie Chambers, and Donte Charles. [2] Katherine Pearce, who played early careers teacher Amy Spratt beginning with the eleventh series, does not return in a regular role after her character resigned in the previous series, but does make a guest appearance in episode six. [3]
In April 2025, it was confirmed that Jon Richardson would join the cast as Darius Donovan, a new media studies teacher at Waterloo Road. Jason Merrells also returns as Jack Rimmer in a series regular capacity, after a guest stint in the fifteenth series. [4]
Returning recurring cast members include Ryan Clayton, Hollie-Jay Bowes, Kerry Howard, Lauren Patel, and Tom Wells as Mike Rutherford, Debs Rafferty, Serena-Michelle Davies, Jas Sharma, and Marc Todd. [2]
Returning pupils include Scarlett Thomas, Summer Violet Bird, Liam Scholes, and Thapelo Ray as Donte's daughter Izzy Charles, Nicky's daughter Tonya Walters, Noel McManus, and Joe's former foster son Dwayne Jackson. Other students include Hattie Dynevor, Chiamaka Ulebor, Zak Sutcliffe, Maisie Robinson, Tillie Amartey, Miya Ocego, Sonya Nisa, Aabay Noor Ali, Danny Murphy and Niamh Blackshaw as Neil's daughter Libby Guthrie, Shola Aku, school troublemaker Schumacher "Schuey" Weever, his sister Portia Weever, Stacey "Stace" Neville, Lois Taylor-Brown, Aleena Qureshi, Mollie 'Mog' Richardson, Luca Smith, and Agnes Eccleston.
In September 2025, it was confirmed that Fintan Buckard and Savannah Kunyo had joined the cast as Ben Drake and Hope Drake, the grandchildren of headmistress Stella Drake (Lindsey Coulson) and new pupils at Waterloo Road. Christine Bottomley also joined the cast as Stella Drake's (Lindsey Coulson) daughter, Sam Drake. In addition, Christopher Jeffers joined the cast as Mitch Swift, the new special educational needs coordinator of Waterloo Road. [2]
The sixteenth series debuted on 23 September 2025 on BBC One. In a difference from previous series, two episodes would air back-to-back as opposed to one episode weekly. The series was also released as a boxset on BBC iPlayer at 6am on 23 September 2025, as per previous series.
| No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 239 | Episode 1 [5] | Lloyd Eyre-Morgan | Chris Gill | 23 September 2025 | TBD | |
Schuey and Agnes cause uproar when they rebel against Stella’s new rules. New teacher Darius Donovan arrives and shakes up the staffroom, while Jack Rimmer returns to tackle the troubles of a new generation on his first day as school counsellor. Cat and Izzy lock horns over the school’s new addition, and Stella is distracted as she struggles to integrate her estranged grandkids at the school. | ||||||
| 240 | Episode 2 [6] | Lloyd Eyre-Morgan | Lisa Holdsworth | 23 September 2025 | TBD | |
Ashton takes drastic measures to help Donte when he’s plunged into crippling debt. Meanwhile, Stella and Ben clash as the school welcomes a cohort of year six students, and Debs is excited to step into Wendy’s shoes for the day. Nicky is forced to get involved when things get out of hand. Elsewhere, Jack tries to help Libby settle back into school life when she clashes with Aleena. | ||||||
| 241 | Episode 3 [7] | Ruth Carney | Andrea Dewsbury & Liz Lewin | 30 September 2025 | TBD | |
Dwayne is under pressure when Ashton exposes his deepest secrets to the entire school. Meanwhile, Nisha is conflicted when her maternal and professional instincts clash. Val helps Noel think outside the box when it comes to his future, but his relationship with Stace almost costs him a new opportunity. Elsewhere, Hope overcomes her disappointment and is the star of the show when she lands herself centre stage, and a stressed-out Joe makes a bad impression. | ||||||
| 242 | Episode 4 [8] | Ruth Carney | Yasmeen Khan | 30 September 2025 | TBD | |
Hope and Portia go head-to-head at the careers fair as they battle for attention, whilst Darius’s negligence has devastating consequences, and Noel’s enthusiasm for his new role is short-lived when he struggles to impress his new boss. Elsewhere, an unexpected visitor rocks Schuey and Portia’s world. Schuey ignores Agnes’s pleas to stop his tirade against Mike, putting pressure on Mike and Joe’s relationship. | ||||||
| 243 | Episode 5 [9] | Jesse Quinones | Daniel Rusteau | 7 October 2025 | TBD | |
Dwayne’s world comes crashing down when he reaches breaking point as he struggles to cope with accumulating pressures. Elsewhere, Stella finds it hard to separate the personal from the professional as she makes a ruthless decision in the wake of last week’s devastating events. Meanwhile, Coral’s high hopes of a job-share are quickly dashed when Nisha’s actions leave her in the lurch. | ||||||
| 244 | Episode 6 [10] | Angela Griffin | Paul Mousley | 7 October 2025 | TBD | |
The staff and students of Waterloo Road swap the school for the estate and community centre as a community clean‑up brings back familiar faces. But not everything goes to plan when some cave in to temptation. Schuey, driven by desperation, is pulled back into his criminal past, with disastrous consequences for Mike. At a fork in the road, he must decide whether to change course or repeat old mistakes. Meanwhile, Noel is left reeling from Stace's revelation. | ||||||
| 245 | Episode 7 [11] | Michael Lacey | Caroline Mitchell | 14 October 2025 | TBD | |
Emotions run high at Waterloo Road, and Stella begins to feel the weight of recent events when her daughter arrives. Mitch’s attempt to help a struggling student backfires, and Dwayne returns to a mostly warm reception. Elsewhere, Darius turns to Jack for guidance as he eyes a bigger role within the school. | ||||||
| 246 | Episode 8 [12] | Michael Lacey | Neil Jones & Adam Simpson | 14 October 2025 | TBD | |
It’s funfair day at Waterloo Road, and Darius flounders under a watchful eye. Has his luck finally run out? Meanwhile, Agnes uncovers a secret that could blow a family’s world apart, and Donte’s loyalties are tested by a discovery that could end a colleague’s career. | ||||||