A bona fide Waterloo Road legend has returned in series 17: Denise Welch’s Steph Haydock. However, while fans are happy to see her back, they do have one problem.
Miss Haydock was part of the BBC school drama’s original teaching line-up, starring alongside Jason Merrells’ Jack Rimmer and Angela Griffin’s Kim Campbell.
Just like those two alumni, she’s returned to Waterloo Road for the revival. The star is reintroduced in episode 2 of the new series, arriving as a substitute teacher during a spate of staff illnesses.
She is easily one of the biggest highlights of series 17 – and that’s why fans aren’t wholly satisfied. Warning: spoilers to follow…
Waterloo Road fans demand more from Denise Welch’s Steph Haydock
Welch only appears in two episodes in series 17: episode 2 and 7. That’s not a lot, considering the previous series’ post-credits stinger hyped up her return and fans have been excited to see her back in the show again.
She makes a big impression in her brief screen time; vaping, handing out chlamydia tests, and even getting to reunite with Jack. It’s safe to say, viewers want her to become a permanent part of the cast again.
“I’m loving Steph Haydock she needs to be back full-time,” one user wrote on X.
“Hopefully she returns in series 18 on a more permanent basis even if it isn’t every single episode,” another viewer commented. “Fingers crossed, she’s always been one of my favourites,” a third wrote.
“Stella mentioned in Ep2 about there being an issue with filling the languages vacancy, perhaps she’ll fill that if she is coming back full-time in S18?” a fourth fan speculated.
Will Denise Welch return as Steph in Waterloo Road series 18?
While unconfirmed, Denise Welch is almost guaranteed to return as Steph Haydock in Waterloo Road series 18. In episode 7, she has a frosty interview for a full-time position at the school.
It doesn’t go well… at first, because Coral catches her flirting with Neil. In a later scene, Donte helps Coral to see Steph’s good qualities, and their final scene together heavily suggests we’ll see Steph again.
“I wanted to reassure you that a decision hasn’t yet been made,” Coral says, and she even apologises for being a bit harsh in her interview.
Plus, Welch’s comments ahead of her appearance in series 17 would suggest there’s more to come from her character.
“There is going to be a lot of sadness there,” she teased in an interview with Digital Spy.
“It’s difficult to say what happens with this character because I’ve been told not to say too much! But we will certainly see another side of her.”
Also, in an Instagram post, Welch can be seen with actress Rachel Leskovac outside Waterloo Road on a snow day.
Read more: Waterloo Road series 17 cast and characters including Emmerdale star
Waterloo Road series 17 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. New episodes will air weekly on BBC One.
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