Waterloo Road fans won’t have long to wait at all – series 17 is officially under a month away, with the BBC confirming both its 2026 release date and some eye-catching new faces joining the cast.
Once you’ve looked past the festive wall of Christmas specials, the new year is already shaping up to be a belter for telly lovers. We’re heading straight back to one of TV’s most chaotic schools as Waterloo Road returns in the first week of January.
Series 16 left the place in absolute turmoil – from Joe, Mike and Mitch’s tangled relationship mess to the heartbreaking fallout from Hope’s death. And that’s before we even start on the cliffhangers. Will Darius finally face the consequences? Is Jack making a comeback? And what exactly brings Miss Haydock back through those doors?
Here’s everything we know so far about the new term at Waterloo Road and series 17.
When is Waterloo Road series 17 out?
Waterloo Road series 17 will premiere on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 9pm on BBC One. There will be a double bill each week, with the second episode airing at 10:40pm.
This is the show’s normal release schedule. In its original airing, a season would be split into its “autumn term” and “winter term”, often starting around September and returning in January for its final stretch of episodes.
The revival changed things up slightly. Rather than one big season split into two batches, each 7/8-episode stretch constitutes its own series.
So, now we get two series a year: one that begins in January, and another that airs in September.
Unfortunately, that means there’ll be a seven-month wait for series 18 (but we have a while before we need to worry about that).
Is series 17 dropping all at once?
Yes, you’ll be able to watch the entirety of Waterloo Road series 17 on iPlayer.
All eight episodes will be added to the streaming platform at 6am on January 6, so if you can’t wait for it to air weekly on TV, you can binge the whole thing.
Denise Welch returns for Waterloo Road series 17
That’s right: as revealed in the last finale’s post-credits preview, Denise Welch is back as Steph Haydock, the school’s former head of French, in Waterloo Road series 17.
Welch’s character was part of the show’s original ensemble, involved in some of its best storylines; notably, her relationship with Jack Rimmer and fostering Maxine Barlow.
She was nearly sacked a few times in the earlier seasons, but she left on her own accord at the end of series 5, returning for a guest appearance in series 6 as part of Grantly and Fleur’s Alzheimer’s plot line.
What does this mean for Jack and Steph?
Will we see her reunite with Jack? That remains to be seen, but we know she’ll be working as a supply teacher in series 17.
“I’m thrilled to see the return of Steph to Waterloo Road,” Welch said in a statement.
“Fifteen years older, but certainly not wiser. She’ll soon show that time has certainly not dulled her shine!
“Still unmarried but eternally hopeful, Steph is back as a supply teacher. What she is supplying remains to be seen, but I am having a great time stepping back into the shoes of a character I love.”
Welch also teased working with Jason Merrells, who plays Jack. “Steph and Jack go back a long way, but will they move forward? You’ll have to wait and see,” she said.
Emmerdale star will ’cause big stir’
Karl Davies, best known for his role as Robert Sugden in Emmerdale, has joined the cast of Waterloo Road series 17.
He’ll play Anthony Walters – and that surname should be familiar to you, as he’s the ex-husband of Nicky (Kym Marsh).
“Anthony arrives as the coach of the girl’s football team that some of Waterloo Road’s very own get involved with, thriving at the sport,” according to the BBC.
“His arrival causes a big stir with Tonya and Nicky, who has taken on a new role at the school.”
Six new actors have also joined the series 17 cast:
- Freddy Smith (Happy Valley series 3) as Freddie Hollister
- Olivia Booth-Ford (The Enfield Poltergeist) as Leoni Tennant
- Myra-Sofia Iftikhar (Happy Valley series 3) as Aisha Azzi
- Sana Ali (Moumita) as Badr Azzi
- Isha Kaur (The Runaways) as Harleen Lamba
Waterloo Road series 17 full cast
There’s also everyone else you’d expect to see in series 17. That includes all of the teaching staff and parents:
- Adam Thomas as Donte Charles
- Christopher Jeffers as Mitch Swift
- James Baxter as Joe Casey
- Hollie-Jay Bowes as Debs Rafferty
- Jon Richardson as Darius Donovan
- Jo Coffey as Wendy Whitwell
- Kym Marsh as Nicky Walters
- Lindsey Coulson as Dame Stella Drake
- Neil Fitzmaurice as Neil Guthrie
- Rachel Leskovac as Coral Walker
- Shauna Shim as Valerie Chambers
- Saira Jackson as Nisha Chandra
And, excitingly, Jason Merrells is confirmed to return as Jack Rimmer after his exit from the school in series 16.
As for the returning student cast, series 17 will also star:
- Aabay Noor Ali as Mollie “Mog” Richardson
- Cory McClane as Ashton Stone
- Chiamaka “ChiChi” Ulebor as Shola Aku
- Danny Murphy as Luca Smith
- Hattie Dynevor as Libby Guthrie
- Liam Scholes as Noel McManus
- Lucy Chambers as Cat Guthrie
- Maisey Robinson as Portia Weever
- Miya Ocego as Lois Taylor-Brown
- Niamh Blackshaw as Agnes Eccleston
- Scarlett Thomas as Izzy Charles
- Sonya Nisa as Aleena Qureshi
- Summer Violet Bird as Tonya Walters
- Tillie Amartey as Stacey “Stace” Neville
- Zak Sutcliffe as “Schuey” Weever
What to expect in Waterloo Road series 17: How did season 16 end?
Waterloo Road series 17 is shaping up to be one of the show’s messiest – and juiciest – terms yet. And it all starts with Darius stepping into his brand-new role as deputy head. The BBC’s tease asks the obvious question: just how far will he go to hold onto that power?
After all, viewers haven’t forgotten the truth behind Hope’s tragic death. It was Darius who misplaced the cupcakes that caused her fatal allergic reaction, and it was Darius who then wriggled out of any blame. Not only that, he successfully pushed out the only person who knew what really happened – Jack Rimmer. By baiting Jack into throwing a punch and tipping off Stella about the alcohol in his system, he cleared his tracks in spectacular fashion.
But with Steph Haydock back in the building, Darius might finally have a problem. Steph has never tolerated nonsense, and given what he did to Jack, she’s the one person most likely to sniff out something rotten.
And that’s before we even dive into the relationship drama. Joe ended things with Mike after the affair with Mitch, the school’s new SENCO – but will he rethink everything, or is a fresh start with Mitch on the cards? Slightly worrying for those hoping for a Joe-Mike reunion: Ryan Clayton, who plays Mike, is notably absent from the series 17 cast list.
Elsewhere, Schuey and Agnes patched things up by the end of series 16, so expect to see their relationship continue to evolve as the new episodes pick up. All in all, it looks like Waterloo Road is returning with secrets, fallout and a whole lot of unfinished business.
Waterloo Road is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Series 17 premieres on January 6, 2026.
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