Jason Manford is set to join the cast of Waterloo Road as the new headteacher when the series returns later this year.
The BBC has announced on Tuesday, that actor and comedian will play Steve Savage, who has a big impact on the staff and pupils at the school – but not before ruffling a few feathers along the way.
Fans of the show will know Waterloo Road’s current headmistress is Kim Campbell, played by Angela Griffin.
As the news of Jason’s casting will leave people question what will happen to Kim, the broadcaster has urged they will have to wait and see how the storyline plays out.
Waterloo Road’s current series launched in full on BBC iPlayer in early January and concluded its weekly BBC One run last night.
Jason Manford, 42, is set to join the cast of Waterloo Road as the new headteacher when the series returns later this year
Jason will appear in series 14 – coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year, he said: ‘What an absolute treat it is to join the cast and crew of Waterloo Road, right here in my home city of Manchester.
‘My kids and I binged the show on iPlayer during lockdown. It’s such a brilliant, iconic show, so I’m dead proud to now be part of its history. Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher and now becoming a headteacher, I know I would have been terrible!’
Cameron Roach, Executive Producer of Waterloo Road and Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction, added: ‘We’re thrilled that Jason Manford is joining Waterloo Road, as the show returns for a fourth series since returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
‘Jason is a phenomenal comic actor, and has fully embraced the tone and spirit of the show, we can’t wait for the audience to meet Steve Savage and his son Billy.
‘As with all of our adult cast, Jason has been an inspiring and approachable mentor to our younger cast and crew; we love that a new generation of Northern talent are able to learn their craft alongside brilliant household names.
‘The legacy of Waterloo Road goes from strength to strength’.
The show was originally axed in 2015, but following a revival in audiences during the first COVID lockdown, it returned to screens following an eight-year break.
The secondary school-set show first aired in 2006 and won legions of fans by tackling numerous tough issues over its 200-episode run.
The BBC has announced on Tuesday, that actor and comedian will play Steve Savage, who has a big impact on the staff and pupils at the school – but not before ruffling a few feathers (Jason pictured in December)
Fans of the show will know Waterloo Road’s current headmistress is Kim Campbell, played by Angela Griffin, and will have to wait and see what happens
In it’s initial return, it tackled the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on school kids.
The gritty show – which was written by the creators of ITV prison drama Bad Girls – was originally set in Rochdale but later series saw a relocation to Greenock, Scotland.
The show, based once again around a high school in Greater Manchester, tells the stories of the challenges experienced by teachers, parents and pupils.
It also highlights the problems that teenagers face today, including the cost-of-living crisis, navigating being LGBTQ+, racism, sexism and mental health.