Waterloo Road Series 8 (***with spoiler*******)

[alan45]

4th July

In this week's visit to Waterloo Road, everyone’s thrilled to have Grantly back, alive and well; Tom prepares himself to donate his kidney to his life-long friend but when bad boy Kyle Stack shows up at Waterloo Road the day will end in disaster as Tom tries to help the trouble teen.
Newly released from prison, former pupil Kyle Stack turns up unexpectedly at Waterloo Road. Old schoolmate Rhiannon is keen to help him enrol but Tom isn’t so welcoming, frogmarching Kyle to the exit.

Upon seeing this, new deputy Simon Lowsley persuades Christine he has the necessary skills to get through to the boy. Initially doubtful, Tom is surprised to see a change in Kyle and begins to wonder if there’s more to his return to school than meets the eye.

But things quickly turn sour when Barry goads Kyle about prison life which leads him to lash out before running away. As everyone grows worried about Kyle’s increasingly erratic behaviour, the race is on to find the missing schoolboy.

As Grantly’s charity auction gets into full swing, Tom is astounded by his friend’s refusal to accept his kidney donation. As far as he’s concerned, Grantly’s being a stubborn fool and it takes strong words from Maggie to make him see sense.

But as the charity fundraising fireworks explode in the skies above Waterloo Road, dark clouds loom over the school when a clearly disturbed Kyle is found up on the roof, alone. And as all eyes turn to Tom to reach out to the troubled teen, tragedy comes calling.

Grantly is played by Philip Martin Brown, Tom by Jason Done, Kyle Stack by George Sampson, Rhiannon by Rebecca Craven, Simon Lowsley by Richard Mylan, Christine by Laurie Brett, Barry by Carl Au and Maggie by Melanie Hill.

[alan45]

Waterloo Road star Alec Newman has revealed that his character Michael Byrne's exit will not be without fireworks.

The actor - who joined in 2011 as head teacher Michael - will leave the show at the end of the current series.


Speaking about his exit, Newman told What's on TV: "Michael's boundaries have been pushed and he's finally had enough.

"Certain factors have been bubbling for a while now which contribute to him leaving. He blows off a bit of steam and his exit is not without its fireworks! It's very much in keeping with his character."

Newman also admitted that it wasn't a hard decision to leave the show as he felt his character's journey had come to its natural end.

He said: "Although it was my decision to leave, it was arrived at very organically. We had done everything we wanted to with the character and this seemed like a very natural end.

"I've enjoyed playing Michael very much and I'll always have a place in my heart for the show. It was a very special time for me.

"I even met my fiancée on the job in Scotland! So I've every reason to be grateful for this great chapter in my life."

Newman will depart alongside original cast members Tom Clarkson (Jason Done) and Grantly Budgen (Philip Martin Brown).

[Perdita]

This is the moment that Waterloo Road's Barry clan air their problems on national TV in next week's episode.

Carol, played by Zöe Lucker, arranges for the family to appear on the Noble Thoughts chat show to iron out their many differences.


© BBC / Shed Productions (WR)
Carol airs her thoughts on national TV.


Dynasty (Abby Mavers) goes along with the idea because she's certain that Carol will show herself up in front of millions of viewers.

A caring Kevin (Tommy Lawrence Knight) goes along to support his girlfriend, but is horrified to find himself in the firing line as the main topic of discussion is how he has supposedly poisoned Dynasty's mind against Carol.

With Carol and Barry both having harsh words for Kevin, he is unfairly blamed for the problems in the family.


© BBC / Shed Productions (WR)
Barry shares his dislike of Kevin.


Things soon go from bad to worse for Kevin after presenter Julian Noble reveals a surprise mystery guest in the audience - Kevin's estranged mother Daisy…

Waterloo Road airs these scenes on Thursday, June 27 at 8pm on BBC One.

[alan45]

Waterloo Road airs Alec Newman's final scenes this evening (June 20) as he bows out from his role as headteacher Michael Byrne.

Tonight's episode sees Michael and Lorraine Donnegan (Daniela Denby-Ashe) both decide to move on to pastures new, but not before their clashes over Waterloo Road's future have come to a head in tense scenes.

How are you feeling now that your time on Waterloo Road has come to an end?
"I really do miss everyone and I do check in with the show, but I've been very fortunate because I've been busy working and my time has been filled. It would have been very depressing to leave something that's been such a big part of my life for so long, and then just sit in the kitchen drinking tea! Fortunately that hasn't been the case so far.

"I do miss the people at Waterloo Road the most. I made some very, very great friends in the two years that I was on the show and I do miss them."

Do you think it was the right time for Michael to leave the show?
"Yeah, I do. I think that he leaves with his head held high. You'll remember that Michael arrived in series seven as a surging superhead. I think we set up his presence quite nicely and then the future came in the form of Lorraine Donnegan and the move north!

"I was then delighted to be able to explore the character's past, which you don't always get a chance to do. The storyline with Michael's father allowed us to delve into his family life and what Michael was like as a child.

"I really felt that we'd sort of come full circle, and I would have hated for Michael to become a 'sleeper' character who was only prominent every few episodes. We all agreed that it was time to let him wander off into the sunset. From memory, that is the final scene - him walking into the sunset! I have nothing but affection for the show and for the character."

Your final episode revolves around Michael trying to stop Lorraine from turning Waterloo Road into a fee-paying school. What can we expect?
"It's a real power struggle between Michael and Lorraine, but that's always been the case ever since she stepped into his office in Rochdale! In a way, it's the 'old way' versus the 'new way'. What's interesting about Lorraine's arguments is that they are feasible sometimes. She's a modern, new-thinking woman and a lot of education is going in that direction. Her ideas are sound, but Michael doesn't do things in that way.

"I always saw Michael as an old-fashioned head in a younger man's body, so this is all going to come to a head. Michael has boundaries and in this case they're pushed. It's not without fireworks and not without consequences!"


Can we expect some closure for the Michael and Christine relationship?
"Yes, I think you can! It's not a one-trick departure and this is another element to be dealt with. Whether it's dealt with satisfactorily, you'll have to wait and see as that's all part of the drama! I don't want to spoil it, but Michael feels that he's being pulled in many different directions and it becomes a bit much. I have a feeling housewives up and down the country might be spitting fire!"

Apparently Christine will be taking over as headteacher, so do you think she'll make a good replacement?
"That's a bit like asking Alex Ferguson whether Wayne Rooney will be in the squad next year! (Laughs.) I don't know much about what happens next in the storyline, but I do know that Christine would be a good replacement and that Laurie Brett is a brilliant actress. She'd step into those shoes seamlessly."

Waterloo Road characters occasionally pop back for guest appearances. Would you be interested in doing that?
"You should never say never in this game! I also think Michael is a great character and I really enjoyed playing him, so you never know. He is the great wanderer, so maybe he could find his way back to Greenock at some point.

"The response to Michael has been brilliant. People have been so lovely about my time on the show and the character. It's slightly overwhelming at times! I've enjoyed that as much as anything else."

Did Waterloo Road give you a good send-off?
"I did get a good send-off! After I finished my last take, the producer Lizzie Gray came out and everyone stood in a circle and applauded! I went slightly moist in the eye and it was quite moving because I was in a room full of friends. It's just like anybody's last day at work.

"They also gave me Michael's fictional diploma from his office. It really was a lovely way to say goodbye. But of course with it being Waterloo Road, it was five minutes and then they had to carry on shooting! That's the way it should be. They keep rolling on and the show changes and reboots itself. If it keeps doing that, there's no reason why the show can't be on in ten years' time.

"It's amazing that nine years on from the start of it all, Waterloo Road is still developing and changing as a show. As long as it has an audience, it will be on the television."

You've recently been performing in the play These Shining Lives. Have you enjoyed being back on the stage?
"I love being on the stage. I think actors have to do a little bit of everything. It's a bit like going to the gym - it keeps you disciplined. Working on camera can inform work that you do in the theatre, and certainly vice versa. They help each other.

"Theatre is where most actors start off and what we train to do, so I'd always want to keep going back into that. With this play, the theatre was just two minutes away from my front door which was an added bonus! It's been very exciting and I'm thrilled to have been a part of it."

Waterloo Road has launched quite a few careers for young actors. Is there anyone else from the show who you'd tip to go far?
"I absolutely adored working with Naveed Choudhry who played Tariq. I think he's very special. It's very difficult for young actors because there's such a glare of publicity around a show like Waterloo Road, and that can make it difficult to stay focused in some ways. There are a lot of potential distractions. The ones who don't bother about all of that are usually the ones who produce the best work.

"The current crop at the show are in very, very good nick. All I can say from my time there is that Naveed was very good, very natural and hard-working. Carl Au who plays Barry Barry is also a fantastic actor because as a guy in real life, he's nothing like his character. But you never know who'll be a success. They'll probably all be movie stars and I'll be begging them for a job!"

[Perdita]

Waterloo Road actress Abby Mavers has said that she is overwhelmed by the response to her recent on-screen rape storyline.

Mavers's character Dynasty Barry was at the centre of dark scenes on the BBC drama last month as her possessive ex-boyfriend Steve-O Malone (Jody Latham) forced himself on her.

Reflecting on the plot, Mavers told the Liverpool Echo: "The reaction from fans has been huge. There was a lot of people who came forward since that episode. They said they had been raped or they had a friend who had been raped and they said, 'Thank you for doing it justice'.

"It was great to raise awareness and if they see someone who is a strong character like Dynasty go through it, then hopefully it enables them to seek help."

She added: "It was a hard subject to cover and I knew for some people watching it was going to be very difficult to watch. I did my research, I spoke to someone who had been raped and I read a lot of stuff on the internet.

"I don't think you can ever know what it is like until it has happened to you, but I wanted to know how it affects you emotionally."

Waterloo Road continues at 8pm tonight (June 26) with another big episode for the Barry family.

[Katy]

I think she's a good little actress. Is she Gary mavers daughter, the one what was in brookside.

[Perdita]

Yes, she is

[alan45]

http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...356#post794356

[Perdita]

Tom

[Katy]

How could they do that to us!!! Poor Tom!

(Hes ok...i saw him walking his dog past the chippy earlier!)