Waterloo Road series 18: How long until its release, cast details and plot theories
Waterloo Road is definitely coming back for series 18... and big changes could be coming
Waterloo Road series 18 has already been confirmed, and fans should be happy: if everything goes to plan, its release date won’t be far away.
With Waterloo Road series 17 ending on BBC One tonight (January 27), it’s time to look ahead. Fortunately, another series has already been green-lit, but there are still big questions to answer.
Is Darius out of the show for good? Will Stella still be Waterloo Road’s headteacher? And is Janeece coming back?
Thankfully, we’re not completely out of the loop. Waterloo Road series 18 has already been filmed, so here’s what we know.
***Warning: spoilers for Waterloo Road series 17 ahead***
When is Waterloo Road series 18 out?
Waterloo Road series 18 doesn’t have a confirmed release date, but it’ll likely air on BBC One in September 2026.
This is the usual release schedule for Waterloo Road. Similar to the original series, we get two batches of episodes a year: one series starts between January and February, and the other usually airs in September.
There hasn’t been any indication that things will change. Filming took place between September and December last year, and with the 20th anniversary coming up on March 9, we may get an update then.
Who’ll be returning to the cast?
Waterloo Road is expected to refresh its cast with series 18. Most of the teaching staff will likely return, but there will be new students (for reasons we’ll get to).
Lindsey Coulson will reprise her role as headteacher Stella Drake. Saira Choudhry, who plays Nisha (and is also returning), posted an Instagram Story that showed Stella’s name on the doors.
As for the rest of the staff, these stars are also expected to return:
- Adam Thomas as Donte Charles
- Christopher Jeffers as Mitch Swift
- James Baxter as Joe Casey
- Jo Coffey as Wendy Whitwell
- Neil Fitzmaurice as Neil Guthrie
- Rachel Leskovac as Coral Walker
- Shauna Shim as Valerie Chambers
- Saira Jackson as Nisha Chandra
Denise Welch will return as Steph Haydock (and going by the series 17 finale, it’ll be in a larger capacity). Jason Merrells is also expected to reprise his role as Jack Rimmer.
Chelsee Healey’s long-rumoured return as Janeece will hopefully be confirmed soon, too.
The younger stars are a bit tougher to predict. Series 17 marked the end of the school year, so the older pupils will have graduated.
We know Luca (Danny Murphy) isn’t coming back, so it remains to be seen who else has left school.
Is Waterloo Road series 18 the last season?
The BBC has already commissioned Waterloo Road for series 19. So, fans don’t need to worry about the show wrapping up with series 18.
Series 18 also marks a significant change: the show is now being filmed at a former office building in Trafford Park. At 48,000 sq ft, it’s a substantial expansion – and it may reveal more about its future.
🎥Confirmation of Series 18+ Filming location 🎥 Warner Bros. takes 48,000 sq ft in Trafford – Place North West
byu/waterlooroadfan06 inWaterlooRoad
Warner Bros signed a flexible five-year lease for the show’s new filming location in 2025. Unless it gets cancelled, it looks like Waterloo Road will be around for a while.
Cameron Roach, an executive producer on Waterloo Road, said: “When the BBC commissioned the reboot of Waterloo Road, we had hoped it might run for a few seasons.
“But to be commissioned for further series, bringing the total episodes since relaunch to 70 hours, is a huge achievement.”
How did series 17 end?
Waterloo Road series 17 ends with Darius Donovan’s arrest, with Stella regaining control of the school and all of the charges against her withdrawn.
In short, Darius was skint, so he embezzled school funds and robbed money from Stella’s pension fund. He also covered up Hope’s death, framed another teacher for drug use, and actively tried to progress his career at the expense of others.
In the last episode of series 17, everything finally catches up to him. When he can’t delete fake invoices from the school servers, he has a mental breakdown. Jack offers him some comfort, though he still leaves the school in handcuffs.
That leaves Nisha in a tough spot, considering she’s pregnant with his baby.
Elsewhere, Izzy and Cat got together, and so did Luca and Freddy. Tonya also returned (even though Nicky left to work at another school), and it looks like she’ll be back next time.
Waterloo Road series 18 plot details
We don’t have any confirmed plot details for Waterloo Road series 18. However, given the new filming location, it looks like the new series will involve a merger with another school – and that means new teachers and pupils.
With Jack and Steph back, it’s been widely speculated that other OG cast members could return.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Kim (Angela Griffin) and Andrew (Jamie Glover), and with this year being the 20th anniversary, it could be the best time to reintroduce them.
Portia (Maisey Robinson) will probably still be recovering from her grooming storyline in series 17, too.
As for what the fans want, one user on Reddit wrote: “I feel like we need some more rivalry and conflict with the teachers? It feels like only Darius put a spanner in the staff room.”
“Jack will definitely be deputy head, at least for 18 and 19, while Stella is, then I believe he’ll become head again when she retires,” another speculated.
Others have also predicted that Eva Pope will return as Rachel Mason (though this doesn’t appear to be based on anything, other than what they want).
Read more: I’m still annoyed by Waterloo Road’s biggest plot hole and it may never be answered
