New Waterloo Road episodes are streaming now!
Waterloo Road is back on BBC One tonight at 9pm and 10.40pm but if you can't wait until then, you can stream the episodes now on iPlayer.
In the first episode in the new series, chaos reigns when Darius welcomes excluded students to the school, and he has to firefight to keep his second chances scheme alive. Agnes has a surprising connection with one of the newcomers that leaves her fearing her happy life is about to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Portia strives to build her beauty empire but is left sidelined when the spotlight falls elsewhere, while Donte clashes with Izzy over her attitude.
In the second episode, Portia is left mortified by a new romance turning sour but finds an unexpected ally in a rebellious supply teacher, Steph Haydock, who schools Ben on the error of his ways when STIs spread amongst the students. However, their unconventional methods attract the ire of Stella and threaten their careers.
Elsewhere, Cat has second thoughts on her budding relationship with mean girl Izzy when the claws come out, while Stace is rocked by a revelation from social services.
Waterloo Road has worked with the NSPCC on an upcoming storyline which tackles grooming. The BBC drama, renowned for reflecting real issues affecting young teens, families and schools, sought advice from the NSPCC to ensure that the storyline is portrayed sensitively.
The storyline will show the character of Anthony Walters, (played by Karl Davies), who joins this series as the estranged husband of Nicky Walters, (Kym Marsh), as the school’s football coach, abuse his position of trust to exploit Portia Weever, whilst she’s under his supervision. The storyline is featured within two episodes of the upcoming series.
Cameron Roach, Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction and Executive Producer for Waterloo Road says: "Waterloo Road has a strong tradition of highlighting difficult issues young people face. Portia, played by Maisey Robinson, has proven to be one of our most popular new characters, and our writing team felt she could portray a truth around this very difficult subject matter.
"Working with the NSPCC and other experts in the field, we have been able to raise awareness of an important social issue, and demonstrate to young viewers that help, and support are always close at hand if needed."
Helen Westerman, NSPCC Strategic Service Manager for Local Campaigns, says: "Child sexual abuse or exploitation can have lifelong effects on those who experience it, so it is vital that parents, carers and young people know how to identify when something might be wrong.
"Having topics like grooming explored sensitively in flagship shows like Waterloo Road helps share important information with viewers and signpost to essential resources, like the NSPCC Helpline and Childline services, which are available to offer support around the clock."
All series are streaming now on iPlayer.