WATERLOO ROAD: DENISE WELCH TO REPRISE ROLE AS THE ICONIC STEPH HAYDOCK NEXT SERIES

The BBC has confirmed that Denise Welch will be returning to the hit drama, reprising her role as the iconic Steph Haydock in the next series of Waterloo Road coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One early next year.  

Denise Welch played Steph Haydock from series 1 (2006) to series 5 (2010). Fans of Waterloo Road will remember her as the school’s Head of French, known to bend the rules whenever she needed to.

Whilst she may have been hopeless on the teaching front, the students always had a friend in Miss Haydock. She was always one to offer the pupils a shoulder to cry on, armed with the best life and relationship advice - though she may have not taken it herself. Steph was truly one of a kind and remains as one of Waterloo Road’s most memorable characters

Denise’s return to Waterloo Road follows in the footsteps of fellow original cast members, Angela Griffin, Chelsee Healey, Jamie Glover, Katie Griffiths, Lauren Drummond, and Zeriozha Annika, who have all appeared in the series since the show returned to screens in 2023.

Other original Waterloo Road cast, Adam Thomas and Jason Merrells both featured as regular cast members in the series of Waterloo Road that concluded on BBC One last night.  Viewers of Waterloo Road will remember that Merrells and Haydock’s characters had a tumultuous relationship – but audiences will have to wait and see whether there will be an on-screen reunion for the pair in the upcoming series… 

When the school experiences a teacher shortage in the next series, Miss Haydock is called in as a supply teacher. Although teaching may still not be her strong suit, Steph knows exactly how to handle the chaos. 

Denise Welch says: "I'm thrilled to see the return of Steph to Waterloo Road. 15 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. It’s also been great to reunite with some of my old castmates, like Jason Merrells. Steph and Jack go back a long way, but will they move forward?! You'll have to wait and see." 

Cameron Roach, Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction and Exec Producer for Waterloo Road says:  'Steph Haydock is a Waterloo Road icon, so we knew we had to find the right story if we were to see her back in our world. We were thrilled that Denise enjoyed our pitch and that the fans will get to see Steph once more - her one liners are just as sharp, her lip stick is fiercely drawn, and the staff room atmosphere is changed for good. Neil Guthrie has met his match. We can't wait for the fans to see her episodes.'  

Waterloo Road is a Rope Ladder Fiction and Wall to Wall North co-production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. The executive producers are Cameron Roach for Rope Ladder Fiction, Leanne Klein for Wall to Wall and Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan for the BBC. 

All episodes of Waterloo Road are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.