I have enjoyed watching Waterloo Road for the last few series thursday nights on BBC ONE. At the moment the staffing structure in the school is abit simplistic (compared to my old high school anyway) and there is a concentration on only a few pupils, however if they widened it out and added more characters it would go great in the 5.30 spot and would be a great replacement for Neighbours. It is after all Grange Hill from the point of view of the teachers.
I would hate to think The Weakest Link would occupy that slot for ever more.
Waterloo Road is a fantastic drama series. I think if it became a daily soap, they would water down the grittyness of it, and would end up like Grange Hill, dead in the water.
It was considered an option to replace Neighbours, but I don't think it should. We've got too much soap as it is, and not enough quality series drama.
It should stay as it is at something like 16-20 hour long episodes a year. Even taking it the Holby route into a year round series would be a huge mistake.
A fourth series of 20 further episodes will air later this year.
Here are last night rating:
Waterloo Road 5.3m 22%
The Bill 4.7m 19%
The Bill has been consistently beating it for weeks. Interesting that the positions changed - I presume this was because The Bill's multi-part story ended and it's clear that the individual stories for each episode aren't as appealing to viewers.
I like Waterloo Road and there seem to be a lot of ex Corrie actors in it (probabaly as its set in Rochdale). Joanne from Corrie was in it the other week as a school girl and Ryan Thomas's brother is also in it.
I also dont think it would work as a daily soap and I hope it doesnt become like Holby and is on all year.
I've really gotten into this show now. I dipped in and out with earlier series but this one has been great. Neil Morissey has been a great addition. They shouldn't turn into into an all year round or daily show, as they'd run out of ideas very quickly and keep repeating themselves. It works better in this format and with short series.
I found the blocked door part a bit far fetched, like they would just have this chained up door in the middle of a school and after several munites of dramatic screaming they realise that if they force of handle off they can get out.
and how the hell did that guy just walk in off the street to accuse the head of being a prostitute, where was the compulsary school security. All accesses to school must be locked form the inside so nobody can get in and the shootings in Dunblane exactly 12 years ago is testamony to that fact. he should have been escorted off the premises and the police called.
I work in a school so I know the security situation