Waterloo Road
Character biographies
Staff
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Jason Merrell plays Jack Rimmer (Acting Head)
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Jack Rimmer was Waterloo Road's hard man Deputy Head, who was propelled into the number one job when the previous Head suffered a mental breakdown.
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Jack is in his early forties and is a complete pragmatist. He doesn't care how things are done, as long as they work. Poaching Andrew Treneman from a nearby independent school to be his new deputy was Jack's first appointment as Acting Head.
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Jack is divorced but he enjoys bachelorhood and is not looking for anyone to come between him and his diversions. But when new PA Davina Shackleton starts at Waterloo Road, all that seems set to change...
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Jamie Glover plays Andrew Treneman (Deputy Head/English)
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Andrew, who is in his early thirties, is a public school- and Oxbridge-educated social misfit, whose passion is teaching English.
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His snobby accent and his strict teaching methods get up the noses of some of his new pupils, and his importing of right-wing management strategies from his public school also make him a few enemies amongst his colleagues – most notably, Grantly Budgen.
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But he has a steely determination that, no matter what, he is going to make a difference – something that new sponsor governor Roger Aspinall admires.
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Andrew's love life has been on hold for a long time. He may well have fallen too deeply in love too young and been badly hurt in the past but he keeps that part of his life buried – until, much to his alarm, he's hit right where it hurts, by Kim Campbell.
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So begins a long struggle of mutually attracted opposites – his reticence matched by Kim's directness. But Kim's not the only female teacher at Waterloo Road who's attracted to Andrew's old-fashioned charms and he soon finds himself offering needy Lorna Dickey more than a shoulder to cry on.
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Angela Griffin plays Kim Campbell (Head of Pastoral Care/Art)
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If what makes a good teacher could be bottled, you'd bottle Kim. She's the children's friend in the best sense of the word.
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She and Andrew were daggers drawn when he first arrived – she thinks he's distant and demanding, while he thinks she "understands" too much and doesn't challenge enough. It's a hate that grows into mutual respect and then ... love?
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Kim's specialist subject is Art and she also has the role of Head of Pastoral Care at Waterloo Road.
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Her ugly brush with Lewis Seddon knocked her for six but she refuses to descend into gloomy isolation.
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However, there's a new cynical edge to Kim; she's mistrustful of innovation and very suspicious of business involvement and government policy – she might just be a thorn in Jack's side.
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Jill Halfpenny plays Izzie Redpath (English and Drama)
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Izzie is warm with bags of charisma and a "sod the rules" approach. She's a popular teacher (Drama and Movement) who wings it too much for her own good. She's easy and open and can have a laugh at her own expense with the pupils.
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She's in her mid to late thirties and is also a single mum to two teenage daughters who are also at Waterloo Road: Mika (16) and Chlo (15). She and Tom Clarkson recently got together, but Izzie still feels guilty for betraying her best friend and his ex, Lorna.
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When Lorna returns unexpectedly after the summer holidays, Izzie's genuinely happy to see her, hoping that they can put the past behind them.
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Much to Tom's annoyance, however, Izzie offers Lorna a room while she sorts herself out. It's awkward enough with all three teachers – plus Mika and Chlo – under one roof but, to make matters worse, Izzie's pregnant with Tom's baby.
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Jason Done plays Tom Clarkson (English)
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Tom is in his early thirties and is an "in it for the holidays" teacher who gets through the day on his back. The boys like him because he doesn't push them and the girls fancy him because he's young and good-looking – but he doesn't take his fan club seriously.
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He was very fond of his fiancée, Lorna, but he harboured a secret passion for their joint best friend, Izzie Redpath. His marriage was short-lived but he has no real regrets and believes that he and Izzie were meant to be. Now he wishes Lorna would just go away and leave them to it – has she never heard that three's a crowd?
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Camilla Power plays Lorna Dickey (English)
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Lorna is a lesson plan teacher who does it by the book. She's punctual, dresses professionally and doesn't smile. In her early thirties, Lorna is a great organiser, prides herself on being a very practical person and loves to help other people sort out their problems.
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Lorna loves to be needed. She thought she would make Tom the perfect wife and, when they split up, she refused to accept it was more than a temporary blip – until she saw him in the arms of her best friend.
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After a suicide attempt that left her cold, wet and embarrassed, she's back at Waterloo Road, determined to get her career on track and for the three of them to be chums again. But then she starts experiencing weird symptoms. Tom's convinced she's turned bunny boiler, but could there be more to it?
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Philip Martin Brown plays Grantly Budgen (Head of English)
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The Head of English and nearing retirement age, Grantly has had many years to perfect his cynical disenchantment with the teaching profession.
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He's slightly scruffy, tired and lacks conviction about anything. His main adversary at the school is Andrew Treneman, whom he has threatened with union action, citing bullying.
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Grantly also locks horns with the new Chair of Governors, Roger Aspinall, a former pupil who can't forget his treatment at the caustic Grantly's hands.
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Grantly's career is on the line when he falls asleep in class – and Roger sees it as the perfect opportunity to get shot of him.
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Denise Welch plays Steph Haydock (Head of French)
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Steph's in her early forties and is a hopeless teacher. She has no control over her classes and the kids have no respect for her.
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She's had a string of affairs with married men, none of whom were ever going to leave their wives. Her self-esteem is low but she tries desperately to maintain a bubbly, up-beat attitude for Jack, with whom she considers herself in love.
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The arrival at Waterloo Road of buxom PA Davina Shackleton – too much like Steph was 20 years ago – brings out Steph's super-bitch streak. She can play dirty with the best of them and she'll do just about anything to sabotage Jack and Davina's burgeoning relationship.
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Steph is given an unexpected fillip when desperate drop-out Maxine Barlow tries to mug her. Her long-lost maternal instinct comes to the fore and she sees in Maxine an opportunity to add meaning and purpose to her empty life. Steph makes a decision that will change both their lives forever.
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Nick Sidi plays Roger Aspinall (Chair of Governors)
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Roger is a dynamic, designer-suited Waterloo Road old-boy turned self-made millionaire.
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An undiagnosed dyslexic, he was picked on during his school days by his teachers – in particular, Grantly Budgen, who accused him of being lazy and stupid. Driven by a determination to prove him wrong, Roger went on to become one of the richest men in the North of England.
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From solid working-class stock with traditional values, Roger married a "nice girl" and had a son, Brett. But when his wife died tragically young, a rift opened up between Roger and Brett, which he tries to heal by showering his son with money.
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Despite the problems between them, Roger sees his son as another one of his success stories and Brett's middle-class accent a mark of his own achievements.
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His plans to turn Waterloo Road into an academy within the year are for mainly altruistic reasons, but the advertising opportunity of the Roger Aspinall Academy is an added bonus he can't ignore.
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Christine Tremarco plays Davina Shackleton (PA to Jack Rimmer)
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Davina is sexy, sassy and much smarter than her knockout looks would have you believe. She's conscientious, professional and ambitious, and used to work for Roger Aspinall.
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She has a colourful past which could soon catch up with her when she arrives at Waterloo Road. She's not telling Jack the truth about herself but nor has she made any promises to him – she just thinks that what he doesn’t know, won't hurt him. It's a high-risk strategy.
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Pupils
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Katie Griffiths plays Chlo Grainger
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Chlo's been something of a wild child of late, a teenage rebel suffering the effects of her parents splitting up. Keen to impress her boyfriend, Donte, she would sneak out of the house to meet him and get drunk.
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However, following a tragic car crash for which she was mainly responsible and which killed one of her friends and put another in a coma, Chlo has turned over a new leaf and settled down.
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The ordeal has made her older than her 15 years. Now she's determined to get her GCSEs – which, as a bright girl with a strong artistic streak, she should do with ease.
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Chlo bickers with her sister, Mika, but their arguments are mostly about borrowing clothes and use of the bathroom. They are close and support each other in times of crisis. She loves R&B, rap and hip hop and wouldn't be caught dead listening to boy bands or Britney.
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As Chlo's relationship with Donte grows, she comes under pressure to take it to the next level. She's uncomfortable – if Donte loves her, then he'll have to wait until the time is right.
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Lauren Drummond plays Mika Grainger
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Mika is 16 and more fiery and opinionated than Chlo. She's bright but has to work hard and she's looking forward to her A-levels, without being a swot.
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When she takes issue with someone, she'll go and do something about it.
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When she meets Brett, Mika is convinced that he's way out of her league, but he soon warms to her self-effacing manner.
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But her so-called best mate, Leigh Ann, has designs on Brett, too – and her jealousy spills over into a vicious campaign of bullying and intimidation which makes Mika wonder whether Waterloo Road is really the place for her.
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Adam Thomas plays Donte Charles
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Donte is 16 and, after the car crash that got him arrested and charged for causing death by dangerous driving, he has returned to school to resit his GCSEs.
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He's tough, mouthy and arrogant and hates authority, but he's crazy about his girlfriend Chlo, so is ready to follow her lead and knuckle down.
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Donte's desperate to take his relationship with Chlo to the next level, believing it's time they made a long-term – physical – commitment to one another, and he isn't above applying a little psychological pressure on the hesitant Chlo.
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Chelsee Healey plays Janeece Bryant
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Loudmouth Janeece is 16 and also doing re-sits. She's not afraid to start a fight if someone's annoying her and can be seen as a bit of a bully, though she is fiercely loyal to her friends. She does have a soft centre but most don't get to see it.
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Janeece is a bright girl but laziness and not seeing the point in education caused her to fail her GCSEs. However, Andrew inspired in her an interest in palaeontology on a school trip to the museum and now she is determined to work hard and make something of herself. Janeece has a heart of gold but a mind as malleable as putty.
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Craig Fitzpatrick plays Lewis Seddon
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Former pupil Lewis is the bad boy of the Waterloo Road community. Permanently excluded for sexually threatening behaviour towards Kim Campbell, he has a nasty streak a mile wide.
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Lewis has been in trouble from an early age – with his half-brothers and cousins he's been a thorn in the side of the local police since he was nine – and he boasts that he's the reason the government brought in ASBOs.
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Lewis's quick wit and sharp tongue keep his mates (and him) amused and the butt of his sarky quips is often Maxine, his long-suffering on/off girlfriend.
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Maxine's drug addiction is entirely down to him and he continues to treat her like something he's scraped from his shoe.
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When Maxine goes straight and gets close to Steph, Lewis, ever the businessman, spots an opportunity to secure a steady income.
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Tom Payne plays Brett Aspinall
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Brett is good-looking in an arty, Franz Ferdinand way and has a brilliant brain – when he decides to use it. He's spent the last five years being sheltered at the posh school nearby and, determined to get a taste of real life, insisted on coming to Waterloo Road for his A-levels.
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His background has given him an accent and an attitude that sets him apart from the other pupils and, with his easy confidence, he's never short of friends and admirers amongst pupils and teachers alike.
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However, his sharp mind and dry wit don't endear him to every member of staff at Waterloo Road – Jack takes an instant dislike to him.
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Brett also resents his father, entrepreneur Roger, who is the school's new Chair of Governors.
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Ellie Paskell plays Maxine Barlow
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Maxine dropped out of school as soon as she could claim benefits, planning to spend her days at the park with her mates and her money on the recreational drug habit she'd developed.
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Most of her friends have deserted her and her part-time boyfriend, Lewis Seddon, couldn't care less about her. But when he bullies her into ripping off Steph Haydock, it's the beginning of a remarkable turnaround in Maxine's fortunes.
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Holly Matthews plays Leigh-Ann Galloway
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Leigh-Ann has a penchant for hairspray and too much make-up. She's fashion-conscious and spends most of the money from her waitressing job on the latest looks, as modelled by the D-list celebs in her favourite magazine.
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Leigh-Ann is one of the in-crowd and her status among her friends is more important to her than the friends themselves. She's Mika's best mate, but her main interest is number one – and she will reveal herself to have a disturbing capacity for spite.
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