BBC Waterloo Road favourite 'return' as fans warned to get tissues ready

Waterloo Road is back, with the reprise of one much-loved character "confirmed" and the exit of another hanging in the balance. The school-based drama is back on the BBC for a 16th series, as Jo Coffey, who plays school secretary Wendy Whitwell, spills the beans on what to expect.

It was previously rumoured that Denise Welch was set to reprise her Waterloo Road role as Steph Haydock for the 17th series, which is set to air in 2026. She previously starred as the French teacher from 2006 to 2010, making a brief return for two episodes in the sixth series. Jo told Express.co.uk: "Obviously, the return of Denise [Welch] would be fantastic. And her character is fantastic, too. I would love to do stuff with her in the future if we ever both return on it." However, the comedian hinted that Wendy's future on the BBC drama could be hanging in the balance - diminishing the chance for the two actresses to work together.

When asked if Wendy will be returning in the next series, Jo remained tight-lipped as she joked: "Well, hopefully she will go on to strike fear into children for years to come! But you will have to tune in to see what happens."

Speaking about the current series, Jo shared that her role is very different to anything she has done before and viewers would definitely need to get their tissues ready.

"Normally, Wendy is known for her witty one-liners and upbeat personality, but in this series, she has a bigger part to play. "I'm really excited for this one," Jo said.

"In the past, I've done a sort of comedy role. Comedy fits as it's my comfort zone, with doing stand up, but for this one I'm doing something completely different.

"I've been required to ball my eyes out on a regular basis, so that was quite a learning curve. It was tough. Things go quite bad for Wendy. All I've done is sob my heart out!"

Waterloo Road returned to BBC on September 23. The full series is now available on BBC iPlayer with episodes also airing on BBC One. A double bill of Waterloo Road will air every Tuesday at 9pm with the second episode at 10.40pm.