Waterloo Road – which is known for highlighting difficult and sensitive issues – is about to air a hard-hard-hitting storyline which tackles grooming.
The story centres around the character of Portia Weever (Maisey Robinson), who is targeted by the school’s football coach Anthony Walters (Karl Davies). Walters is the estranged husband of well-loved character Nicky Walters (Kym Marsh) – adding another layer of complexity to the story.
The storyline will play out across two episodes of the forthcoming series. Executive producer and founder of Rope Ladder Fiction Cameron Roach, explained why the character of Portia was chosen to carry this story.
‘Waterloo Road has a strong tradition of highlighting difficult issues young people face,’ he said. ‘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.’
The team at Waterloo Road his working closely with charity the NSPCC, who have advised them on how best to portray this story realistically and sensitively.
‘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,’ Cameron Roach told us.
Helen Westerman, NSPCC Strategic Services Manager for Local Campaigns, added that,
‘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.’
The forthcoming series will also see the return of Steph Haydock, an iconic character from the original series played by Denise Welch, who told us that her character forms a particular bond with Portia Weever, which suggests that Steph has a big part to play in this storyline.
‘Portia is always dealt with as kind of the naughty kid. The one thing about Steph is that she has always taken on board the kids who people give up on.
‘She comes in and tries to find the person within Portia, and that’s very important to her. She always goes for the underdog and although it might be an unconventional way of teaching she usually gets through to them, and it’s a little bit like that with Portia.’
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Since it returned to our screens in its rebooted form in 2023, Waterloo Road has already tackled issues including coercive controlling relationships, eating disorders and mental health.
The new series of Waterloo Road starts on January 6, and the full boxset will be on BBC iPlayer from 6am.
