The BBC has announced that EastEnders' Lindsey Coulson is to play new headteacher Dame Stella Drake in the hit drama Waterloo Road.
Lindsey Coulson takes charge as the new headteacher of #WaterlooRoad 👀 pic.twitter.com/iC5TXw5423
— Waterloo Road (@WaterlooRoad) October 29, 2024
Announcing Coulson's casting, the BBC said: "Following the downfall of previous headteacher Steve Savage, played by Jason Manford, Lindsey will make her debut as Dame Stella Drake in the next series of Waterloo Road when it returns to BBC iPlayer and BBC One in 2025.
"Fans of the show will have seen Mr Savage and his son Billy's secret catch up with them at the end of the most recent series, as they were outed for murdering Boz Osbourne.
"Steve's arrest means that Waterloo Road is once again left without a headteacher and is trying to shake off its reputation as the 'murder school'.
"Once at the top of the Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) ranks, Dame Stella found herself knocked off her pedestal thanks to her cutting words about parental incompetence going viral, but her uncompromising work ethic, strict moral compass, and no-nonsense approach make her the perfect candidate to reform Waterloo Road.
"Stella joins the school as the students become increasingly unruly following the effects of last term and she soon feels out of date as she clashes with the school's modern pastoral approach.
"Her unfiltered honesty is both endearing and abrasive. She tells it as it is and while her intent is to inspire positive change, her methods can sometimes ruffle feathers.
"Stella might have the students' best interests at heart but soon her personal life spills over into the professional and fans will be left wondering what skeletons she could be hiding?"
"I'm delighted to be joining Waterloo Road as the new headteacher, Dame Stella Drake," said Coulson, who is best known for her role as EastEnders' Carol Jackson.
"It's a role I haven't played before so I'm really enjoying peeling back the layers of who Stella is and seeing how the teachers and students react to her no-nonsense approach.
"Waterloo Road tackles social issues head-on, which is so important to see on television, and this series will be no different."
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