‘It was a nervy week’ Waterloo Road’s Angela Griffin gives major update on new series of hit BBC show
WATERLOO Road star Angela Griffin has revealed she directed one of the show’s upcoming episodes.
The actress, 48, originated the role of art teacher Kim Campbell in series one, which aired all the way back in 2006.
Taking to Instagram, Angela shared a snap from the BBC show’s set, revealing her latest foray as a director.
The star wrote: “Obligatory first slate shot.
“Was a nervy week, worried I’d forget how to do it, that everything before had been a fluke… but I didn’t and it hasn’t been.
“It was a total buzz, working with brill actors and ace crew, some for the first time.
“I’ve loved putting on my WR directing hat on again. Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
Angela has already directed episodes three and four in series 13.
The upcoming series 14 will be the fourth since the school-set drama was revived in 2021.
It initially ran from 2006 to 2014 on BBC One, but migrated to BBC Three in 2015.
The show originally came to an end exactly nine years after its first broadcast.
In the newer episodes, Kim has been promoted to the position of Head Teacher.
The revival has seen the return of other cast members including Jamie Glover and Adam Thomas, who featured in the initial run.
Angela is also well-known for her time playing Fiona Middleton in Coronation Street.
She joined the ITV soap in 1992 and continued to play the hairdresser until her departure in 1998.
During Fiona’s time in Weatherfield, she had a relationship with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).
Forgotten soap storylines
The nation's soaps have had many gripping storylines play out over the years. However, some plots proved to be far less memorable. Here are some forgotten stories from Weatherfield, Walford and more...
- Ken and Audrey’s romance (2015): After the death of wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Coronation Street original Ken Barlow (William Roache) started to move on in his life. He started to develop a spark with old friend Audrey (Sue Nicholls), with then-Corrie boss saying it would be like “Ross and Rachel”. In the end, nothing ever came of it and the two remained platonic pals.
- Beth’s bigamy (2016): Despite being happily married to Kirk (Andrew Whyment), a troubling secret came to light about Beth Tinker (Lisa George). It transpired that she had never divorced from her first husband, Darryl (Paul Loughran), father of her son Craig (Colson Smith). Although Craig and Kirk were shocked – and Beth was arrested – the storyline didn’t didn’t go much further.
- Kat Slater’s secret son (2017): Capitalising on the popularity of Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie (Shane Richie), the two received a spin-off back in 2017. Titled ‘Redwater’, it saw the two travel to Ireland where they met long-lost son Luke, now called Dermott Dolan, played by Oisín Stack. Despite the high-tension events during Redwater, Kat seems to have put the experience behind her as Dermott’s not been mentioned since.
- Alfie’s brain tumour (2015): Having learned in 2015 that he had a brain tumour, Alfie kept the news from Kat until their trip to Ireland. At the time, actor Shane Ritchie revealed fans would see a change in Alfie as he battled the illness. It would appear that at some point after leaving the Square, was told the tumour was non-malignant. By the time Alfie returned in 2022, fans were left confused over what had happened to the storyline.
- Kathy and Buster’s affair (2016): In 2016, Walford legend Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) fell into the arms of convict Buster Briggs, played by Karl Howman. Buster was the long-time lover of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and fathered both her sons – Mick (Danny Dyer) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). When Buster left, he begged Kathy to join him, but she refused for the sake of her family. Meanwhile Buster didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Shirley before exiting with a broken heart. Fans expected a showdown between the two women, but this never came to pass.
- Jacob’s OCD (2016): After his dad, David (Matthew Wolfenden), was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This manifested in the form of cleaning. Jacob’s OCD made a brief return one year on, after David had another scare after finding a lump. Jacob frantically searched the bins for a “lucky coin” that had accidentally been thrown away. Despite stressful situations – such as being groomed by his teacher Maya, losing his fiancee Leanna to a serial killer, dealing with mum Leyla’s drug addiction, and surviving a stabbing – the condition doesn’t appear to have returned.
- Marlon and Charity’s fling (2003): Few fans would likely remember few will remember the one-night stand between Charity (Emma Atkins) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) in 2003. The pair slept together when Charity was staying with Marlon while still under suspicion for husband Chris’s supposed “murder”.
- Alex Browning’s revenge plot (2014): Fans expected a confrontation when Dr Browning’s son Alex (Ojan Genc) mer stepmum Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). After all, Mercedes, with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) had murdered Alex’s dad, double-murderer Dr Paul Browning, after he kidnapped and attacked his new wife. In fact, the soap teased Alex would seek revenge for his father’s death upon arriving. However, he instead gave Cindy’s son Hilton (his half-brother) a life-saving transplant, became his godfather, and leaving the village soon after.
This paved the way for Angela’s brief return two decades later.
A storyline saw hairdresser Emma Brooker (Alexandra Mardell), revealed as Fiona and Steve’s (Simon Gregson) daughter – although he was unaware at first.
Although the character appeared via Skype, Angela filmed her scenes at Corrie’s studios.
Waterloo Road airs on BBC One