Waterloo Road viewers were thrilled to see an iconic character make a surprise return during Tuesday’s episode.
Deputy head Andrew Treneman (Jamie Glover) dramatically arrived back at his old stopping ground, 16 years after quitting the school to teach in Rwanda.
As the character came face to face with former lover and current headteacher Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) fans couldn’t believe their eyes.
Racing to Twitter one said: ‘Actual shriek at the return of main man Andrew Treneman in Waterloo Road’.
A second wrote: ‘Andrew The icon Treneman’.
Cheers! Waterloo Road viewers were thrilled to see an iconic character make a surprise return on Tuesday
While a third said: ‘Seeing Andrew Treneman back on Waterloo Road is making me feel old and I’m only 22. Great to have him back’.
Someone else teased: ‘Andrew Treneman is back, my life is complete’.
And: ‘He’s back? I fangirled over him too!’.
The character previously appeared in the original series from it’s very first episode in 2006, before bowing out as he headed across the world in 2009.
Jamie said after his return was announced: ‘I am so excited to be returning to Waterloo Road.
‘The school has been such an important part of my life and it’s wonderful to be able to rekindle the old flame.
‘Not to mention the joy of getting to work with the incomparable Angela Griffin once more. I hope that people will enjoy seeing Andrew and Kim together in the school again. Older? Certainly, there’s the grey hair to prove it…! Wiser? Who knows?’
The show will be returning to screens for a second series since its revival, the BBC has confirmed.
Back again! Deputy head Andrew Treneman (Jamie Glover) returned to his old stopping ground, 16 years after quitting the school to teach in Rwanda
Surprise! As the character make a dramatic entrance and came face to face with former lover and current headteacher Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) fans couldn’t believe their eyes
Return: The character previously appeared in the original series from it’s very first episode in 2006, before bowing out as he headed across the world in 2009 (left, pictured in 2023, right in 2006)
The show was originally axed in 2015, but following a revival in audiences during the first COVID lockdown, it returned to screens following an eight-year break.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama said: ‘We are thrilled that Waterloo Road is returning following its successful run earlier this year.
‘To have Jamie Glover reprise his role as Andrew Treneman alongside our fantastic returning and new cast members is a real treat and we can’t wait to share more stories from the school.’
The secondary school-set show first aired in 2006 and won legions of fans by tackling numerous tough issues over its 200-episode run.
In it’s initial return, it tackled the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on school kids.
The gritty show – which was written by the creators of ITV prison drama Bad Girls – was originally set in Rochdale but later series saw a relocation to Greenock, Scotland.
The show, based once again around a high school in Greater Manchester, tells the stories of the challenges experienced by teachers, parents and pupils.
Delighted: Racing to Twitter one viewer said: ‘Actual shriek at the return of main man Andrew Treneman in Waterloo Road’
It also highlights the problems that teenagers face today, including the cost-of-living crisis, navigating being LGBTQ+, racism, sexism and mental health.
Returning for another term is Angela Griffin, who portrays teacher Kim Campbell.
She said of the show’s new season: ‘It’s great to be back on BBC One and to be able to offer iPlayer fans some great new episodes. We have such a wonderful and talented cast, all of whom bring so much to Waterloo Road.
‘This series holds a fair few surprises for Kim and everyone around her and I can’t wait for people to catch up with all the action inside and outside the school.’
Waterloo Road launched the careers of The Capture star Holliday Grainger, 33, and Jenna Coleman, who went on to win awards for her role as companion Clara Oswald in Doctor Who and as Queen Victoria in Victoria.
And again! The show was originally axed in 2015, but following a revival in audiences during the first COVID lockdown, it returned to screens following an eight-year break
The series – of which all ten series were released on BBC iPlayer prior to lockdown – tackled issues such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol, and drug addiction, and cancer.
Hard-hitting storylines saw headteacher Rachel Mason (Eva Pope) being exposed as a former prostitute, an explosion rip through the canteen, and pupil Maxine Barlow being shot to death by boyfriend Earl Kelly.
The programme ended in 2014 with BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore saying at the time it was ‘important to make room for new dramas’.
The news was announced by BBC1’s Twitter account, which wrote: ‘Series 10 of #WaterlooRoad will be the final series. We’re incredibly proud of the show but believe it has reached the end of its lifecycle. (sic)’.
Ms Moore said the BBC was ‘incredibly proud’ of the show but went on: ‘We believe it has reached the end of its life cycle and won’t be returning after series 10 finishes in 2015.
‘On BBC1 it’s important to make room for new drama and we are committed to commissioning new drama series for 8pm. There are some really exciting ideas currently in development but nothing to confirm yet.’
