Warning! This article may contain major spoilers. Read only if you wish to see these.

With the new series of Waterloo Road approaching fast, speculation about it is starting to boom. And so it should be, this series is going to be an iconic one for the show. Not only is it a brand new series, it’s also set in a brand new location (the former Greenock Academy in Scotland-Pictured below) and this move brings a whole wave of new characters with new stories to tell. Whilst several older faces remain in the show, many are fresh. And with the last series ending on a cliff hanger situation, many people are wondering what will become of the characters in the path of the out of control lorry. Below is a list of who’s in and who’s out following the school’s big move.

Photo: Dave Souza.

Who’s joining the new Waterloo Road?

Photo: BBC

-Eastenders favourite Laurie Brett, who recently left the role of Jane Beale in the soap, has joined the cast as new English teacher Christine Mulgrew. Something interesting to note is that, for the first time in her acting career, she’ll be speaking with her native Scottish accent. We can’t wait to see her in the show! She will join with her on screen son Connor Mulgrew, played by Shane O’Meara.

-In the series next year, another popular ex-enders actress will be taking on the role of struggling single mother Carol Barry. Zoe Lucker, who played Vanessa Gold, will be the head of a crime family. Her husband is in jail, and along with her three kids (the oddly named bad boy Barry Barry, Dynasty Barry and Kacey Barry) she is set to cause a stir in the school as head teacher Michael Byrne invites them to join a new pupil referral unit.

- We’re also looking forward to a story involving newcomer Paige Meade, who is thought to be arriving at Waterloo Road with her boyfriend Drew whilst they’re on the run from London.

Tommy Knight. Photo: BBC/CBBC

-The new school bully Rebecca Craven, played by Rhiannon Salt, is set to kick up a stink in the school when she sets her sights on making Scout’s life a misery. It’s rumoured that as a a rather crafty and clever girl, Rebecca will be skilled in reflecting blame onto others.

-Mrs McFall, a new teacher played by Georgia Glen, will also be on screen from September. We know very little about this character other than that she’s teaching history, which is a first for Waterloo Road!

-Other new characters worth a mention include  former Taggart actor Alex Norton, who will be playing a rival head teacher, Tommy Knight (Luke from The Sarah Jane Adventures), Ron Donachie from Game of Thrones, and acting newcomers Kirstie Steele, Marlene Madenge and Adiza Shardow.

Who’s staying?

-Waterloo Road favourites Tom Clarkson (played by Jason Done) and Grantly Budgen (Phillip Martin Brown) have been in the show since episode 1, and are still going strong. They’ll be regulars in series 8 and don’t seem to have any intentions of leaving just yet. Tom’s son Josh Stevenson will move along with his dad. After several quite large story’s in the last series, it’d be nice to see these develop more now!

-Former canteen assistant Maggie Croft (Played by Melanie Hill), is also staying. She’s now taken on the role of House Mistress and will be looking after the accommodation in which the pupils live.

-The newest head teacher, Michael Byrne (Alec Newman), is also sticking it out now he’s moved Waterloo Road to Scotland. He’ll be holding the reins for a while longer too, it seems. The woman who encouraged the move to Scotland, Lorraine Donnegan (Daniela Denby-Ashe), is also a stayer.

-Science teacher Sian Diamond (Jaye Jacobs) will be making the move too, and step daughter Madi Diamond (Georgia Henshaw) will be joining her during the series.

William Rush. Photo: BBC

-Daniel Chalk (Mark Benton) will keep up his role as maths teacher, and pupils  Harley (Kane Tomlinson Weaver) and Phoenix Taylor (Kaya Moore) keep their places.

-Other popular Rochdale characters making an appearance during the series include Tariq Siddiqui (Naveed Choudhry), Scout (Katie McGlynn) and Nicki Boston (Heather Peace).

 Who’s leaving? (Big spoilers)

-At the end of the last series, we were faced with an out of control lorry about to crash right into the small few that remained of the Rochdale cast. Right in it’s path appeared to be lovable maths teacher Daniel Chalk. However, it came as a shock to discover that he doesn’t die. It’s not yet clear what happens during the crash, but it is thought that the opening scenes of the new series are going to be a funeral or memorial service. A funeral of who? I hear you ask. None other than Denzil Kelly (played by Reece Douglas), of course. He does appear to be a member of the unluckiest family on the drama, with his brother being banged up in series 4 for murder and his sister, Sambuca, dying of cancer in series 7. It’s not clear whether his mother Rose will return to the show during these scenes. We’ll be sad to see him go!

-Later on in the series Janeece Bryant (played by Chelsee Healey) will be leaving the show in what has been described as an emotional exit, followed by Josh Stevenson and Tariq Siddiqui. Madi Diamond is also set to leave the show.

And that’s all we know for now. But it does looks like this series is going to pretty special and it can only be hoped that it’ll be as amazing as it looks!

Note: All information in this feature was learned from official press releases and information released in press clippings. Some information, such as info on the new characters, was sourced from a fan site (http://waterlootvroad.weebly.com/). Images can be removed upon request of the owners.