Waterloo Road came back with a bang last week when the BBC One school drama decided to kill off one of its best-loved characters in the very first episode.
With Waterloo Road season 11 headteacher Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) off attending the funeral of Chlo Charles — who died after being hit by a car — this week, it’s left up to joint deputy heads, Joe Casey and Lindon King, to keep Waterloo Road under control. But the pair clash when pupils, Dean Weever and Danny Lewis, are found with drugs at school.
Dean (Francesco Piacentini-Smith) and Danny (Adam Abbou) won’t reveal where the drugs came from. But while Lindon wants to call the police, Joe thinks troubled Danny — who’s been given a second chance at school — should be cut some slack…
"Joe and Lindon have very different teaching styles; Joe is more on the pastoral side of things, so tries to get on the kids’ level but that leaves him open to being taken advantage of by them," says Still Open All Hours’ James Baxter, who plays Joe.
"Lindon picks up in areas where Joe is lacking, and vice versa and they’ve got to try and navigate that, so they’re not always at loggerheads!"
Later, Joe and student Danny are thrilled when news comes that the LEA are going to fund his return to school. But their joy is short-lived when the police turn up! Will Lindon scupper Danny’s future at Waterloo Road?
By his own admission, James was the ‘class clown’ at school.
"My concentration wasn’t great and I wasn’t the easiest person to teach," he says. "I had tunnel vision about wanting to be an actor and didn’t realise how important education was. If I had that time again I’d soak it up."
Waterloo Road airs on Tuesdays at 8 pm on BBC One.
