Rebecca Craven reveals why the rebellious teen turns nasty after Maggie interferes in her love life in Waterloo Road (BBC1, Thursday)...
Next week Rhiannon returns home in the early morning on the back of a scooter, having stayed out all night. What has she been up to?
"Rhiannon has been working at a kebab shop on weekends and weeknights and has become really good friends with Naz, the son of the owner. Rhiannon actually fancies Naz, but nothing has happened, even though she stayed over at his house and worried Maggie sick!"
Is she reverting to her former bad girl self?
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in Rhiannon but part of her will always be a little mouthy chav because that’s just the way she is! She’s not the bully she was, but things kick off when Rhiannon discovers Maggie has meddled in her love life and lost her the job at the takeaway. Rhiannon retaliates because she’s really hurt.”
She really hits Maggie where it hurts – what can you tell us about Rhiannon’s devious plan?
“Maggie and Naz’s dad Usman are both vying for a catering contract at the school, so Rhiannon pairs up with Naz and helps his dad win. But it all goes disastrously wrong. Expect a lot of shouting and arguing!”
Maggie’s under a lot of pressure with husband Grantly's kidney failure problems. Why doesn’t Rhiannon realise she’s doing something horrible?
“Initially she only wants revenge because she’s hurt Maggie cost her a job and lost her a potential boyfriend. Slowly but surely, once Rhiannon talks to Grantly, she begins to see sense. Rhiannon realises Maggie and Grantly are like parents to her after a life of fostering and she doesn’t want to ruin things. Real remorse kicks in as soon as she realises how affected Maggie is about losing the catering contract. Also for the first time she realises how much trauma Maggie and Grantly are going through too.”
Are we going to see a maturing in Rhiannon this series?
“Definitely. This episode is a real turning point for her and she continues to change and mature throughout the series.”
Do you enjoy those big scenes with Melanie Hill?
“She’s great! We’re really close on and off set. Melanie’s a hell of a laugh, but when it comes to serious scenes she’s a real mentor. One of the great things about Waterloo Road is having experienced actors like Melanie Hill, Laurie Brett and Georgie Glen who are willing to help with difficult scenes whenever we ask them. It’s a great atmosphere on set, I feel really lucky.”
