I Won't Be Sending This Show To The 'Cooler'! (Waterloo Road)

Member Name: zoe-e

Product:	Waterloo Road
Date:	19/05/09 (80 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great storylines, some very talented actors/actresses

Disadvantages: it's only on once a week!

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Waterloo Road
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Waterloo Road is a BBC1 drama based around the day to day running of the secondary school of the same name. It also focuses on the lives on the pupils, the staff and their families and tackles a wide range of story lines, some very relevant in today's society. Created by Ann McManus and Maureen Chadwick, Waterloo Road has been successfully aired since 2006 and so far there have been 4 series. Each episode runs for 60 minutes, at the moment it is on BBC1 on a Wednesday evening at 8PM.

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My Opinion of The Show
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I have watched Waterloo Road since the first series and have to say that it really has got progressively better as the series went on. Many so called drama's these days are full of completely unbelievable plot lines, ridiculously bad actors/actresses and storylines that are so obviously fictional that you may as well be watching an episode of The Simpsons. This is where Waterloo Road really stands out from the rest for me. The storylines created have always been (particularly in the latest series) very up to date with society and very relevant to things going on in the United Kingdom today. My favourite storylines at the moment have included the shooting and killing of Maxine by her "psychopath" boyfriend and Earl Kelly, and Kim Campbell smuggling baby Grace from Rwanda to the UK to give her a better life. Other serious issues that have been tackled and portrayed, not just in this series but also in previous ones include suicide, abortion, drugs, teen pregnancy Asperger's Syndrome and many others. In my opinion these have all been portrayed by fantastic issues with a great deal of sensitivity.

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My Favourite Characters
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Karla Bentham
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Karla was first introduced in 2007, the third series I think. The first thing that I have to say is, the girl that plays her (Jessica Baglow) has done a fantastic job of portraying Asperger's Syndrome in my opinion, she is a brilliant young actress. Throughout the various episodes the viewers have been able to see how challenging and unnerving it can be for a young person with Asperger's to deal with school life. It was shown when the character of Karla was first introduced that she didn't like physical contact with people she doesn't know very well. This was definitely highlighted in the episode where Karla is being told off by Grantly, who doesn't listen when she asks him not to touch her and ends up getting smacked with a chair! As part of her Asperger's, Karla tends to take things people say very literally. This was shown in the episode where she was asked to wait outside an office and removed herself completely from the building. Despite some people thinking that Karla isn't very intelligent, she actually shows she has a lot of potential and is particularly talented when it comes to art and maths.

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Kim Campbell
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Played by the brilliant Angela Griffin, her character Kim has been the focus of a controversial storyline in the latest series. She smuggled a baby girl (Grace) from Rwanda into the UK with the intention of giving her a better life. After thinking she had fooled her fellow colleagues into thinking that Kim herself had this child whilst in Rwanda, her plan was foiled and baby Grace taken back to her home in Rwanda. Kim is the head of pastoral care and the teacher that every pupil goes to for advice. She has strong views on just about everything and isn't afraid to voice those opinions! The illegal smuggling of baby Grace was written and acted brilliantly, I haven't really seen much of Angela Griffin on TV but she definitely shines in this show.

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Donte Charles
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Anyone that watches Coronation Street will probably know that the character of Donte is played by Adam Thomas, the younger brother of Ryan Thomas in corrie (Jason Grimshaw). They are both very similar so I found this quite hard to get past when I first started to watch Waterloo Road, but the character of Donte has had some fantastic storylines and Adam is a brilliant young actor. The main storylines that really stand out are Donte marrying Chlo despite still being in school and in the latest series, battling with Chlo to stop her putting their unborn baby up for adoption. Sound confusing? It is!

All in all, Waterloo Road is a great drama that everyone can enjoy, despite being some controversial storylines I still think that it is suitable for teens and adults. A lot of the stuff going on in the show is very relevant to society today. There are some great characters and actors, a lot of comedy but with some amazingly emotional scenes. This is the first show that everyone in my house agrees is worth watching! If you like dramas then this show is a must see!

Thanks For Reading!

Summary: a brilliant show that I would recommend to everyone