Waterloo Road

I was hooked from the first episode and hadn't missed a single one except from the second to last one of the first series! I was gutted! Waterloo Road had been compared to Channel 4's Teachers but I hadn't seen it - I had wanted to watch Waterloo Road because Jill Halfpenny was in it and I think she's a great actress after seeing her on EastEnders and Chicago in London.

Waterloo Road tackled many different story lines in the first series with the main one being the court case of Donte Charles. The story lines involved many different situations including bullying, homosexuality, father's rights, guilt and grief.

I found the story lines very gripping to watch especially the love triangle between Izzy Redpath and Tom and Lorna Clarkson - I was so glad when Tom and Izzy finally admit their love and they get together in the last episode! Despite this, I still feel a bit sympathetic for Lorna.

It was definitely an entertaining watch and I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it before.

Waterloo Road is a brilliant programme which every one should watch. It is a comprehensive school in England which is right at the bottom of the league tables and the kids there are worse than you could imagine yet pretty much jokers at the same time. Jack (played by Jason Merrells) is the head of the school and yet is drinking after three minutes of being it! Kim (played by Angela Griffins) is head of pastoral care who is an adult who actually listens, and Andrew(played by Jamie Glover) is the deputy head trying to rescue the school. There are tom and Lorna (played by Jason Done and Camilla Power respectfully) who were to be married when it turns out that Tom is in love with Lorna's best friend, Izzie Redpath (Jill Halfpenny), the drama teacher! What will happen there? There is also Donte Charles and Chlo Grainger(played by Adam Thomas and Katie Griffiths; Chlo is Izzie's daughter)who are a match made in hell. Will the relationship survive or will Izzie break them up? But the ultimate question on every one's lips is will the school actually succeed in its inspection? We'll have to wait and see! Watch it...BBC 1 Thursdays 8:00pm

OK I have been watching Waterloo Road for quite a long time now. Back in the day this is what everyone was watching and I could understand why. It was very entertaining with the characters having their own dedicated episode at times and other factors of school life. But from 2009 to now I don't really know what to make of the programme anymore. The characters have all changed and so had the management. The issues that came up with either too far or unrealistic. And now the programme is quite unrealistic to me. I personally don't understand why they changed so much and involved diar situations like murder, fire and freak accidents that you simply wouldn't see. Also the situations between characters are also verging on either weird or simply cheesy which I simply cannot watch because I am embarrassed for them. Overall Im still watching but I think that it is unfortunate in what is happening with the programme overall now.

I missed this first time round and have recently gone through most of the series on iPlayer.

It can be gritty and funny in equal measures. I'm sure there there will be a situation that people will be able to personally relate to (good and bad).

If I'm being honest, there are more plot holes than Swiss cheese with teachers and pupils disappearing never to be referenced again in following series, but go along for the ride and you will enjoy it.

The show started off a little slow, but it has improved a lot over the years. It is a gritty and compelling look at pupils and teachers at a comprehensive school and the situations they get into. The series is well filmed, with excellent photography and the school itself looks imposing. The writing is engaging and well written, and the stories are compelling and well structured. And the acting is surprisingly good, not the amateurish sort of acting I have seen but it is good. Denise Welch is excellent as Steph as is Angela Griffin and the students are all quite believable with good chemistry. The music is also good, it does stick in your head and is easy to remember.

Overall, a great show. I have seen a lot of good shows and dramas on BBC and this is luckily one of them. 9/10 Bethany Cox