Waterloo Road returns! (Picture: BBC/Wall To Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Kate Bones/Matt Burlem)

Everyone’s favourite school-based drama Waterloo Road is set to come back with a bang for its 13th series, with as the BBC confirm its return date and give us an idea of what to expect from the unruly students and staff this term.

Waterloo Road will hit our screens again on Tuesday, January 2, airing weekly on BBC One from 8pm.

However, for those fans who love to binge watch, a boxset of the whole series will be available to view from 6am on January 2 on BBC iPlayer.

With old faces returning and new students set to put the cat among the pigeons, there is plenty of drama in store during the eight new episodes.

The new series will continue to explore real-life topics affecting teens, families and school staff today, all with Waterloo Road’s trademark mix of sharp writing, warmth and wit, but what exactly can we expect?

Hattie Dynevor joins the cast (Picture: BBC/Wall To Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Vishal Sharma)

As a group of long-term school refusers arrive for their first day, Headteacher Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) and her team have their work cut out to stop the school from sinking. Can they manage it?

New student Libby Guthrie (Hattie Dynevor) arrives in Manchester to stay with dad Neil (Neil Fitzmaurice), who also happens to be the schools Head of History, but soon proves that she is no teacher’s pet.

Schumacher ‘Schuey’ Weaver’s (Zak Sutcliffe) arrival at his new school is a chaotic one, and he soon begins wreaking havoc on one particular teacher, but is all as it seems with this troublemaker?

Tonya and Schuey get to know each other (Picture: BBC/Wall to Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Helen Williams)

Preston and Kai are still going strong (Picture: BBC/Wall to Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction)

With Andrew Treneman (Jamie Glover) still on the scene, his presences continue to impact Kim, as the lines between professional and personal relationships start to blur.

They are not the only returning characters, as Preston Walters (Noah Valentine) is also set to arrive back at school, following his terrifying cardiac arrest and subsequent treatment for his eating disorder in the previous series, and adjusting back into school life proves to be a struggle.

Elsewhere, Kelly-Jo and Dean’s (Alicia Forde and Francesco Piacentini-Smith) relationship faces the ultimate test.

Kym Marsh and Adam Thomas return to their roles (Picture: BBC/Wall to Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction)

There’s always chaos at Waterloo Road! (Picture: BBC/Wall To Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Vishal Sharma)

Other students set to return for the new series include Kai Shariff (Adam Ali), Noel McManus (Liam Scholes), Shola Aku (Chiamaka ‘ChiChi’ Ulebor), Zayne Jackson (Inathi Rozani), Caz Williams (Lucy Eleanor Begg) Samia Choudhry (Priyasasha Kumari) Tonya Walters (Summer Violet Bird) and Dwayne Jackson (Dwayne Jackson).

They are joined by some other familiar staff members, including Nicky Walters (Kym Marsh), Donte Charles (Adam Thomas), Lindon King (Vincent Jerome), Joe Casey (James Baxter), Wendy Whitwell (Jo Coffey), Valerie Chambers (Shauna Shim), Coral Walker (Rachel Leskovac), Amy Spratt (Katherine Pearce), Mike Rutherford (Ryan Clayton) and Jamilah Omar (Sonia Ibrahim).

Andrew proves to be a distraction for Kim (Picture: BBC/Wall to Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Vishal Sharma)

The Walters have a lot to deal with (Picture: BBC/Wall To Wall/Rope Ladder Fiction/Vishal Sharma)

Speaking about the new series, Executive Producer Cameron Roach enthused about the cast and crew who have worked so hard, as well as reflecting on actress Angela Griffin’s directorial debut.

‘Waterloo Road arrives back on our screen in the New Year, with a screech of burning rubber, and we don’t let our foot off the gas.

‘We’re incredibly proud of the energy and passion this show delivers on and offscreen, Waterloo Road not only delivers phenomenal numbers on BBC iPlayer, specifically for a young audience, but we really value the number of trainees that have now worked on, and graduated from the show, across all craft disciplines.

‘The writing and directing teams have also been buoyed by new talent to the show, including the brilliant Angela Griffin who directs episodes 5 and 6.

‘We’re so grateful to all cast and crew for their continued commitment to this landmark BBC brand.’

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As the new term kicks off, so does the drama!