I’m an original fan of this series. I’ve seen every single episode. Never once missed an episode. It helped me grow up and it helped me get through school. It told me what to expect, it got some things right but most of it, it totally got wrong. I remember crying my eyes out for hours when the “last episode” aired. What a waste of tears it was, as it is now back for a new generation.

Much like Ackley Bridge, it still continues to get the wrong idea of what modern teens go through in school or sugar coats issues rather than explore the realities of issues. I can’t pick which has gotten it wrong more.

Waterloo Road dropped on iPlayer in the UK 3rd January. 6AM wake up and it was live. They’re essentially pretending that 10 previous series didn’t exist apart from 3 original characters. Or should I now say 2?

Let’s face it, original fans were there to see Kim, Chlo and Donte. Maybe Izzy JR too. One thing you mustn’t do in a reboot, is kill an original character. It felt so wrong. It was traumatising and totally upsetting but come on? You could have done it in a better way rather than go down the Ackley Bridge, Missy route. It was completely predicable. One mention of Chlo hitting her head and fate was sealed. It was to be expected. They didn’t exactly keep it secret that a character was going to die and in the trailer it was way too obvious by Donte’s reaction that it would be someone close to him.

The thing that is really rubbing fans the wrong way is, why was Chlo’s sister, Mika who we knew from the original run, not at the funeral? You invite Janeece who was a questionable friend but disregard her sister? It didn’t sit right at all. There wasn’t even any mention of her as if she didn’t exist. Unless, in the many years between last seeing her, she was also brutally killed off? I guess we will never know.

Characters could have been written a lot better. Most of the students were written so one dimensionally that there wasn’t much there, to relate to. The best series have characters you can pick with and empathise with. I empathise with the teachers more, not because I relate but because their stories and background are the best written. They’re more developed than others.

7 episodes complete in a day. Another 15 to come in the future. Hopefully things will be written better in the future, as some of it was so cringe worthy, that it couldn’t be taken seriously at all. Other bits were too predictable. However, I’m excited to see where the romance between Kim & Lindon. Not to mention, the fact there’s something bubbling between Donte & Amy Spratt, let’s hope nothing happens too fast, as it is way too soon.

I’ll give it a 6/10 mainly because it distracted me for the day. Part 2 will most likely drop when the next term of school starts. Possibly, March/April time. One thing I would want to see is more hard hitting drama. Everyone seems to be loving school way too much which is far from real life. They can portray real life issues but the school experience is far from real and goes with the stereotypes.