Waterloo Road Series Four - Spring Term   Starring: Eva Pope, Neil Morrissey, Denise Welsh, Angela Griffin, Jason Done, Philip Martin Brown and Shabana Bakhsh Acorn Media UK RRP: £24.99 AV9741 Certificate: 12 Available 26 April 2010

Waterloo Road is a series set in a Rochdale school detailing the lives and loves of both teachers and pupils. Series Four: Spring Term has been released as a three disc set containing the last ten episodes of the show's fourth series. The show is presented with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a stereo audio track; all the discs have English subtitles.

Having reviewed a number of the shows previous seasons I do find that I am warming to the show, but that’s the problem with soaps, once you’re hooked your lost. Spring Term (2009) consists of the remaining ten episodes from season four and is spread across three DVD’s and follows the lives of the shows long running characters, each show lasts a little under an hour. The show stars Denise Welch, Zaraah Abrahams, Philip Martin Brown, Chelsee Healey, Jason Done, Katie Griffiths, Adam Thomas, Eva Pope and Neil Morrissey.

Like most soaps, the show has storylines which are developed throughout the latter half of the season. Kim Campbell (Angela Griffin) returns from Rwanda with a new baby, Grace, who she claims is her daughter. With no reason to think otherwise the other characters accept the new child, but as the season unfolds the truth about Grace is both moralistically and legally ambiguous. I found the character of Kim increasingly more annoying as the show went on, especially as she took the moral high ground on almost every issue, thinking little of imposing her views of what is right on others, when the reality was that she had dubious motives herself.

New to the show is Rose Kelly, an alcoholic dinner lady whose vulnerability and troubles with her children greatly endeared her character. Rachel Mason (Eva Pope) continues with her fools’ mission to bring the best out of her pupils whilst at the same time having a tentative affair with Eddie (Neil Morrissey), the deputy head.

Much is made about Donte’s prospective new child, with his girlfriend Chlo and if the season could be said to have a theme it is that of family, as explored not only within the individual family units on the show but also from the perspective of the school consisting of one extended family.

When the kids decide to join a choir competition, they discover that the lyrics for the song that they were going to sing have been plagiarized; they make up their own on the theme of family. One of the strangest story line involves Janeece, who after a visit from a topless model goes off and has a boob job, now is it only me, but at her age would she not be refused this treatment, let alone the problems of paying thousands to have them pumped up. I guess this was a nod to a storyline about being happy as you are made, but as it is quickly overtaken by events the whole thing sinks quickly into the background and is never mentioned again.

Waterloo Road would not be the show it is without the producers finding innovative ways of destroying the building, last season it was a fire, this season it is an unhinged father with a digger.

The acting, whilst sometimes, of variable quality is generally of a high standard as is the writing. The disc comes with very little in the way of extras, with only a scrapbook - a collection of shots from the show with text - on disc one.

The show is slowly winning me over but at its heart it is still a grown up version of Grange Hill.

6

Charles Packer