Students from two schools will have the opportunity to hear first-hand from those behind the BBC’s drama Waterloo Road to learn about careers in TV. The school drama is returning to BBC One and is once again set and made in Greater Manchester.
The workshops are being put on this week to outline how to gain vital experience in the industry while also teaching students about storytelling and scene writing techniques.
Waterloo Road’s production team is working in partnership BBC Young Reporter, a journalism project for students, to deliver the workshops.
This is another example of the BBC’s commitment to create jobs, investment and bring productions to the North West as part of our Across the UK plans.
Students at two schools in Swinton, Greater Manchester, will firstly get the chance to ask questions to the production team about their career journey, their job roles and how to gain vital experience during an hour-long Q&A.
Secondly, a two hour storytelling workshop will teach students narrative development skills, scene writing techniques and give them a chance to create their own character, using Waterloo Road as an inspiration.
Kuljinder Khalia, Training Manager at BBC Young Reporter said: “BBC Young Reporter engages young people through live events and masterclasses, connecting them to creative skills and real opportunities. Through this project, we hope Waterloo Road could unearth some incredible new talent both off and on screen in the future.”
Originally airing on the BBC from 2006 to 2015, Waterloo Road was one of the UK’s most popular and longest-running TV dramas, with an impressive alumni of dynamic characters and award-winning storylines.
The revival of Waterloo Road has helped boost drama production skills in the North of England and reshape the BBC’s drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.
Waterloo Road has remained popular ever since – and has consistently been among the top five most-watched shows for young audiences on BBC iPlayer after it was released as a boxset in September 2019.
One event took place at the Co-op Academy on 28 June and the second will take place at a school in Salford on 1 July.
Waterloo Road is a Rope Ladder Fiction and Wall to Wall North co-production for BBC One. Executive Producers are Cameron Roach and for the BBC, Gaynor Holmes and Jo McClellan.
