PERHAPS one of the reasons that Waterloo Road has lasted so long is the constant changing of the cast. It kicked off eight years ago with Angela Griffin and Jason Merrells heading the adult cast.

Over the years, Neil Morrissey, Eva Pope, Amanda Burton and Alec Newman have been staff members coping with all manner of domestic and professional problems.

Now the school-based drama returns for a fresh term, and the locals had better watch out as there is a new girl in class. While Gabriella Wark (Naomi Battrick) leaves some pupils wide-eyed, she also creates a few problems for the longsuffering staff.

She may be smart, sassy and stunning, but her disruptive behaviour has already led to her being expelled from several schools. And now she has set her sights firmly on attractive new PE teacher Hector (Leon Ockenden), she is clearly not about to become a shy and retiring student just yet.

Meanwhile, newlywed Simon (Richard Mylan) kicks off his new Resilience Education scheme, and incurs the wrath of Christine (Laurie Brett). He thinks this is exactly what the school needs to get the pupils ready for life in the real world, but not everyone shares his point of view.

And while loved-up with Sue’s (Vanes-sa Hehir) sister Vix (Kristin Atherton), Nikki (Heather Peace) has no idea she has also caught the attention of someone else.

Naomi Battrick says she was initially a tad worried about becoming part of such an established show, but says: “Everyone has been so welcoming and it has been so much fun to film.”

How would she describe her character?

“Gabriella is a bit of a dark horse – she comes across really mean and vindictive but there is a lot more to her than meets the eye and it will be interesting to see her character unravel throughout the series.”

Heather Peace is thrilled to be back for the new run, not least because the show is so popular with viewers. “The fanbase for Waterloo Road are incredible, we are blown away every week by their response online,” she says.

What is in store for her character, Ms Boston? “We continue to find out a bit more about Nikki Boston and what makes her tick,” she says. “She is in love this series but she is a complicated woman and of course things cannot just go smoothly or that would make for pretty boring drama.”