This is a real nostalgia fest…
Thanks to TikTok, we’ve just been reminded that Bridgerton leads stars Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dyvenor both starred in BBC school drama Waterloo Road, years before they bagged the top jobs at Netflix.
TikTok fan account @2000sjournals0 pulled us away from our zombie scroll with their amazing video, which you can watch here. The video shows how many of the Waterloo Road cast have become seriously big deals since the show went off air in 2015.
First up, here’s Phoebe Dyvenor looking innocent as schoolgirl Siobhan Mailey from way back in 2009.
And the video also shows Regé playing a teacher on the show in 2015, looking pretty similar to his Bridgerton persona.
Regé played Guy Braxton at the Waterloo Road school which featured on the show, whereas Phoebe was a pupil.
There’s another major difference too. Unlike on Bridgerton where Phoebe’s character Daphne Bridgerton and Regé’s character the Duke of Hastings were both loaded, on Waterloo Road the two were both from very different backgrounds.
Regé character was forced to sleep at the school because he was strapped for cash.
Whereas, Phoebe played a pupil called Siobhan Mailey, a posh girl who ends up hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Sadly, the duo didn’t cross over on the show, as Regé-Jean Page appeared in 2015 and Phoebe Dyvenor back in 2009 and 2010.
Waterloo Road ran from 2006 to 2015 and was incredibly popular. It told the stories of the lives of the pupils at the school, as well as the teachers, and at its peak reached an average of 5.1 million viewers.
The popularity gave the cast a huge platform, and other Waterloo Road stars who made it big include Jenna Coleman, who starred as moody pupil Lindsay James back in 2009.
She went on to do incredibly well, playing Clara in Doctor Who and Victoria in ITV’s Victoria and Clara in Doctor Who.
And the 1975’s leading man Matty Healy also had a cameo in the show – no wonder, considering Matty’s mum Denise Welch played teacher Miss Haydock.
Earlier this month, the BBC confirmed Waterloo Road is returning to screens, although the beeb haven’t yet confirmed whether the show will keep the same name.
And the show’s bosses are intent on making the show feel fresh and relevant again for a new audience.
At the time of the announcement, Director of BBC Drama Piers Wenger said: “Waterloo Road is the perfect lens through which to explore post-Covid Britain, from the perspective of those who have arguably been affected most: young people in education.”
Related links:
Waterloo Road is returning as BBC commit to more UK drama series
Rege-Jean Page responds to speculation he could be the next James Bond
Netflix confirm Bridgerton season 2 is on the way
