TV highlights: Waterloo Road and Happy Valley

That original run began in 2006 and lasted for exactly nine years and 200 episodes – if the revamp does the same, the Beeb will no doubt be thrilled. It isn’t just the setting that’s back – some of the original cast are also returning.

Angela Griffin will reprise her role as Kim Campbell, who is now the headteacher of the titular school, while Adam Thomas and Katie Griffiths will play the popular characters Donte and Chlo Charles. When we last saw them, they were teenagers. Now they’re all grown up and raising their own family.

“I feel really honoured to be joining the new series of Waterloo Road,” claims Griffin. “It is exciting to be stepping back into Kim’s shoes and I can’t wait to explore her life, character and how she has evolved since we last met her. The writers have some amazing storylines planned and I’m looking forward to welcoming viewers back.”

Thomas, whose biggest post-Waterloo Road role came as Adam Barton in Emmerdale, adds: “I’m so excited to go back to where it all started. Waterloo Road was a huge part of my life and career so to go back 15 years later is a dream come true.”

“Chlo was my first professional acting role, and I feel so lucky to be part of the show again,” says Griffiths. “I can’t wait to see what stories unfold.”

There are some new faces joining the cast too. Anyone who watched her take part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing will have seen Kym Marsh rehearsing with her pro partner, Graziano Di Prima, on the set. She’ll be playing Nicky Walters, the mother of two pupils who works in the school’s canteen.

Although the adults have their part to play, it’s the younger cast members and their personal dramas, joys and traumas, that really make the show tick.

Although the class of 2023 are as yet largely unknowns, there are some potential stars of the future here, including Scarlett Thomas, Adam’s real-life niece whose mother, Coronation Street’s Tina O’Brien, also appeared in Waterloo Road back in the day.

Executive Producer Cameron Roach says: “We’re incredibly excited about our new cast, and we believe that alongside the return of Kim Campbell we’re creating some new iconic characters for the next generation of Waterloo Road. We look forward to the audience joining them in the staff room.”

- Waterloo Road (January 3, BBC One, 8pm)

So, how excited are you, on a scale of 0-10, about the return of Happy Valley?

To paraphrase Spinal Tap, we really need to go all the way up to 11, because Sally Wainwright’s series is one of the greatest British TV dramas ever made. If you’re shaking your head in astonishment at that idea, then clearly you’ve never seen it – so give your head a wobble, log into the BBC iPlayer and watch the first two seasons. You won’t regret it.

When the first run began in 2014, Wainwright had already enjoyed a massive success with Sarah Lancashire via Last Tango in Halifax. It’s a wonderful programme, but their pairing on Happy Valley turned out to be something even more special. Sadly, it’s now coming to an end.

“When Happy Valley first launched on the BBC in 2014, it changed the landscape of crime drama completely,” says Piers Wenger, director of BBC Drama. “Sally has crafted a magnificent conclusion that is sure to make this third and final series one of television’s most highly anticipated and unmissable moments.”

“I’m delighted to find myself back for the final instalment of the Happy Valley trilogy,” claims Wainwright. “It’s been wonderful to see the lasting impact this series has had.”

Here’s hoping the wait has been worth it – and if it has, expect Baftas aplenty when the awards season comes around.

- Happy Valley (Sunday, BBC One, 9pm)