REPORTER Jeremy Burrows joined a press tour ahead of filming starting at the new Waterloo Road set in Greenock
Ironically, walking through the corridors of what was Greenock Academy, now that it is almost ready to become the backdrop for hit BBC drama Waterloo Road, the reality of what’s been going on hits home.
It’s ironic because in some ways this isn’t reality — it’s a pretend school — but the scale of the production and what’s at stake are very real.
We stood in what is now a maths classroom admiring the view and the equations posters.
Cast members posed with a cake celebrating the new term starting at Waterloo Road’s new school. (No one got to eat any of it — the cake was given to Ardgowan Hospice).
The cake ceremony took place in the newly-enlarged foyer area which features distinctive coloured glass panels. The assembly hall has been shrunk a bit and some of the windows taken away as they were allowing too much light in. (We weren’t allowed to take photos of the sets as they weren’t finished yet.)
Once the press are gone, the work of producing 50 hours of TV over two years will start in earnest, evidenced by the assembly hall which is set up with dozens of seats in a large square — a bottle of water at each place — for a script read-through.
The programme got its name because, apparently, most towns and cities in the UK have a Waterloo Road. No one seems to mind that there is no Waterloo Road around here. Obviously it’s a bit late to change the show’s title to Madeira Street.
A lot rests on the filming which starts next week. Will the viewers keep following the series in their millions as staff and pupils head to Scotland? The programme makers will be doing just fine if they live up to Greenock Academy’s motto — “from this place comes true worth”.