Cillian Darcy Goes to Waterloo Road (Series Eight)

Plot
Series 8 shows the start of Greenock's Waterloo Road. Laurie Brett and Georgie Glen join the main cast as English teacher Christine Mulgrew and History teacher Audrey McFall respectively. The Rochdale staff and students mourn the death of Denzil Kelly in the tragic crash, while Tariq is wheelchair bound. A memorial is staged to remember Denzil in the first episode. Grantly and Maggie run the schoolhouse together and later marry, becoming 'Mr and Mrs Budgen'. A bullying campaign between ex-Rochdale student Rhiannon Salt (previously unseen, played by Rebecca Craven) and Scout spirals to dangerous levels, but the two girls eventually make their peace and become friends. Christine struggles with an alcohol problem which also disadvantages her troubled son Connor (Shane O'Meara); he becomes an arsonist, burning several items in the school and eventually causing an explosion in an Art classroom which leaves his girlfriend Imogen Stewart, played by Kirstie Steele, badly injured. Christine covers for him, and gets help for her alcoholism, slowly overcoming it over the following terms with Audrey's help.

In the second term of the series, Jaye Jacobs left her role as deputy headteacher Sian Diamond; returning English teacher Nikki Boston, who previously appeared in Series 7, replaced her in the third term. The Barry family, consisting of troubled criminal Barry (Carl Au), the feminine yet fierce Dynasty (Abby Mavers), and tom-boy (later revealed to be transgender) Kacey, played by Brogan Ellis, joined the cast in the second half of Series 8. Barry caused trouble with a bullying storyline and getting involved with Dynasty's violent ex. Chalky's son Kevin formed a romantic relationship with Dynasty, while Mark Benton departed as Chalky after 50 episodes after Chalky was hired as a game developer.

The relationship between Michael and Lorriane becomes fraught and Lorraine's business fails, leaving the school with no investment. Michael convinces Head of Glasgow Education Robert Bain (Shaun Prendergast) to take on Waterloo Road as a local authority school. Lorraine is infuriated by this, but ultimately forgives Michael before her exit in Episode 28. Michael also exited in the episode, realising that his relationship with Christine was not what he wanted. He left Christine as acting headmistress, a controversial decision. Angus Deayton joined the cast as Christine's old friend, Modern Languages teacher George Windsor, while Bain hired Simon Lowsley (Richard Mylan) as a new deputy head.

The series is important for long-standing characters Grantly and Tom. Grantly is diagnosed with chronic kidney failure, but slips into a coma as a donor is unavailable; Maggie pressures Tom into donating one of his kidneys in the hope of saving Grantly. Although Grantly wakes up, before Tom can donate he is killed when he falls from the roof of the school trying to help troubled ex-student Kyle Stack. This marks the end of the series.