BBC's Waterloo Road to raise awareness of severe food allergies in powerful and emotional storyline
BBC's Waterloo Road will highlight the life-threatening risks of severe food allergies in a storyline that will air on Tuesday (30.09.25).
Waterloo Road is set to shine a spotlight on the life-threatening risks of severe food allergies in a powerful and emotional storyline.
On Tuesday (30.09.25), Hope Drake (Savannah Kunyo), who has a severe dairy allergy, experiences anaphylaxis at the school, and it rocks Waterloo Road.
Hope's health ordeal forces staff - including Headteacher Stella Drake (Lindsey Coulson), whose granddaughter is Hope - and family to face the realities of food allergy awareness, as well as the need for a quick emergency response.
Bosses of the BBC school drama worked closely with UK food allergy charity The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation - which was set up by Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE after her 15-year-old daughter Natasha died from a food allergy - to develop the storyline to ensure it reflected the issues of food allergy management in schools, as well as the fatal risks of anaphylaxis.
Tanya said: "The growing number of children with diagnosed food allergies in schools means that food allergies are a significant issue in the classroom.
"We are delighted that Waterloo Road chose to highlight the issues and challenges around keeping pupils with food allergies safe in school.
"We hope this storyline will help raise awareness that food allergies are not a lifestyle choice but a serious medical condition.”
Cameron Roach, Executive Producer for Waterloo Road and founder of Rope Ladder Fiction, which co-produces the show with Wall to Wall, said the programme is appreciative to the charity for their help in creating the storyline.
He said: "We're so grateful for the support and guidance from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation as we wrote the storylines around raising awareness of food allergies in the school environment.
"As with many stories in Waterloo Road, the show can be an amazing vehicle to raise issues that young people and families face."
Series 16 of Waterloo Road is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now, and the storyline will air on BBC One next week on Tuesday (30.09.25) at 10.40pm.
