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Waterloo Road co-creator Eileen Gallagher has called the axing of the school-based BBC drama "a lost opportunity".

The producer told The Daily Record that moving the show from Rochdale to Scotland in 2012 was "a game-changer for the Scottish TV industry".

"All my life I have argued for the real need Scotland has for a continuing network drama," she said. "It has never had it and this was an attempt to establish one.

"I'd hoped it would become Scotland's Holby City or EastEnders – the kind of drama which is there year in, year out. In terms of creating a critical mass of TV drama talent, you need something like that. It's a big railway sleeper.

"You can grow talent, you can keep an experienced base of crew who have work they can rely on. All of that is fundamental to create a network production hub, which Scotland should be.

"I do...

A dramatic storyline will be played out at the end of the current series of Waterloo Road (currently broadcasting on BBC1), which will see the Rochdale-based school move to Greenock, when a number of current teachers and pupils move to set up a new independent school.

Shed Productions, who make the popular drama which is currently in its seventh series for BBC Scotland, have reached agreement with Inverclyde Council to lease the former Greenock Academy building to film in for the next two series. The move will see the former Greenock secondary become the new on-screen Waterloo Road school from next year.

In addition to using the former school classrooms on-screen, Shed will also use the rest of the Madiera Street premises as production base for the series.

Production is moving to Greenock from Rochdale as part of the BBC's move to increase network programming from Scotland and the other nations of the UK.

Waterloo Road's new set will be based in Greenock, it has been confirmed. The BBC school drama, which has been filmed in Rochdale since it began in 2006, will be relocated to the town, 25 miles outside of Glasgow in Scotland, for its eighth series next year. Eileen Gallagher, chief executive officer of the programme's production company Shed, said in a statement: "Waterloo Road has had an incredibly happy six years in Rochdale working with one of the best TV crews in the country. "But now we have outgrown our present site and we couldn't resist the BBC offer to take the show to Scotland. "The former Greenock Academy school will make a great (more)...

Waterloo Road bosses have confirmed that the search for the show's new set will begin next week following the news that the programme is leaving Rochdale. Yesterday, it was announced that the BBC drama will be filmed in Scotland from next year, but the exact location for the show's new home has yet to be found. Bosses at Shed, the production company behind the programme, have now told Herald Scotland that scouts will soon be sent out to find a disused school or office building which will become the new Waterloo Road. "The show is about a community so we will be looking for somewhere that has got that feel to it," Shed's chief executive Eileen Gallagher explained. "It is not a gritty urban drama, so we will need somewhere that has some greenery. "It is all shot on location and we are looking for a school or an office...

Waterloo Road is leaving its home of Rochdale and will begin filming in Scotland from next year, it has been announced. The popular school drama will make the move next April as part of the BBC's aim to produce more programming in Scotland. The first series to be set in the show's new location will air in September 2012. Waterloo Road fans have already seen ten episodes of the programme's seventh series, with another ten due to air from September. A further set of ten instalments will be filmed in the autumn for broadcast after Christmas, and these will be the last to be shot in Rochdale. It is understood that viewers will see an "explosive" storyline air in early 2012 resulting in a group of existing teachers and pupils setting up a new independent school in Scotland, which will also use the Waterloo Road name. Eileen Gallagher, chief executive (more)...

Shooting began in Glasgow this week on new BBC One drama Young James which tells the story of a young James Herriot, the author and vet, while he was a student at the Glasgow Veterinary College in the Thirties. James Herriot's memoirs were previously immortalised in the long-running TV series All Creatures Great and Small starring Christopher Timothy.

Iain de Caestecker (represented by Hamilton Hodell) takes the title role of Young James, a bright, idealistic young man and the drama follows his student exploits with close university friends Whirly Tyson and Rob McAloon.

Iain, himself originally from Glasgow, played Adam Barlow in Coronation Street, and will also be seen this year in the lead role in new BBC Three thriller The Fades.

Scottish actress Amy Manson (represented by Independent Talent) who played vampire Daisy in Being Human, and Fleur in Outcasts, plays Whirly Tyson. And Ben Lloyd-Hughes (represented by...

London -- "Supernanny" producer Shed Media said Tuesday that it had ended buyout talks with private equity funds Bowmark Capital and Darwin Private Equity, but said it was still in talks with an undisclosed company over a possible deal.

Shed, which owns Ricochet Prods. and "Who Do You Think You Are?" creator Wall to Wall, had begun the talks in December, but said Tuesday that the discussions had been "terminated."

Earlier talks headed by former CEO and co-founder Eileen Gallagher also fell through last year, as the climate for leveraged buyouts became tougher and deals became more expensive to finance.

But the company said Tuesday that it is still in talks with an undisclosed party over a further deal possibility.

"The independent directors confirm that the company remains in an offer period having received a proposal from a potential offer, working with certain members of Shed management, which may or...

"Great LezBritian" is a fortnightly stroll through the very best of British lesbo-centric entertainment and culture. Plus there will be some jolly good interviews with the top ladies who are waving the flag for gay UK.

A couple of columns ago we wrote about the British women we wish were gay, which gave rise to much debate and informed us that our readers lust after and loathe Cheryl Cole in equal amounts. We decided that in this column we’d like to celebrate the British ladies we’re glad actually are gay or bisexual, which has been an unexpectedly tricky task.

Once again we sent out a Tweet asking you to suggest your favourite Britbians, and as the land that proffered Skins, Tipping the Velvet and Bad Girls, we were certain that Britain would have so many options that we’d be tossing second tier choices out of the list...

LONDON -- U.K. drama house Shed Productions said Friday it had acquired entertainment and format venture Ricochet -- creator of the Supernanny franchise -- in a £30 million ($51.6 million) deal that unites two of the U.K.'s fastest-growing independent producers. Shed, creator of Footballers Wives, also said it had closed a two-year first-look and script deal with the Fox Network, as well as a format deal for prison drama Bad Girls with FX. Shed chief executive Eileen Gallagher said the two-year first-look deal with Fox Entertainment president Peter Ligouri would require Shed to develop creative ideas for U.S. primetime.

LONDON -- U.K. drama house Shed Productions said Friday it had acquired entertainment and format venture Ricochet -- creator of the Supernanny franchise -- in a £30 million ($51.6 million) deal that unites two of the U.K.'s fastest-growing independent producers. Shed, creator of Footballers Wives, also said it had closed a two-year first-look and script deal with the Fox Network, as well as a format deal for prison drama Bad Girls with FX. Shed chief executive Eileen Gallagher said the two-year first-look deal with Fox Entertainment president Peter Ligouri would require Shed to develop creative ideas for U.S. primetime.