Coronation Street icon Denise Black has joined the cast of the BBC's revived school drama Waterloo Road. The 67-year-old actress, known for her role as Denise Osbourne on the ITV soap, appears in the sixth episode of the current series as Mo McManus, the grandmother of Noel McManus played by Liam Scholes.
Black first appeared on Coronation Street in 1992, playing hairdresser Denise Osbourne until 1997. Her character's romance with Ken Barlow (William Roache) led to the birth of their son Daniel, but ended when she had an affair with Brian Dunkley.
She returned briefly in 2007 to reintroduce Daniel to Ken after Tracy Barlow's imprisonment, and again in 2016 when her son became a regular character. Her last appearance was offering condolences after Deirdre Barlow's death.
After Coronation Street, Black played Joanie Dingle on Emmerdale from 2013 to 2017, a role that ended with her character's death from a heart attack.
In Waterloo Road, her character Mo McManus becomes embroiled in a police confrontation. The show, which originally aired from 2007 to 2015, was revived in 2023 after strong streaming figures.
Executive producer Cameron Roach said the reboot's success has exceeded expectations, leading to a total of 70 hours of episodes since the relaunch.
