Thanks to some unavoidable delays in Wolfblood being recommisioned, we’re running on a rather slower schedule this year. However, we are finally at a point where I can tell you a few basics about the new season, which is filming at the moment.
The big news is: after three wonderful seasons, Bobby Lockwood (Rhydian), Kedar Williams-Sterling (Tom) and Louisa Connelly-Burnham (Shannon), have all decided to leave the show.
Sad as I am to see them go, I know they’ll be going on to great things, and I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing them well in their careers. Like Aimee Kelly (Maddy), they will always be part of our Wolfblood universe – and who knows, they may be back at some point in the future…
I know a lot of you will be upset by this – but remember, change is a good thing for a television series. Shows that remain the same throughout their run quickly grow boring and stale, to work on as well as to watch. The inevitable coming and going of cast members is one of the ways that we avoid that.
And as a children’s show, we’re very aware that our audience is interested in fellow tweens and teens. Following the same characters for years, into their twenties, simply wouldn’t appeal to our core audience, who are interested in school, home and family. Though it wasn’t our choice for any of the actors who’ve left to leave, their decision does allow Wolfblood to remain faithful to its core audience and ideas.
So, what can you expect from season four?
For the first time, the show will be moving outside Stoneybridge and into the big wide world. Jana, played Leona Vaughan, will now be our main character, and we’ll be following her as she embarks on a new life in the big city, and builds herself a new pack of Wolfbloods and humans… This season gives us a chance to expand the scope of the show, and to explore new locations and new characters that will reveal more about what it really means to be a Wolfblood!
I’ve always intended Wolfblood to be about Wolfbloods as a whole, not about one person, one family, or even one village. The scale of the Wolfblood world has been gradually expanding with every season, and this is just one more step along that pathway.
From the BBC press release:
Former wild Wolfblood Jana (Leona Vaughan) now takes centre stage, having left the security and seclusion of rural Stoneybridge and moved into the city where she forms a new pack.
The Wolfbloods who play a pivotal role in her adventures include corporate boss Imara (Michelle Gayle), her son TJ (Louis Payne), Matei (Jack Brett Anderson), his sister Emilia (Sydney Wade), and martial arts enthusiast Selina (Rukku Nahar). Returning characters include Katrina (Gabrielle Green), who has opened a new Kafe in town, Kay (Shorelle Hepkin) and their old teacher Mr Jeffries (Mark Fleischmann).
In a world of CCTV, social networks, 4G camera phones and viral videos, the wolfblood ‘secret’ is becoming increasingly vulnerable; faced with new dilemmas and foes, Wolfbloods have to adapt to survive and Jana faces her biggest challenges yet.
(read the full press release at http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/wolf-blood-goes-urban )
New characters, new dilemmas, and probably our most exciting season climax ever – something I’ve been planning since I first conceived of the series, in fact – mean it’s going to be a unique and remarkable season!
Remember, you can keep up to date with developments at the Wolfblood FAQ, elsewhere on this site. Information on transmission dates, etc, will be posted there as soon as I have it…
Never Get Off The Bus 