The fifth series of the British television drama series Waterloo Road began broadcasting on 28 October 2009 and ended on 15 July 2010 on BBC One. The series follows the lives of the faculty and pupils of the Eponymous school, a failing inner-city comprehensive school. It consists of twenty episodes, divided into two half-series of ten episodes each. Due to extensive news coverage on 11 May 2010, EastEnders and Holby City were instead shown on 12 May, and Waterloo Road was postponed for two weeks, due to the already scheduled Holby City episode on 19 May. The final two episodes of the series were delayed by four weeks, due to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, airing on 14 and 15 July respectively. The fifth series achieved an average of 5.03 million viewers in the ratings. It featured one of the biggest cast changes in the show's history.