This week, EastEnders treated us to the arrival of Nicola Mitchell’s (Laura Doddington) family, and it certainly wasn’t a quiet introduction.
From the moment their car swerved onto Albert Square, sisters Gemma and Jodie Hawkins (Patricia Potter and Anna Constable) dragged Nicola into a mess.
Nicola was stunned to discover that they had her niece’s boyfriend tied up in the boot of the car, but she wasted no time in stepping back into the role of protective sister to clean up their mess.
‘I think it really triggers her. She really feels very strongly that any sort of abusive male needs to be dealt with with violence,’ actress Laura Doddington told Metro. ‘Sure, Nicola, that’s the way to do it!’
However, the mood soured with the arrival of their mum, Rose Hawkins (Marian McLoughlin), who immediately took control of the situation.
Before the frosty reunion with her daughter, Rose spent time with George Knight (Colin Salmon), badmouthing her in an attempt to warn him off.
‘I think they’re cut from a similar cloth, Nicola and her mum,’ Laura said. ‘It’s one of the reasons they probably don’t get on is because they are quite manipulative women.
‘I think we’ve seen that from Nicola over the last two years. She’s a queen manipulator, and she’s learned that somewhere. I would imagine we can see more of that without giving too much away.’
Fortunately, George was willing to hear Nicola’s side of the story, and she broke down as she declared that she had caused her father’s death.
EastEnders Producer Ben Wadey says…
‘Nicola is such an interesting character. She’d just arrived when I first came in.
‘As well as seeing Laura Doddington’s sheer talent and amazing performance in every episode, I was also fascinated by this woman who can lie so easily and is responsible for the death of her son’s girlfriend. This woman who happily sent her husband to prison. But also, this woman who is so fiercely loyal to her children.
‘We discussed in the story office and with the writers what made Nicola that way. I was desperate to uncover those layers and uncover what made Nicola the woman she is now. What made Nicola the mum she is now. And also give some surprise to the audience and have some things that make us fully get her, and I think the best way to do that is surround her by people who have known her for many years.
‘She has a very complicated relationship with her mum and a very nuanced relationship with everyone else within this family unit. As you see them in their first weeks, there will be a lot of change ahead and things aren’t as they seem…’
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She explained that she had walked in on him attacking Rose and ordered him to leave, knowing that he was too drunk to drive. She revealed that his car had flipped and killed him, and that Rose had never forgiven her.
According to Laura, there is more to come in terms of exploring Nicola and Rose’s backstory, and the role Nicola’s father played in that.
‘That will reveal itself slowly over time,’ she teased. ‘But I think the fact that Nicola got the brunt of his aggression along with the mother, they shared that, and it was kept from the other two.
‘You’ll slowly see, and I’ll slowly see – because I haven’t seen yet, we don’t get it in advance, not too far in advance, only 2 weeks – but that level of trauma will unfold more and more.’
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