EastEnders newcomer Laura Doddington has shared insights into the two locals Nicola Mitchell will confront upon her arrival this week.
Nicola’s highly anticipated entrance happens just as her son, Harry (Elijah Holloway), is taken into custody for his ex-girlfriend Shireen’s murder.
As fans know, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) has been digging around ever since he discovered that the Mitchell family moved from Dartford to Albert Square following Shireen’s disappearance, which came after a heated argument between her and Harry.
With their former neighbors convinced of Harry’s guilt, the family decided to relocate. However, Jack has a hidden reason for investigating: Harry is blackmailing him with footage of a previous confrontation between them.
After finding out about the blackmail, Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine), who has been romantically involved with Harry, confronted him, but he managed to talk his way out.
In upcoming episodes, the tension escalates as Harry warns Penny that if her dad doesn’t back off, he’ll reveal her involvement in the blackmail scheme.
Penny confides in Shireen’s best friend, Felicity, who gives a chilling account of events that ultimately prompts the police to arrest Harry.
Laura explained that “Nicola has been away in Bali, and when she learns that Harry might be arrested, she rushes to Walford to handle the situation in her own bold, brash style.”
It doesn’t take long for Nicola to stir things up, especially with her ex-husband Teddy (Roland Manookian), who is unsettled by her return.
“She wants her family back together,” Laura added. “Nicola wants to show her kids how supportive and devoted she is, and her way of doing that is to step in and ‘fix’ everything. She’s a fixer.”
After hearing that Penny was involved in Harry’s arrest, Nicola immediately seeks her out for answers – a scene that Laura describes as being “like a cat playing with a mouse.”
“Nicola is fiercely protective of her children and wary of Penny’s relationship with Harry. Given Penny’s dad is with the police, Nicola is constantly watching her every move and uses intimidation as her weapon.”
“She toys with Penny a little and, once she finds her weakness, she exposes it.”
Nicola is also determined to rekindle things with Teddy, which doesn’t go over well when she realizes he’s been flirting with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
“They were never what you’d call a harmonious couple,” Laura said. “Nicola is quite controlling, but she can’t manipulate Teddy the way she used to, and it drives her crazy.”
Speaking about working with Letitia Dean, Laura added, “Letitia is amazing to work with, and our first scene includes my favorite line I’ve ever delivered on screen!”
“Nicola isn’t the type to bond with other women – she’s uninterested in female friendships or support networks. At first, she’s rude to Sharon as she would be to any woman, but once she senses something between Sharon and Teddy, she views Sharon as an obstacle and starts plotting ways to sabotage them.”
Laura hinted that Nicola is a formidable presence and warned that Sharon should “watch her back!”
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