EastEnders actress Laura Doddington has confirmed that a ‘huge level of trauma’ is set to unfold as her character Nicola Mitchell’s conflict with her mother Rose Hawkins intensifies. The revelation follows the explosive arrival of Nicola’s family on Albert Square this week, which saw sisters Gemma and Jodie Hawkins drag Nicola into a mess involving a tied-up boyfriend in the boot of their car.
Nicola’s protective instincts triggered by family arrival
From the moment sisters Gemma and Jodie Hawkins (played by Patricia Potter and Anna Constable) swerved onto Albert Square, Nicola was thrust back into a protective role. She wasted no time cleaning up their mess after discovering they had her niece’s boyfriend bound in the car boot. ‘I think it really triggers her. She really feels very strongly that any sort of abusive male needs to be dealt with with violence,’ Doddington told Metro. ‘Sure, Nicola, that’s the way to do it!’
The mood soured further with the arrival of their mother, Rose Hawkins (Marian McLoughlin), who immediately took control. Before a frosty reunion with her daughter, Rose spent time with George Knight (Colin Salmon), badmouthing Nicola 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 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.’
Shocking confession about father’s death
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. 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.’
Producer teases layers and surprises ahead
EastEnders Producer Ben Wadey shared insights into Nicola’s character development. ‘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.’
Wadey added: ‘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…’
Trauma to unfold slowly over time
Laura Doddington confirmed that the full extent of the trauma will be revealed gradually. ‘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.’ The actress’s comments suggest that viewers can expect ongoing revelations about Nicola’s past and her strained relationship with her mother, with the family dynamics set to shift significantly in the coming weeks.
