Nicola Mitchell
| Nicola Mitchell | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Laura Doddington | ||||||||||
| Duration | since 2024 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 7011 11 November 2024 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Chris Clenshaw | ||||||||||
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Nicola Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Laura Doddington. Nicola was introduced by executive producer Chris Clenshaw in episode 7011, broadcast on 11 November 2024, as the recently estranged ex-wife of Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) and mother of Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) and Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman). Her storylines in the show included her arrival, helping Harry get revenge on those behind his prison sentence, attempting rebuild bridges with her family and get back together with Teddy, a feud with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), her past fling with Zack Hudson (James Farrar), and gaining ownership of Peggy's wine bar.
Across her stint, Nicola has been portrayed as a headstrong and resilient mother, but with a more cunning and possessive side. Doddington grew up as a fan of the show, so was excited to be cast, with the announcement being released to press in early October 2024. Teasing how her character would arrive, Doddington teased that Nicola would come in "like the Tasmanian Devil".[1] After her introduction, Nicola received positive reception for her strong personality and Doddington's performance, with Helen Daly of Radio Times calling the character a "breath of fresh air".[2]
Storylines
[edit]Nicola arrives in Walford after being tipped off about her son Harry's (Elijah Holloway) arrest, and immediately confronts his girlfriend, Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine), suspecting her involvement due to her father, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) being a police officer. Nicola quickly provides Harry with a false alibi, getting him released, but tensions escalate as Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian), her estranged ex-husband, reveals that she had lied about being abroad and was actually in prison for injecting unlicensed filler and stealing from him. This revelation turns their son Barney (Lewis Bridgeman) against her, and as she leaves, Nicola tells Harry that Penny played a role in his arrest. While plotting revenge against Penny, Nicola encounters Zack Hudson (James Farrar), a former fling, and they agree to keep their past relationship secret from Teddy. After some persuasion, Teddy reluctantly allows Nicola to stay in the basement of the house. Nicola later realises that Teddy is attempting to strike a deal with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) to purchase the local wine bar, Peggy's, but she manages to beat him to it, securing the deal and frustrating Teddy.
Development
[edit]Casting and creation
[edit]After being alluded to on several occations,[3] it was announced on 2 October 2024 that actress Laura Doddington had been cast as Nicola Mitchell, the ex-wife of recently established character Teddy Mitchell (Manookian) and mother of his sons Harry (Holloway) and Barney Mitchell (Bridgeman).[1] Doddington explained that she was working in automated dialogue replacement when she received the call from her agent to tell her she had been cast.[4] Having grown up as a fan, Doddington voiced her excitement to join the soap upon her character's announcement. She said she felt "like a kid at Christmas" to step onto the show's set, especially The Queen Victoria public house.[1] She noted the set being smaller than she had imagined, commenting that it was "bizarre" but "exciting".[4] Doddington considered herself lucky to be cast as a member of an extension to the soap's Mitchell family, as she enjoyed the company of her fellow actors.[1] She compared the working environment to that of a theatre company due to how encouraging the cast were to each other.[5] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw expressed excitement to introduce Nicola and explore her dynamic with Teddy.[1] It was confirmed that Doddington had begun filming prior to the announcement.[6] Nicola is Doddington's second role in EastEnders, having previously portrayed the minor role of Barbara, a woman leading an antenatal class attended by Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia), for an episode in December 2009.[6]
Set to debut in late Autumn 2024, her arrival was teased as both "a shock" and an annoyance for Teddy, as Nicola was set to quickly make a name for herself in the show's setting of Walford and try to rebuild bridges with her sons.[1] Teddy's annoyance to be reacquainted with Nicola stemmed from his desire to have a fresh start with his sons, which her arrival would break the illusion of.[3] Teasing her character's arrival, Doddington said that Nicola "comes in like the Tasmanian Devil".[1] Spoilers teasing her debut said that she would create "a stir",[7] and take quick dislikes to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) for flirting with Teddy, as well as Jack (Maslen) and Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) for their respective roles in Harry's arrest.[8] She was also teased to be hiding many secrets.[9] The character went on to make her first appearance in episode 7011, broadcast on 11 November 2024.[10][11]
Characterisation
[edit]Nicola, on introduction, is Teddy's ex-wife. Discussing Nicola's personality, Clenshaw said that, like other female members of the Mitchell family, Nicola is "feisty, strong and loves her family".[1] Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap billed Nicola as a "new mega-bitch" who would quickly have the remainder of Walford "at [her] mercy".[12] Press releases noted Nicola's determination to "stand her ground".[1] Lewis Knight of Radio Times called her a "dynamic newcomer" and a "feisty new Mitchell matriarch".[13] Colleague Laura Denby called the character "chaotic" and "fiery".[5]
Doddington detailed that Nicola was very "protective" over her children,[5] and was always ready and willing to "fight for them".[12] In a Radio Times interview, Doddington was vocal about her appreciation for Nicola being a "complex woman" who is "strong and completely unapolagetic about who she is".[1] She also described her character as a "witty" and "intelligent" woman who "knows her mind and isn't intimidated by anyone or anything".[5] Doddington noted Nicola's traits of preferring things to be easy and usually seeking opportunities to turn situations to her advantage. She concluded by detailing that "Nicola is not a woman's woman, and she's just not interested in women, not interested in female friendships, not interested in that support network".[5] She further noted that Nicola is "used to getting what she wants", having never learned as a child not to expect such.[5] Radio Times writer Helen Daly called the character a "fiery bombshell"[14] and was surprised by Nicola's tendency to be a "troublemaker" and noted that she had many "tricks up her sleeve".[2]
Relationship with Teddy Mitchell
[edit]The character's backstory states that she and Teddy married young and discovered themselves while being together, before divorcing. Their lengthy history together lead them to gain the ability to "press each other's buttons" easily, being able to predict what would happen as a result.[5] Regarding the character's relationship with Teddy, Clenshaw commented that they had a "complicated history".[1] Doddington commented that their divorce helped Nicola examine her behaviour, and that she wanted "her family back as a unit".[5] She said that Nicola still harbored feelings for Teddy, despite the two being dysfunctional during their marriage, and Nicola's annoyance towards losing her ability to "manipulate" and stay "one step ahead [of]" Teddy.[5] After learning of Teddy's flirtation with Sharon Watts (Dean), Doddington said Nicola and Sharon would "clash right away" as Nicola was determined to do "whatever it takes" to get Teddy back, so would try her best to "scupper" their relationship.[12]
Reception
[edit]Nicola's "highly anticipated" arrival was called "dramatic" by Helen Daly of Radio Times.[14] Her colleague, James Hibbs, agreed, writing: "Albert Square has seen a dramatic entrance of a fiery newcomer, as Teddy Mitchell's ex-wife made a big arrival in EastEnders".[15] Fellow writer Laura Denby similarly praised the character's "eventful" introduction, noting appreciation for a joke Nicola make about Teddy's outfit, and that Doddington "delivered a powerful performance", adding that she was excited to see what future stories were to come for the character.[16] Angie Quinn of Manchester Evening News reported that fans of the soap were "obsessed" with the character after her arrival, and noted examples of viewers "confessing their love" for the character via Twitter.[17] The reveal of Nicola's past affair with Zack was deemed "scandalous" by Lewis Knight of Radio Times.[13] Joe Anderton of Digital Spy billed the character as "Walford's new drama queen".[18] At the end of Nicola's first week on the show, Daly wrote that she had been "a breath of fresh air".[2] Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap labelled the arrival of Nicola a "bullseye", and deemed the character "bloomin' brilliant".[19] She continued by praising Doddington's casting and called Nicola "the shot in the arm the extended Mitchell clan had been needing".[19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "EastEnders to introduce Teddy's ex-wife Nicola Mitchell". BBC Media Centre. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Daly, Helen (14 November 2024). "EastEnders reveals Peggy's gobsmacking new owner in early iPlayer release twist". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Zammitt, Erin (2 October 2024). "EastEnders to introduce Teddy Mitchell's ex-wife in new story". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ a b Nicola Mitchell Joins The Square! | Behind The Square | EastEnders (Video). Official EastEnders YouTube channel. 13 November 2024. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Denby, Laura (5 November 2024). "EastEnders newcomer Laura Doddington teases Nicola Mitchell's big secret: 'She feels exposed'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ a b Denby, Laura (2 October 2024). "EastEnders confirms arrival of Teddy Mitchell's ex-wife as Doctors star joins the cast". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Zammitt, Erin (5 November 2024). "EastEnders confirms Nicola Mitchell's arrival after dramatic arrest". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Crick, Claire (5 November 2024). "EastEnders spoilers: Nicola Mitchell has a shocking proposition for Phil!". What's on TV. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Denby, Laura (5 November 2024). "6 EastEnders spoilers for next week: Bernie Taylor confronts the Six as Nicola Mitchell arrives". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 14 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "EastEnders spoiler: Nicola Mitchell arrives in Walford". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Episode 7011". EastEnders. 11 November 2024. 27 minutes in. BBC One. Archived from the original on 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Tyler, Laura-Jayne (9–15 November 2024). "Here comes trouble!". Inside Soap. No. 45. pp. 10–12.
- ^ a b Knight, Lewis (13 November 2024). "EastEnders airs scandalous Nicola Mitchell revelations in early BBC iPlayer release". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Daly, Helen (11 November 2024). "EastEnders airs dramatic arrival in early iPlayer release". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Hibbs, James (11 November 2024). "Who is Laura Doddington? Meet EastEnders' Nicola Mitchell star". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Denby, Laura (12 November 2024). "EastEnders reveals Nicola Mitchell's big secret in early iPlayer release". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Quinn, Angie (12 November 2024). "BBC EastEnders fans 'obsessed' with new character as she drops explosive bombshell". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Anderton, Joe (13 November 2024). "EastEnders reveals Nicola's secret connection with popular character". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ a b Tyler, Laura-Jayne (23–29 November 2024). "Hits and Misses". Inside Soap. No. 47.