EastEnders viewers were left utterly stunned when they heard Nicola Mitchell’s actress Laura Doddington’s true voice for the first time.
Laura burst onto the scene in Albert Square last year as Teddy Mitchell’s ex and mother to Harry and Barney, quickly establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with.
Taking over Peggy’s former nightclub, she’s made it crystal clear she’s in Walford to stay, stirring up trouble and rekindling old flames along the way.
But the plot thickens as it’s revealed that Zack Hudson is actually Barney’s dad, not Teddy, thanks to a past romance with Nicola. And in a jaw-dropping revelation, we learn that Nicola is responsible for the murder of Harry’s girlfriend, Shireen Bashar, who’s been missing for years.
Before her time on EastEnders, Laura graced our screens in Casualty, Holby City, The Bill, Doctors, People Just Do Nothing, and as DS Mayes in Sky’s 2022 adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos.
Yet, it was hearing Laura’s authentic accent off-screen that really caught fans off guard, with social media buzzing after an interview clip on TikTok led one viewer to exclaim: “Oh my god she sounds so different.”, reports Plymouth Live.
Fans were in awe of her talent, with one remarking: “Her natural accent is so posh showing what an amazing actress she is so natural. She imitates the cockney accent marvellously.”
Echoing the sentiment, another penned: “She is so well-spoken and seems like such a delight of a person. Hopefully she’s here to stay.”
Then came the reaction from another admirer who confessed: “Didn’t expect her to sound like that in real life.”
Banishing any doubts about her commitment, Laura expressed her joy at landing the part of Nicola in EastEnders last year.
She revealed she was in disbelief at her fortune: “I still can’t believe I’ve joined EastEnders – I keep pinching myself!”.
Her enthusiasm didn’t stop there as she added: “I grew up watching the show, so the first time I filmed in The Vic, I was like a kid at Christmas to be in such an iconic place with such a brilliant cast and crew.”