User:FishLoveHam/Nicola Mitchell

Nicola Mitchell
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Laura Doddington
Duration	2024–present
First appearance	Episode 7011 11 November 2024 (2024-11-11)
Classification	Present; regular
Introduced by	Chris Clenshaw
In-universe information Occupation Beautician Businesswoman Family Mitchell Husband Teddy Mitchell (until 2024) Sons Harry Mitchell Barney Mitchell

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". 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".

Storylines

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

Casting and creation

After being alluded to on several occations, 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 (Roland Manookian) and mother of his sons Harry (Elijah Holloway) and Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman). 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. 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. She noted the set being smaller than she had imagined, commenting that it was "bizarre" but "exciting". 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. She compared the working environment to that of a theatre company due to how encouraging the cast were to each other. Executive producer Chris Clenshaw expressed excitement to introduce Nicola and explore her dynamic with Teddy. It was confirmed that Doddington had begun filming prior to the announcement. Nicola was the second role portrayed by Doddington in EastEnders, as she portrayed Barbara, a woman leading an antenatal class attended by Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia), in late 2009.

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. 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. Teasing her character's arrival, Doddington said that Nicola "comes in like the Tasmanian Devil". Spoilers teasing her debut said that she would create "a stir", and take quick dislikes to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) for flirting with Teddy, as well as Jack (Scott Maslen) and Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) for their respective roles in Harry's arrest. She was also teased to be hiding many secrets. The character went on to make her first appearance in episode 7011, broadcast on 11 November 2024.

Characterisation

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". Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap billed Nicola as a "new mega-bitch" who would quickly have the remainder of Walford "at [her] mercy". Press releases noted Nicola's determination to "stand her ground". Lewis Knight of Radio Times called her a "dynamic newcomer" and a "feisty new Mitchell matriarch". Colleague Laura Denby called the character "chaotic" and "fiery".

Doddington detailed that Nicola was very "protective" over her children, and was always ready and willing to "fight for them". 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". She also described her character as a "witty" and "intelligent" woman who "knows her mind and isn't intimidated by anyone or anything". 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". She further noted that Nicola is "used to getting what she wants", having never learned as a child not to expect such. Radio Times writer Helen Daly called the character a "fiery bombshell" and was surprised by Nicola's tendency to be a "troublemaker" and noted that she had many "tricks up her sleeve".

Relationship with Teddy Mitchell

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. Regarding the character's relationship with Teddy, Clenshaw commented that they had a "complicated history". Doddington commented that their divorce helped Nicola examine her behaviour, and that she wanted "her family back as a unit". 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. After learning of Teddy's flirtation with Sharon Watts (Letitia 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.

Reception

Nicola's "highly anticipated" arrival was called "dramatic" by Helen Daly of Radio Times. 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". 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. 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. The reveal of Nicola's past affair with Zack was deemed "scandalous" by Lewis Knight of Radio Times. Joe Anderton of Digital Spy billed the character as "Walford's new drama queen". At the end of Nicola's first week on the show, Daly wrote that she had been "a breath of fresh air". Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap labelled the arrival of Nicola a "bullseye", and deemed the character "bloomin' brilliant". She continued by praising Doddington's casting and called Nicola "the shot in the arm the extended Mitchell clan had been needing".

See also

• List of EastEnders characters (2024)

References

Category:EastEnders characters Category:Television characters introduced in 2024 Category:English female characters in television Category:Mitchell family (EastEnders) Category:Fictional beauticians Category:Fictional businesspeople in soap operas Category:Fictional con artists Category:Fictional criminals in soap operas Category:Fictional prisoners and detainees Category:Fictional thieves