Laura Aikman, who recently captivated viewers as the scheming bridezilla Sonia in the Gavin & Stacey finale, is set to grace our screens once more, this time as a villainous character.
Fresh off her role that left fans agog when she turned up as Smithy’s unexpected bride on Christmas Day, Laura Aikman is now taking on the part of Rachel Duffy in the gritty new BBC One drugs drama This City Is Ours.
Juggling roles, Laura was filming for the high-stakes series alongside her work on Gavin & Stacey last year. She quips about her characters, “It was the year of the bitch,” finding the roles deliciously fun to dive into.
While Sonia was what Laura fondly dubs a “rotter”, her new character Rachel is steeped in darkness, harbouring dreams of climbing the ranks within Liverpool’s murky drug trade.
The show also features Sean Bean as the formidable gang boss Ronnie Phelan and Julie Graham as his spouse Elaine, with Laura’s Rachel being their ambitious niece.
Sharing the set with the esteemed Sean Bean, 65, was a surreal experience for Laura, who was mesmerised by how he could switch from being “lovely and sweet” off-camera to a ferocious gangster Ronnie at a moment’s notice.
Laura marvels at his talent, saying, “It was so amazing on the days when we did see him turn and get really angry,” which served as a stark reminder of his acting prowess, given how different it is from his real-life persona.
(Image: BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack)
In This City Is Ours, Laura portrays a woman eager to stake her claim in the family empire. “She’s waiting to pick her moment and she feels she’s been very patient,” reveals Laura. “As the series progresses, that patience wears thin and you see her become more determined in pursuing her desires. She’s relentless.”
Off-screen, Laura, 39, is a vibrant and friendly personality who enjoys her leisure time with actor hubby Matt Kennard and their adorable French bulldog Eric. This month, they’re raising a glass to 18 years of togetherness and a decade of marital bliss.
Last year, filming commitments often kept them apart, so they chose to wrap up the year by reconnecting in an off-the-beaten-path adventure – a scenic yet gruelling 12-day hike through Nepal’s Himalayan Annapurna Circuit. This trekking tradition was born out of their post-wedding escapade.
“After we tied the knot, we embarked on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu,” shares Laura. “It felt like a honeymoon and I became addicted to these adventurous holidays. We conquered Kilimanjaro four years ago, then jetted off to Nepal at the end of last year after wrapping up Gavin & Stacey and This City Is Ours, which were filmed concurrently.”
This getaway not only allowed Laura and Matt to rekindle their bond but also provided a much-needed escape from the pressures of their acting careers – something a beach holiday could never offer. Laura enthuses, “It was extraordinary.
“It was amazing to be amidst the mountains and just reconnect with each other because our work often keeps us apart for significant periods.”
Laura turned into a familiar face on the telly when she grabbed the role of junior doctor May Phelps in Casualty between 2009 and 2010, her career rocketed as she went on to feature in The Job Lot, Bluestone 42, starred in the Cary Grant inspired series Archie, and bagged a part in ITV’s retro robbery drama Joan.
Disney+ just spilt the beans this month that Laura snagged a part in their upcoming intense series Suspect: The Shooting Of Jean Charles De Menezes, joining an all-star cast including Daniel Mays, Russell Tovey, and Max Beesley. Yet, Laura spills that sometimes nerves about nailing the next gig creep in.
“Being an actor comes with a certain level of anxiety about when that next job is going to come, and trekking really takes you away from it and makes you commit to not being even remotely in that headspace,” Laura dishes out, mentioning her daily sweat sessions to keep a clear head.
“And when you’re off on a beachy getaway, which I’m totally up for too, you simply can’t ditch your phone, so it’s trickier to chuck your work worries into the bin for a while.”
There was also a moment when acting jobs seemed to dry up, leading Laura to ponder swapping scripts for spatulas. “I’ve done so many other jobs, but all of them absolutely dreadfully,” Laura painfully recalls.
“There was a brief period of unemployment about 10 years ago when I considered baking cakes for a farmers’ market but I think I’d be the size of a house if that had worked out.”
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