# Laura Doddington

Laura May Doddington (born 2 January 1981) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Nicola Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2024. Her other roles include her portrayal of Zara in several of the Doctor Who audio productions, as well as her appearances in medical dramas such as Doctors, Casualty and Holby City. She has also provided voices for numerous video games including Age of Empires IV and Assassin's Creed Valhalla and has appeared extensively in various theatre productions in a stage career spanning two decades.

## Life and career

Laura May Doddington was born on 2 January 1981 in Cambridge, England. Doddington studied at Queen Margaret University between 1999 and 2002, where she obtained a BA in acting. In 2004, Doddington made her stage debut in the plays I Ought to Be in Pictures, and went on to appear in numerous other plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre over the next two years, which included Miranda's Magic Mirror (2004), Her Slightest Touch (2004), For Starters (2004), Miss Yesterday (2004), Time and Time Again (2005), Improbable Fiction (2005–2006), Caution Trousers (2005) and The Champion of Paribanou (2006). She subsequently began appearing in further stage productions for various theatre companies.
Doddington's television debut was in the final two episodes of Prime Suspect in October 2006. She appeared in the BBC medical soap opera Doctors on four separate occasions as various characters. She has appeared in numerous Doctor Who audio productions, primarily as the character Zara, which she first appeared in the audio adaptions Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles and Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures in 2009. The same year she appeared as Trudy Parks in Man of the Moment at the Royal & Derngate theatre, before appearing in an episode of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Barbara, a woman leading an antenatal class attended by Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia). She also played Julia Sindall in an episode of The Bill. Between 2010 and 2011, Doddington starred as Poopay in Communicating Doors at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. In 2014, she appeared in an episode of Casualty as Tina Connolly. In 2015, she appeared in Educating Rita at The Mill at Sonning and in Boeing-Boeing at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre.
In 2019, Doddington appeared in an episode of Holby City as Abbey Ealy. In 2022, she appeared in the Sky Max sci-fi series The Midwich Cuckoos as DS Mayes. In 2023, she appeared in the stage plays Yours Unfaithfully and Owners at Jermyn Street Theatre, portraying the characters of Anne Meredith and Marion respectively. In 2024, Doddington returned to EastEnders and was cast in the regular role of Nicola Mitchell. Her character is introduced as the ex-wife of Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian) and mother of Harry (Elijah Holloway) and Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman).

## Filmography
### Television and film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Prime Suspect | DC Wood | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | Doctors | Clare Porter | Episode: "Life's a Beach" |
| 2009 | The Bill | Julia Sindall | Episode: "Got You Wrong" |
| 2009 | EastEnders | Barbara | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Doctors | Carly Denby | Episode: "Judgement Day" |
| 2014 | Casualty | Tina Connolly | Episode: "Only the Lonely" |
| 2017 | People Just Do Nothing | Customer | Episode: "Bosses" |
| 2019 | Holby City | Abbey Ealy | Episode: "North and South" |
| 2019 | Doctors | Marta Coval | Episode: "B Flat" |
| 2021 | Doctors | Mira Hyde | Episode: "The Missing Piece" |
| 2022 | The Midwich Cuckoos | DS Mayes | 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Promise | — | Short film |
| 2024–present | EastEnders | Nicola Mitchell | Regular role |

### Audio

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles | Zara | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures | Zara | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2017 | Graceless | Zara | 4 series |
| 2014 | The Confessions of Dorian Gray | The Woman in Blue / Sally | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Gallifrey | Vale Endrogan | Episode: "Intervention Earth" |
| 2015 | The Worlds of Big Finish | Zara | Episode: "The Archive" |
| 2016 | Torchwood: Monthly Range | The Graces | Episode: "Ghost Mission" |
| 2016 | Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield | Idratz | Episode: "The Very Dark Thing" |
| 2016 | The Torchwood Archive | Delilah | Podcast series |
| 2017 | The War Master | Lady Sutlumu / Second Official | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Torchwood: The Sins of Captain John | Baroness Ha-ha / Frances, Duchess of Winchester | Episode: "Ghost Mission" |
| 2020 | Doctor Who: Wicked Sisters | Zara | Podcast series |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2015 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Orianna |
| 2018 | Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom | — |
| 2021 | Age of Empires IV | Villager Female |
| 2023 | Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin | Strylka / Magister |
| 2020 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla | — |
| 2024 | Unknown 9: Awakening | — |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 2004 | I Ought to Be in Pictures | Libby | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2004 | Miranda's Magic Mirror | Miranda | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2004 | Her Slightest Touch | Girl | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2004 | For Starters | Daisy | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2004 | Miss Yesterday | Tammy Laidlaw | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2005 | Time and Time Again | Joan | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2005–2006 | Improbable Fiction | Ilsa | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2005 | Caution Trousers | Debs | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2006 | The Champion of Paribanou | Murganah | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2006 | Oleanna | Carol | New Vic Theatre |
| 2007 | Noises Off | Poppy Norton-Taylor | Everyman Theatre, Liverpool |
| 2007 | Time of My Life | Stephanie | Royal & Derngate |
| 2008 | On a Shout | Jo / Louise / Pam | Hull Truck Theatre |
| 2008 | Wives as They Were and Maids as They Are | Maria | Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds |
| 2009 | Private Fears in Public Places | Imogen | Royal & Derngate |
| 2009 | Man of the Moment | Trudy Parks | Royal & Derngate |
| 2009 | Cinderella | Fairy Godmother | Watford Palace Theatre |
| 2010 | Alphabetical Order | Lesley | New Vic Theatre |
| 2010–2011 | Life of Riley | Tamsin | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2010–2011 | Communicating Doors | Poopay | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2011 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Fortuna / Spatula | Watford Palace Theatre |
| 2012 | Absurd Person Singular | Jane Hopcroft | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2012–2013 | Surprises | Sylvia / Zandy | Stephen Joseph Theatre |
| 2013 | Mansfield Park | Mary | Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds |
| 2014 | Bedroom Farce | Susannah | Oldham Coliseum Theatre |
| 2015 | Educating Rita | Rita | The Mill at Sonning |
| 2015 | Boeing-Boeing | Gloria | Oldham Coliseum Theatre |
| 2016 | Last of the Red Hot Lovers | Rita | The Mill at Sonning |
| 2022 | The Birds and the Bees | Sarah | New Wolsey Theatre |
| 2023 | They Don't Pay? We Won't Pay! | Anthea | Mercury Theatre, Colchester |
| 2023 | Yours Unfaithfully | Anne Meredith | Jermyn Street Theatre |
| 2023 | Owners | Marion | Jermyn Street Theatre |