CASE SENSITIVE
LAURIE BRETT TELLS US ABOUT TURNING DETECTIVE FOR HER LATEST ROLE…
Eastenders fans might well have noticed a familiar face in last week’s opening episode of Deadwater Fell: Laurie Brett (formerly Jane Beale) as DC Gemma Darlington, one of the detectives investigating the fire at the Kendrick house. The case takes a turn this week with the appearance of a fresh witness, as the police pay close attention to their prime suspect – so Gemma’s going to be kept quite busy…
“She’s a totally driven career woman,” explains Laurie. “She’s passionate about her job – she’s meticulous, and she lives for work. Gemma’s not married, which is her choice – in my head, she’s probably got a few people on the go in the background! She’s no-nonsense, intelligent and intuitive – if I needed any police work doing, I’d certainly want someone like her on my side.”
As the sole survivor of the fire that killed his wife and daughters, local GP Tom Kendrick is of keen interest to the enquiry
– and Laurie relished the chance to go toeto-toe with David Tennant, who plays Tom.
“Tom and Gemma really do play cat and mouse with each other,” she shares. “Obviously he has this massive story to tell and she’s trying – with him and every other suspect – to pick away anything she feels is not quite right. I had real fun trying to get through to every suspect there is, but especially David. We had some fun, definitely – that was my favourite bit!”
The location of the series was also a big attraction for South Lanarkshire-born Laurie, as it meant a chance for her to spend some time in Scotland.
“It’s always great to go back to the motherland, as I call it!” she enthuses.
“I’ve lived in London most of my life, but when I go back there, I love the people, I love the banter, I love the countryside. We were filming in a beautiful village there – we took it over, it was like the circus had come to town! And apart from one day, the weather really held out for us, so we were well chuffed!”