December 17th 2024.
Lorna Laidlaw, known for her role as Aggie Bailey on Coronation Street, recently shared her experience playing the matriarch of the Bailey clan. During her four-year run on the show, Lorna made sure to challenge the ITV bosses to better represent the Bailey family. After a lengthy absence due to the COVID pandemic, her final storyline focused on the consequences of her husband Ed's gambling addiction and the family's fall from grace.
As the first regular Black family on the show, the Baileys were forced to downsize from their luxurious home in Alderley Edge, Cheshire to the modest backstreets of Weatherfield. Aggie, embarrassed by their new home, convinced her former neighbors that they were actually living in the plush house of Sally and Tim Metcalfe. Lorna's last appearance on the show was in June of 2023, and it was later revealed that her character had gone to Birmingham to care for her sick aunt.
Since leaving the show, Lorna has kept busy with various projects, including filming a role in the upcoming series of Channel 5's The Good Ship Murder and writing and directing Birmingham Old Rep's production of The Wizard of Oz this Christmas. She left the show in 2023, and her character's departure was explained by her ending her marriage with Ed after his addiction relapsed.
During a conversation on the Chicken Soap for the Soul podcast with her former co-star Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh, Lorna shared her thoughts on her role as Aggie. She revealed that the producers initially wanted the Baileys to have Jamaican accents, but she questioned this decision as it did not feel truthful to the characters. Lorna pointed out that the actors cast as the Baileys were born and raised in England and did not have Jamaican accents. She also pushed for more representation of Black love on the show, questioning why Aggie and Ed were not shown kissing on-screen.
Lorna also shared her surprise at being part of the show's first regular Black family after almost 59 years since its inception. Her family in New York even called her to say that she was featured in the New York Times for this milestone. She also revealed that the idea of having three framed portraits of hummingbirds on the wall of No. 3 was her own, paying homage to the iconic flying ducks that once adorned Hilda Ogden's living room.
If you want to stay updated on all things soaps, join our community by leaving a comment below and check out our homepage for the latest news, spoilers, and interviews. You can also join Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community with 10,000 other fans to access spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on the link and select "Join Chat" to join the conversation. Don't forget to turn on notifications so you'll never miss out on the latest updates! And if you have any soap or TV stories, videos, or pictures, don't hesitate to email us – we'd love to hear from you!
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
