Freya Wilson (Doctors)

Last updated

Freya Wilson
Doctors character
Freya Wilson (Doctors).jpg
Portrayed by Lu Corfield
Duration2011–2012
First appearance"The Asian & the Lesbian"
11 May 2011 (2011-05-11)
Last appearance"Something on the Air"
18 June 2012 (2012-06-18)
Classification Former; regular
Created byDawn Coulson
Introduced byWill Trotter
In-universe information
OccupationGeneral practitioner
Sisters Lois Wilson
AuntsPatti Sylvester

Freya Wilson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors , portrayed by Lu Corfield. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2011, and departed Doctors on 18 June 2012 after dying in a house fire. Following the character's death, Corfield went on to play the role of her sister, Lois Wilson, in 2014.

Contents

Creation and casting

Series producer Peter Lloyd asked his team to create two new characters. Dawn Coulson, who worked as the serial's script editor was given the task of creating one of the roles. She decided that the character would be female and felt that the series needed a character who was quite different in comparison to their established set of women. [1]

Corfield began filming on 18 February 2011, [1] alongside fellow new cast member Simon Rivers who portrayed Kevin Tyler. She felt that it was great having someone else who was new by her side. [2] Corfield and Rivers began shooting during triple banking and also had a documentary crew working with them. [2] In May 2011, Doctors released a video on the serial's website to introduce their audience to the new characters. [3] Lloyd said that when the series created new characters, he worried about the casting stages. This was because he believed it can ruin the work put in during the creation process. However, Lloyd praised Corfield and Rivers' casting because he believed that they were just "right" and a "couple of corkers". [4] Lloyd later told Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that the introduction of Freya and Kevin had helped to "even things out" and create a "good cross section". [5] Corfield's first scenes as Freya aired during the episode broadcast on 11 May 2011. [3]

Development

Characterisation and Kevin Tyler

The BBC initially described Freya as a "confident, career-hungry trainee GP". [6] Corfield told Eden Carter Wood of Diva magazine that Freya made a big impact on her arrival and was instantly "pigeon-holed" by her colleagues. [2] She described Freya as being a "passionate women's activist" who is not as together as she seems. Corfield felt that Freya hides behind her casual style. Freya sports a "eternal sloppy student" image complete with "jeans, trainers and baggy jumpers" which ultimately gives the impression that she makes no effort with her appearance. Freya does not feel the need to "conform to social conventions". While Corfield opined that she believes that Freya just does not believe she can find a meaningful relationship. [2] Corfield told Rachel Mainwaring of the Western Mail that Freya is an exact opposite of her colleague Zara Carmichael (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh). Freya likes to help a "damsel in distress", something that Corfield said would ultimately land Freya into trouble. [7] Danielle Henry who plays Freya's love interest, Mandy Marquez, told Digital Spy's Kilkelly that Freya "is the classic example of the road to hell being paved with good intentions". She always attempts to do "the right thing" and this leads to situations going wrong. Freya never has the intention of ruining her involvement in situations - but she never considers the eventual outcome. [8]

Freya's development became more prominent in the latter half of 2011. Corfield stated that Freya had only been a catalyst in other character's storyline up until October 2011. She added that the scripts she had been given indicated that there would be a focus on discovering who Freya really is. [2] She added that during November 2011, Freya's story "changes in a big way" where she is no longer the "reactor and an accomplice". [9] Freya later begins a relationship with Kevin. Corfield told Digital Spy's Kilkelly that she and Rivers went on "a massive journey" together as they played their character's relationship. Initially the duo fought like "cat and dog" which eventually develops into a "fondness between them". Corfield added that "their default setting is to always snap at each other, but they care about each other a lot and they'll always look out for each other." [10]

Relationship with Mandy Marquez

"I think Doctors have done a really good job [...] I think Mandy and Freya's sexuality is just incidental a lot of the time - they're just two people who have a lot in common and really love each other. At the core of it, that's the most important thing." [8]

—Henry on Freya and Mandy's relationship. (2012)

Freya's following relationship is with a female character, Mandy Marquez (Danielle Henry). Lloyd told Katy Moon of Inside Soap that he believed Freya needed to grow up and have a "mature relationship" with meaning. He added that Freya's crush on Cherry Malone (Sophie Abelson) and her fling with Kevin were a direct result of Freya searching for stability. [11] However, Mandy is left to contend with Freya's prevailing feelings for Kevin. Corfield opined that the dynamic of the three characters was "glorious" and that Mandy is not sure where she fits in. Freya reassures Mandy, but "there's still such a pull towards Kevin" which she fails to hide. [10] Corfield revealed that Freya and Mandy's romance would face problems in future episodes. Freya is "useless" in relationships because she is "petrified" that something will go wrong as she has never been treated well. While Corfield felt that the pair setting up home was moving too fast, in the long-run it would benefit Freya. She added that Freya would mess things up "quite wonderfully" which sets the scene of the relationship that will not run smoothly. It was noted that a Doctors storyline never usually develops without problems. [10] Like Corfield; Henry also believed Freya's "love-hate relationship" with Kevin could cause issues. [8] Although, their relationship has positive traits which help Freya. Mandy is characterised as "honest" and "very upfront", which works out well for the indecisive Freya. Mandy's "straight-down-the-line" attitude and dislike to overcomplicate a situation; results in her just wanting to be with Freya. Mandy does not foresee the possible problems that Freya does. In one storyline, Freya promotes her blog on a radio station and gets ridiculed for her bisexuality. Mandy interrupts the broadcast to help Freya, which sets the theme of Mandy acting as her support network. [10]

Henry later told Kilkelly that she thought Doctors did a "really good job" of making their character's sexuality incidental. She branded the realism of their lesbian relationship a rare occurrence on television - adding that they made a departure from the stereotypes and dramatisation associated with gay characters. [8]

Freya has a "massive setback" when she fails her exams and Kevin wins the position they were competing for. She is forced to evaluate her life and contemplate why she has failed. For Corfield herself, this was a special and heart-breaking episode. Freya expects Kevin to be insensitive and boast about his promotion, but he actually "gutted" which shocks Freya. Corfield said that the support from two people that she loves "raises some questions for her". [10] The character's career path is also affected by her obsession with online blogging. Instead of concentrating more on her career, she uses her blog as a "complete distraction". Freya is not getting the praise she wants from her online followers and not her work place. Corfield told Kilkelly, that Freya's online activities lead her into trouble when she meets one of her followers. However, she was not permitted to reveal any more details about the storyline. [10]

Departure

On 1 June 2012, Digital Spy's Kilkelly reported that Doctors would air an "unmissable" episode on 18 June prior to the series taking a three-week hiatus. He added that the episode would leave viewers with a "big and tragic cliffhanger". [12] He later revealed that both Freya and Kevin would be involved in a fire storyline leading to them both being seriously injured. [13] After an argument with Kevin she goes around to his house to find it on fire. Freya decides to enter the building in an attempt to save Kevin. Kilkelly added that there would be a "shock ending" to the episode which would leave an "agonising" three-week wait to see if they survive. [13] He later reported that Kevin survives the blaze, but Freya dies in hospital leaving Mandy "grief-stricken". [14]

Reception

For her portrayal of Freya, Corfield received a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 2012 British Soap Awards. [15] At the 2012 Inside Soap Awards, Corfield was nominated for Best Daytime Star. [16] Alison Slade from TVTimes said that Corfield was a strong contender for the accolade because Freya had been a "breath of fresh air". [17] A columnist for AfterEllen said that Freya's sexuality was true to life and not "likely to be straight-forward". They hoped that Doctors would explore Freya's sexuality, noting that it would be the "first time" the series had developed a bisexual character. [18] Corfield received "a lot" of letters from viewers telling her that Freya is a positive role model. [11] Henry said that she often received "really positive feedback" via Twitter regarding Freya and Mandy's relationship. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Doctors</i> (2000 TV series) British soap opera

Doctors is a British medical soap opera, first broadcast on BBC One on 26 March 2000. Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff of both an NHS doctor's surgery and a university campus surgery, as well as the lives of their families and friends. Initially, only 41 episodes of the programme were ordered, but due to the positive reception, the BBC ordered it as a continuing soap opera. Doctors was filmed at the Pebble Mill Studios until 2004; production then relocated to the BBC Drama Village. Episodes are filmed three months prior to transmission. The soap is typically broadcast on weekdays at 1:45 pm on BBC One, as well as having classic episodes broadcast on Drama. It takes three annual transmission breaks across the year: at Easter, during the summer and at Christmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Hayton</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Nancy Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jessica Fox. The character first appeared on 6 July 2005. Since the character's inception she has been involved in many notable storylines such as a love triangle; coping with the death of her sister Becca ; marrying Jake Dean ; drug abuse; domestic violence; being the victim of two attempted rapes by Jake and Finn O'Connor ; marrying Darren Osborne ; suffering a miscarriage; prematurely giving birth to Darren's son, Oscar Osborne, who is deaf; an addiction to painkillers; a highly-publicised storyline where Sienna Blake attempts to steal Darren and her family away from her; getting brain damage after an attack from Sienna; an affair with Rick Spencer ; and a fling with Rick's son Robbie Roscoe. Her later storylines have seen the character be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; discovering Darren's affair with her friend Mandy Richardson, leading to the couple's separation; a relationship with Kyle Kelly ; miscarrying Kyle's baby after being stabbed; and dealing with Kyle's suicide. In the character's early stages, she was portrayed as a less conventional character compared to the rest of the Hollyoaks teenagers. Fox left the series on 23 March 2023 due to going on maternity leave, she will return in late 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandy Salter</span> UK soap opera character, created 1992

Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992 by producer Leonard Lewis, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylines about teenage homelessness, child abuse and recreational drug taking. Her relationship with Aidan Brosnan was one of the prominent storylines featured in 1993. Due to the character's antagonistic behaviour, it has been suggested that Mandy was one of the most hated characters on television during her initial tenure. The character appeared in a special episode of Doctor Who in 1993, which was set in the fictional soap setting of Walford. Stapleton left the role and Mandy departed on-screen on 13 January 1994. Stapleton returned to the role on 29 August 2011 for a nine month stint, and left again on 31 May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Hollins</span> Fictional character from Doctors

Jack Hollins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Nicolas Woodman. Jack first appeared on 4 August 2009 and left Doctors on 21 September 2012. He returned for brief stints in 2013 and 2014. His storylines in the series have included his secret relationship with Zara Carmichael and completing a degree at university. Following the completion of his degree, it was confirmed by producer Peter Eryl Lloyd that the character would face numerous life decisions that ultimately resulted in his exit.

Cheryl Gray (<i>Coronation Street</i>) Soap opera character

Cheryl Gray is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Holly Quin-Ankrah. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing 9 April 2010. Originally introduced as a love interest for an existing character, Cheryl has been involved in storylines involving lapdancing and domestic abuse since her inception. Cheryl's age was tweaked to accommodate the much younger Quin-Ankrah's real age. In May 2011, it was announced the producers had decided not to renew Quin-Ankrah's contract. She departed on-screen on 18 November 2011.

Elaine Cassidy (<i>Doctors</i>) Fictional character from Doctors

Dr. Elaine Cassidy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Janet Dibley. She made her first appearance during the series 12 episode "Frozen", broadcast on 31 August 2010. She departed Doctors on 28 September 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Button</span> UK soap opera character (launched 2011)

Ruby Button is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Anna Shaffer. Shaffer's casting was announced in December 2010 and it was revealed that Ruby would be introduced as the sister of Duncan Button. Shaffer originally auditioned for the role of Leanne Holiday, in which she was not successful. Shaffer began filming her scenes in late 2010 and relocated to Liverpool for filming. Ruby made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 3 January 2011. In October 2013, it was announced that Shaffer had quit the role and would leave in February 2014. In October 2017, speculation emerged indicating Shaffer was to reprise the role very soon and on 16 November 2017, it was confirmed that Ruby would be back for Frankie Osborne's funeral later that month. She returned on 23 November 2017, departing in the following episode, broadcast on 24 November 2017. She made another return for a guest stint at the end of April 2018, making her final appearance on 30 April.

Lucy "Lu" Corfield is a Welsh actress, known for her roles as Freya Wilson in Doctors, Ruth in Last Tango in Halifax and Joyce Edevan in Clink. In 2020, she appeared in the BBC Three series In My Skin.

Howard Bellamy (<i>Doctors</i>) Fictional character from Doctors

Howard Bellamy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Ian Kelsey. Howard first appeared on 28 May 2012, where he is introduced as the practice manager of the fictional Mill Health Centre. Kelsey was cast in the soap following the departure of Julia Parsons, the practice manager prior to Howard. He is an ex-army captain, and producers deliberately made his personality different to Julia's. Howard was based on a real person since producers had heard of a situation where somebody quit the army to become the practice manager of a doctor's surgery. Kelsey spoke to a real-life practice manager to aid his accuracy in the role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Black</span> UK soap opera character, created 2013

Grace Black is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Tamara Wall. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 8 November 2013. Wall had three auditions for the role on the show's set in Liverpool. The character is introduced as the sister of Clare Devine, who had been killed off in earlier episodes. Grace arrives to investigate her death and get reacquainted with her estranged father Fraser Black.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liv Flaherty</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Liv Dingle is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Isobel Steele. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 25 February 2016. Liv was introduced as part of her half-brother Aaron Livesy's sex abuse storyline, which would see her realise that her father is a sex offender. Liv was initially characterised as a troublemaker, but her depth was explored following the decision to move in with Aaron. Steele has noted that similar aspects of her character are similar to herself, and appreciates that Emmerdale wrote her as a teenage with authority since she felt that this is rarely seen on television. Liv became the first asexual character to be featured in a soap opera, and Steele has been praised by viewers and critics for her role in the storyline. Asexual people felt that the character was an accurate portrayal of themselves and Steele has expressed her gratitude at being able to represent them on-screen.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kevin and Freya: Our first day". BBC Online . (BBC). 9 May 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Carter Wood, Eden (7 November 2011). "Interview: Lu Corfield". Diva . (Millivres Prowler Limited). Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  3. 1 2 Kilkelly, Daniel (3 May 2011). "'Doctors': Meet the new cast members". Digital Spy . (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Lloyd, Peter (13 May 2009). "Doctors: The joy (and pain) of creating characters". BBC Online . (BBC). Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (1 July 2011). "Exclusive: Peter Lloyd - 'Doctors' series producer". Digital Spy . (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  6. ↑ Yapp, Carl (9 May 2011). "Lu Corfield's journey from Welshpool to Candy Cabs". BBC News . (BBC). Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Mainwaring, Rachel (18 June 2011). "Lu Corfield: Doctor in the house". Western Mail . (Trinity Mirror). Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Kilkelly, Daniel (23 April 2012). "'Doctors' star Danielle Henry talks Mandy, Freya, more - interview". Digital Spy . (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Mainwaring, Rachel; Bevan, Nathan (13 November 2011). "Doctors actor Lu Corfield says (...); Sunday Roast Rachel Mainwaring and Nathan Bevan serve up the latest showbiz morsels". Western Mail . (Trinity Mirror). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kilkelly, Daniel (8 March 2012). "'Doctors' Lu Corfield reveals new Freya plots - interview". Digital Spy . (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  11. 1 2 Moon, Katy (18–24 February 2012). "Secrets of Doctors". Inside Soap (7): 38.
  12. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (1 June 2012). "Corrie newcomers, 'EastEnders' proposals, more - Soap Scoop Q&A". Digital Spy . (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  13. 1 2 Kilkelly, Daniel (3 June 2012). "'Doctors' fire leads to terrible danger". Digital Spy . (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 3 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  14. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (1 July 2012). "'Hollyoaks' Silas return, Corrie and 'Enders newcomers, E'dale exit". Digital Spy . (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  15. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (5 April 2012). "British Soap Awards 2012: Full viewer and panel shortlist revealed". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  16. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (9 July 2012). "Inside Soap Awards 2012 - longlist nominees in full". Digital Spy . (Hearst Magazines UK). Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  17. ↑ Slade, Alison (28 April – 4 May 2012). "I want to win it for dad!". TVTimes . 216 (18): 16, 17.
  18. ↑ "Great LezBritain: Lu Corfield plays doctor". AfterEllen . (Logo). 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.