Lisa Hammond has written a play that seemingly slams ‘EastEnders’ for giving her limited storylines as a disabled actress.
The 35-year-old star’s new production, ‘Still No Idea’, features a disabled actress trying to make it big on TV and it’s been seen as a dig at the soap for the fact her character Donna Yates had few storylines as Lisa felt she was only cast on the programme because she has restricted growth condition pseudoachondroplasia and uses a wheelchair.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Lisa was unhappy about her time on the show and felt that she didn’t get enough storylines.
"So when she left she poured her energy into writing a play about her experiences.
"She doesn’t name ‘EastEnders’ specifically, but it’s clearly about it.
"There’s even a joke in the play about how bosses attempt to give her a normal storyline – suggesting she unearths the identity of her father … to be played by dwarf actor Warwick Davis.
"At another point she makes a gag about how bosses thought she could only be friends with characters who had accessible houses."
Lisa – who left her role as the market trader earlier this year after four years on screen – created ‘Still No Idea’ with her friend Rachael Spence to emphasise that while there are more disabled people in the mainstream media, disabled actors still experience huge amounts of discrimination and there is much progress to be made.
The pair’s other recent work together includes the Channel4 TV comedy ‘Lowdown’ and theatre project ‘Old Street/New Street.’
‘Still No Idea’ – which blends theatre, improvisation and comedy sketches – is touring across the country this autumn.
Lisa Hammond’s swipe at EastEnders
