Lorna Laidlaw is amazed ‘Coronation Street’ is only just introducing its first black family.
The 56-year-old star has joined the cast on the cobbles as Bailey family matriarch pharmacy assistant Aggie alongside fellow newcomers Trevor Michael Georges (Edison), Nathan Graham (James) and Ryan Russell (Michael).
Speaking on ITV’s ‘This Morning’, she said: "It’s a question that we’ve all been asked every single time, and everybody’s still shocked that we’re having to answer it.
"I think it’s incredible that we’re still discussing this, we’re still looking at a whole black family making news. And it’s big news… It’s a massive thing. This show’s been going for 60 years and there’s never been a whole family."
And Lorna – who left her role as Mrs. Tembe on ‘Doctors’ earlier this year after eight years on the drama – admitted joining ‘Corrie’ means her family finally understood what it is she does for a career.
She laughed: "We grew up watching ‘Coronation Street’. It was a massive thing. And it’s that amazing thing when you’ve been working in theatre for a long time – I know I did ‘Doctors’, but until you’re on telly your family don’t quite know what you do. Now they clearly know, all of them!"
The actress also admitted it was a challenge putting on a northern accent due to her upbringing in Birmingham, and spending so long playing Mrs. Trembe on the Brummie soap.
She added: "All through those first few scenes, I kept going,’Do not go to your default, do not go to your fault’. You’ve gotta go northern and it was so difficult.
"Your mouth is so trained to do an accent, and actually getting in your head with this new character, and make her really believable, it was really quite difficult!"
Lorna Laidlaw can’t believe Coronation Street is only just getting a black family
